The problem must lie with me, PM admits
BANGKOK POST REPORTERS
With his leadership under sustained attack, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra managed to joke yesterday he would have to check his horoscope to find out why his star was on such a downward spiral.
Mr Thaksin said he may not be articulate enough in expressing ideas. The messages he tried to communicate often came out wrong, putting him in the line of fire.
''So I've come to the conclusion that the problem must lie with me,'' he said.
Mr Thaksin insisted he had no trouble conversing in Thai with the governor of the Xisuanbhanna region during his visit to Kunming in China this week to attend the Greater Mekong Subregion summit meeting.
''The conversation was one-on-one without an interpreter present and we understood every word we said to each other,'' he said.
There seemed to be a similarity between the language spoken in Xisuanbhanna and the northern Thai dialect with which he was familiar, being from Chiang Mai.
''It occurs to me that sometimes, being a northern native, I may not be thoroughly proficient in the central dialect and listeners may not fully understand what I say.''
So he had decided to seek ''cosmic consolation'' by checking his horoscope. ''With your permission, I'd like to see how the Wednesday star is doing. If it's any good, I'll come back for the interview,'' Mr Thaksin told reporters.
Many high-profile critics, some of them Mr Thaksin's former allies, have come out in force, lashing out at him for being autocratic and oblivious to festering corruption in the government.
On Tuesday, respected social commentator Dr Prawase Wasi warned Mr Thaksin he could fall victim to his own hunger for power if he continued to ignore public opinion. The government's lifeline depended on how far it was willing to open up for scrutiny, he said.
Revered monk Luangta Maha Bua Yannasampanno of Wat Pa Ban Tad in Udon Thani yesterday said Mr Thaksin was letting power go to his head and was consumed by greed. People who voted for Thai Rak Thai so Mr Thaksin could serve a second term were fed up with rampant cronyism, graft and dictatorial actions.
''Our country could be sinking to its demise. The word government in Thai means protector of the nation, but it now means annihilator of the country,'' he said.
Political scientist Prayad Hongthongkam expected the political squabbling to escalate as the turf war between the government and its critics intensified.
Mr Thaksin should act with greater maturity in the face of potentially provocative remarks and be more open-minded, he said.
The problem must lie with me, PM admits
So:
The dwindling popularity of the government is because of the PM's accent?
People cannot understand what he is trying to say ????
Or is that just that whatever he does say is ****** !
As he communicated so well with the Chinese (his long lost ancestors) perhaps he should .....................
Diplomatic enough ?
The dwindling popularity of the government is because of the PM's accent?
People cannot understand what he is trying to say ????
Or is that just that whatever he does say is ****** !
As he communicated so well with the Chinese (his long lost ancestors) perhaps he should .....................
Diplomatic enough ?
- thethailife
- udonmap.com
- Posts: 226
- Joined: July 5, 2005, 12:05 am
- Location: Somewhere in Time
- Contact: