Activist disrupts NACC conference with ‘Animal Farm’ reference
Solo pro-democracy activist Ake Auttagorn showed up unexpectedly in the middle of the press conference on the junta leader’s watch scandal at the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) office on Wednesday, and gave a picture of a fictional dictator to the agency’s secretary-general.
Ake was the activist who in 2013 held up the banner saying “respect my vote”, protesting against Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva during the political upheaval that led to the coup.
The picture presented to NACC secretary-general Worawit Sukboon was of Napoleon the pig from George Orwell’s famous political allegory “Animal Farm”. There was also an image of “three wise monkeys” wearing diamond rings and watches.
At the time, Worawit was briefing the media on progress in the investigation on the origin of the luxury timepieces worn by Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan.
Ake, who emerged out of nowhere and said he had a gift for the NACC official, was quickly removed from the press conference room.
In the novella “Animal Farm”, Napoleon is a leader in the movement to overthrow the human ruler of the farm. He promises to make all animals equal and says he will never be like the oppressive men. But, after a while in power, Napoleon adopts human mannerisms and becomes “more equal” than the other animals.