A farewell to The Nation that was
With feelings of regret but also deep respect, I offer these thoughts on the The Nation newspaper, having been a reader since 1989.
Led and managed by an independent group of professional journalists, The Nation, despite its occasional foibles in the English language, was the barometer for a generation of Thais, most of them middle class, tech-savvy, but also very protective of their rights to democracy and social expression. The newspaper was fuelled by passionate expressions of what it meant to be Thai, including the people’s “freedom” to determine the course and destiny of their country.
This was an inspiration to many of us who teach in the Kingdom, since we could hold The Nation up in class for discussions on critical social issues, and also to remind ourselves that freedom comes with responsibility and the need to persevere. I recall that quite a few of our students turned their interests to journalism, and turned to The Nation since it represented for them the potential to grow in experience and expression.
The Nation was a handy broadsheet newspaper, easily digested with coffee in hand, and with insights that helped us appreciate what the Kingdom was under the glorious reign of King Rama IX, with the disciplined enterprise of the Thai workforce moving the country forward. It also reported on the colourful skirmishes of political personalities who themselves were symbolic of the striving to uphold democracy, but also bedevilled by wilful tantrums and the corruption within a Thai society experiencing unbelievable economic and industrial growth.
Amid raging political factionalism and the struggle by the many to subdue the greed of a few, the military repeatedly marched out of barracks and into politics. Reporting on all this, The Nation emerged as a Thai conscience within Asean and the world. Further entrenching its philosophy, the newspaper tackled global warming, social injustice, human trafficking and many other issues that impacted on the lives of Thais and other Asean citizens.
Ironically, The Nation set the pace for social developments with which all media outlets are now struggling. New technologies and social habits demand downsized, tech-savvy operations in our age of digitisation. The Nation can, though, retain its relevance by continuing to promote responsible participation in democratic systems through well-informed and critical introspection. As it morphs from paper to screen, we wish The Nation the very best. And we fervently hope that it will continue to be independent, thought-provoking and edifying.
Glen Chatelier
Assumption University of Thailand
