An ignoble appointment

Meechai Burapa believes that since Nelson Mandela was also on a United States blacklist until 2008, taking no notice of the US blacklist in appointing Nalinee Taveesin as PM’s Office minister was appropriate and admirable. By the same token, we could also ignore the notoriety of all those drug lords as blacklisted by the US government.

Nalinee Taveesin’s ministerial post is to promote “the unique and noble values that distinguish Thailand”. In being blacklisted, Americans are prohibited to do business with her, and therefore her assigned role to promote our nobility is legally restricted in the US. No doubt her appointment is unique, but I doubt whether it is noble.

In my book, Prime Minister Yingluck has been admirable in being sweet and upholding herself above dirty politics by being the three monkeys – seeing nothing, hearing nothing and saying nothing. Her appointment and direct defence of Nalinee is the first mistake she has made, knowingly or unknowingly, and there will be many more to come after this first taste.

Songdej Praditsmanont

Bangkok