Tinawat voices his views

Veteran speaker and former politician Tinawat Marukpitak made an impressive return to the talk-show stage last weekend with three energetic performances over two days. But given the discouraging turn out, it is questionable whether he’ll want to give it another go.
He earlier told The Nation that the chance of more talk shows would depend on the audience response to this latest one, “Tinawat Live: Sparking Thoughts”.
Only a few hundred fans showed up for the last round on Sunday night, filling less than half of the 600-seat Aksra Theatre in the King Power Complex.
Tinawat, perhaps consoling himself, told his audience at the beginning of the show that a real speaker would not be discouraged by such a small turnout.
He started his concert by singing “Thanon Cheewit” (The Path of Life), a number written especially for the show by veteran songwriter and National Artist Payong Mukda, with the backing provided by a keyboard player. The song talks about Tinawat’s life, from his childhood and education to his love life and his time in politics.
It ends with Tinawat’s pledge to serve His Majesty the King, the people and the Thai nation. A five-time MP, Tinawat talked about his “obligation to the public” and the likelihood of returning to politics after a nine-year absence.
The show was divided into five parts, with the first four being performed solo by Tinawat, and the last devoted to traditional Thai musical performances. In the first four, his themes for discussion were “sparking thoughts”, “conquering change and new technologies”, “learning how to rely on yourself”, and the “unity of Asean” with the advent of economic union among the 10 member countries.
Tinawat sprinkled jokes, quotes and anecdotes throughout the show. Many of them were amusing, refreshing and encouraging, some even thought-provoking. However, more than a few of the jokes were not new to audience members, some of whom could be heard muttering the punch lines before Tinawat got them out.
Some audience members were more impressed by his singing abilities than his speaking skills. In addition to a few Thai classics, including “Pratthana” (Desire), he also sang Engelbert Humperdinck’s “Eternally” and traditional songs of the lamtat, choi, and likay genres.
Now 68, Tinawat kept the energy level high, revealing only occasional signs of fatigue during the three-hour show. He performed solo for almost two hours before a 20-minute interval and was later backed up by a traditional Thai band, which was joined by flautist Thanis Sriklindee, a former member of songs-for-life band Carabao.
The veteran speaker took a break during the final part of the show when the band and Thanis performed a few well-known songs. Thanis wowed the audience with his skills on “Duen Phen” (Full Moon) and Carabao’s “Made in Thailand”.
Although he said that he preferred not to touch on politics during the show, Tinawat criticised those he claimed were threatening the country’s “three pillars” – nation, religion and monarchy. He also blamed the country’s ongoing political conflict on the dispute between the rival red shirts and yellow shirts.
Seems as though Tinawat is getting ready for a return to politics.