Governor VS General: crises are made to reveal heroes and zeroes

After Thaksin Shinawatra challenged him to put on a PPE suit and be out there with the people, General Prayut Chan-o-cha has awakened from his Work From Home (WFH) duty.

To meet the challenge, he conducted an interview in which the interviewer acted as a cheerleader to everything the general had to say, which is no different from what he had said before. It was all about how hard he works and how the people must be united (translation, obey without questions).

However, yesterday, 2 August, he did one important work that he very much enjoys. The general posed for the PR camera crew receiving the charity Pfizer vaccines from the United States.

Meanwhile, Samut Sakorn Governor Weerasak Wijitsaengsri, who in December 2020 contracted COVID-19 and has since been treated, posted on this Facebook Page on 1 August:

“Don’t turn field hospitals into a field for photo ops.”

“Don’t choose only the duties in which others give us accolades while neglecting to relieve suffering and nurture happiness.”

“Don’t choose only to cut ribbons, receive garlands, give lectures, or make merits for the deceased until you forget what your duty is.”

The governor wasn’t talking about the general. He was talking to his officials and building confidence for the people of Samut Sakorn that he and his team know what they are doing and have the right priorities.

He then said similar things to General Prayut about unity and people coming together in times of crisis. The difference is, the people believe him.

Comments on his Facebook Page range from the people of Samut Sakorn thanking him for his words and vision, putting confidence in him as the leader, and even saying he should be prime minister.

Meanwhile, General Prayut’s team often has to turn off the comment section on his Facebook Page.

Take the COVID-19 crisis, add it to the leadership crisis, and that’s Thailand in a nutshell.




Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.