Guest fountainhall Posted August 9, 2011 Posted August 9, 2011 I almost missed this letter to The Nation yesterday. It’s a plea from a Bangkok resident (who really does seem to be Thai and not a farang with a Thai pseudonym) for the new government to cease the practice of its predecessors by relegating MPs they don’t know where to place in the Cabinet to the Culture Ministry. In other words, don’t give deadbeats a post that should go to someone “with at least a cultural background” and who speaks reasonably good English so as to help project Thailand’s contemporary and artistic image to the world. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/2011/08/08/opinion/Culture-Ministry-is-important-too-30162200.html Having a couple of Thai friends involved in what might be termed “the business of the arts” in Bangkok, I know a bit about the working of this ministry since it was created by Thaksin senior in 2002. If what I hear is anything close to the truth, then the ministry appears hopelessly inept. Ministers come and go with depressing regularity and priorities change according to the personal likes and dislikes of each of them. I decided to investigate a little further, As Thaksin senior’s people drafted it, the ministry’s - Three major inter-relating and co-ordinating functions are concerned with the following: culture, religion and art. http://www.m-culture.go.th/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=7 So the Ministry of Culture bears little resemblance to that of any other country, with its huge emphasis on societal cultural values and the “promotion of positive cultural values enhancing a living based on morality and ethics.” In other words, this is not a Ministry of Culture at all. It’s a kind of Protection of Social Order Ministry. No wonder it drives genuine Thai artists, musicians and other performers up the wall. And that’s before we talk about censorship! First, though, back to the ministry. In checking the web, I came across a vey interesting blog site. This informed me that in 2010, there was a piece on a popular Thai website (Pantip) that was highly critical of the work of the ministry. Naturally ministry officials did not like this criticism. Unfortunately for the writer, he happened to be a member of the Ministry staff. He was then forced to write a groveling public apology to his Ministry superiors and colleagues. “I hereby accept that my actions were due to my ignorance, inexperience, foolishness . . . I realize that the policies and the work of each staff member benefit our society and nation. They are determined and diligent, enduring difficulties and fatigue, and are very dedicated to their work. I am sorely grieved.” In a Bangkok Post blog by Kong Rithdee, ministry officials were then lambasted by a writer – The more the conservative wing of the ministry — which is the dominant wing — continues to display their pathetic inability to understand what's going on outside their self-constructed cocoon of “morality” and “values”, the more they're feeding the bonfire of frustration and radicalism. The more rabidly they want to censor, the more they'll drive people to hatch underground vendetta — and the power of technology will be on their side. Poor ministry. They still don't get it that the most important culture is the culture of constructive criticism and free expression. That’s the background. The interesting part for me is that, as reported in the magazine Thai Film Journal - “Call 1765. In Thailand that's the number to dial if you see or hear anything that might be deemed inappropriate — beauty queens in non-Thai costume, nipple slips, offensive love songs or a film — anything you think hinders social development, the Nation and “fine Thai culture”. And did you know this? “Thailand’s “culture police force” is composed of 1.3 million volunteers from 4,825 networks across the country who monitor TV shows, websites, and media events that offend and harm Thai culture.” I was gobsmacked! I thought only in China did you find these kind of neighbourhood watchdogs. But, here in Thailand?? Almost 2% of the nation are official ministry spies? Even China cannot have that many! The website on which I found all this detail (posted below) ends with a comment (rather similar to that of the Bangkok Post blogger) from one responder, a lady named Monsicha Hoonsuwan, whom I assume is Thai - The government is obviously stepping over the line to “control” the mind of its people . . . Please, the government, allow the information to flow freely and teach your people to think for themselves—to realize the importance of Thai culture and the need to preserve it by themselves. Don’t force them. Because when you force someone to do something, you only pushes that person to do the opposite. http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/01/11/thailand-“were-sick-of-ministry-of-culture”/ I thought censorship was totally the domain of Ministries of the Interior (the one responsible in 2002 for the Social Order Campaign and the mandatory closing of nightlife venues at 1:00 am), Social Development and Human Security, and Information and Communications Technology. Nope! Throw in the Ministry of Culture as well. So, now I understand why Ministers of Culture lack cultural backgrounds. For it seems clear that appointment to that fiefdom probably falls to those much more acquainted with the apparatus of state control than it does to the development of conditions where the all the arts and culture can flourish and grow. Big brother is obviously watching – and not only the internet! Quote
