The PM could do more by talking less

The longer he is in power, the more talkative Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha seems to become. And with that talkativeness have come occasional slips of tongue, some of which attracted criticism.
In the most recent case, the prime minister said he felt like punching a reporter for asking him what his government had accomplished since coming to power seven months ago. He confessed to the urge last week while speaking during a Bangkok seminar on transparency in state construction projects. “The government has done a lot already. Don’t they see it?” he complained.
Prayut repeated the point in his weekly TV address last Friday night. “I am still being asked what the government has done. And I have become too tired to answer,” he said.
Prayut’s remark about the reporter’s question drew a strong rebuke from Thai Journalists Association vice president Manop Thip-osod, who suggested that the prime minister should take a more constructive approach in dealing with the news media. Manop noted that it was the media’s duty to ask questions about the government’s work and that every previous administration had been subjected to the same scrutiny.
He noted that Prayut’s predecessors had various styles in dealing with the media, including refusing to answer certain questions, but none of them had used “physical intimidation”. Manop said he understood that the premier might be frustrated, but the comment was uncalled for, demonstrated a lack of respect for human dignity and was unhelpful, given the current national mood.
This is not the first time a slip of the tongue has landed the prime minister in trouble. Last September, shortly after assuming office, he had to apologise for suggesting that tourists in bikinis might be more vulnerable to sexual assault. The remark drew an international outcry.
It came after the brutal murders of two British holidaymakers on Koh Tao. “They [foreign tourists] think our country is beautiful and is safe, so they can do whatever they want – they can wear bikinis and walk everywhere. But can they be safe in bikinis ... unless they are not beautiful?” Prayut told government officials during a policy address. He later conceded the remark had been insensitive and blamed it on the pressure he was under following the tourist murders.
It seems the prime minister feels it is his duty to report about every action his government has taken and respond to every media question following an important incident. In fact, this job could be relegated to his spokesmen, which would enable the premier to focus on the more important task of formulating policies. This would also mean government spokesmen having to spend less time explaining the prime minister’s actions to the media.
Government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp suggested the “punch” remark might have been the result of Prayut’s exasperation at having to answer the same questions repeatedly. “He has no intention of intimidating the media,” Yongyuth said. “His character is straightforward, and what he says can cause misunderstandings. But in fact the prime minister respects
the role and duty of the media.”
There’s no question that the role of prime minister is a high-pressure position. But Prayut “volunteered” for the difficult job of leading efforts to restore peace to the country and oversee reform. And for any government head, elected or not, media scrutiny is part of the deal.
As such, it is General Prayut’s duty to find a balance between running the government and dealing with the media, in a way that best benefits the public interest. The prime minister appears to have taken a friendlier approach recently, but he still talks and complains about issues that do not deserve such close attention.