Is Anusorn's gift of the gab keeping him 'acting'?

Anusorn Iamsa-ard, the new acting government spokesman, was named as a replacement for Thitima Chaisang on February 7 in a move to bridge the gaps within the PR team.

During Thitima’s time, the team – consisting of representatives from different factions of the ruling Pheu Thai Party – failed to speak in one voice and ended up confusing the public almost every day. 

However, it seems as if Yingluck is not completely confident of Anusorn’s abilities, because she has not actually given him the spokesman’s job as such. Anusorn’s job title is deputy spokesman to the Prime Minister Office acting for the government spokesman.

Perhaps, there are two reasons for the premier not really naming him the government spokesman. The first is that he is not that experienced in the political field, and the other is that he is far too close to the red shirts, which could have the opposition snapping at her heels. 

Yet, since Yingluck does not have any other major candidates, Anusorn seems to be the best choice – but she’s trying him out with the new mission of shaping the public opinion in her government’s favour. 

“Do what you can to achieve the goal. Don’t just make news after the Cabinet’s weekly meeting on Tuesday, but do so every day,” she was quoted as telling Anusorn. 

The government’s new strategy is for the PR team to take the front line in the battle against the Democrats, who are already very good at public relations, so Anusorn and his team are having to collaborate with the ruling Pheu Thai Party’s spokesman team. 

The prime minister’s personal spokesman, Suranand Vejjajiva, who learned how to handle the mass media during Thaksin Shinawatra’s regime, would provide a strong back up for Anusorn. 

The new acting government spokesman began his job by sending e-mails to all reporters on the Government House beat. The messages carried the government’s usual PR spiel as well as some comments in response to the opposition party.

The government’s public relations team is also making the most of the state media outlets to advertise its work. In fact, there has even been talk about creating a programme to counter the Democrat Party’s “Lightning Rod” show on Blue Sky TV.

Anusorn said his office is producing two television shows broadcast at prime time on Channel 11 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays to tell the public about the government’s work. The shows “Cabinet for the People” and “Program for people” are not meant to directly counter the opposition party’s programme, but to inform the public about the government’s performance, he said. The two programmes have already been on air since last week.

Anusorn, meanwhile, will use his experience as a radio disc jockey to exploit the airwaves via the Public Relations Department (PRD) and the Mass Communication Organisation of Thailand (MCOT). His first radio programme, slated to go on air next month via a PRD station, will allow the audiences to phone in. However, he has yet to hear from the MCOT about a timeslot for his show. 

Judging by the fact that he was the only person speaking at the press conference, it looks like Anusorn loves the sound of his own voice as any radio DJ would. This is probably why he might find it a bit difficult to keep things short and straight to the point as a government spokesperson. 

Maybe this is why Yingluck has only nominated him as an “acting”, not real spokesman.