[Thailand] `Big Brother' Thaksin Tackles Poverty on Reality TV

From Bloonberg Online

Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is turning to reality television to boost his popularity and strengthen the fight against poverty.

The premier will spend this week living in a tent in one of Thailand's poorest provinces, accompanied by a camera crew as he visits villagers to hear their grievances and propose solutions to problems such as drought-ravaged harvests. The 24-hour show will be broadcast nationally starting today.

Thaksin, a billionaire businessman turned politician, is using Thailand's addiction to reality TV to reinforce his image as a chief executive-style leader who can cut through bureaucratic gridlock. The premier's approval ratings have slipped amid criticism he has neglected rural areas in favor of infrastructure improvements in the capital Bangkok.

``The aim of this whole thing would be to reinvigorate his popularity which has been falling, although the PM and the cabinet won't admit that it's been falling far below their expectations,'' said Ubonrat Siriyuvasak, associate professor of mass communications at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. ``He is trying to manufacture consent, to at least reconfirm his care to the rural people, and to show the rest of the country that the government is still working hard.''

Villagers, who make up about 87 percent of Thailand's 65 million people, helped propel Thaksin to an unprecedented second election victory in February. His popularity slipped to 58.2 percent in October from 77.5 percent in February, according to a survey by Assumption University, hurt by a slowing economy, accelerating inflation and higher interest rates.

Drought, Floods

``Backstage Show: The Prime Minister'' will be filmed in Roi Et, more than 500 kilometers (310 miles) northeast of Bangkok, a region where drought, floods and poor soil have devastated farms producing rice, cassava and corn feed.

Thaksin is billing the event as an opportunity to ``provide an example'' to the government on poverty eradication and vowed to see through any attempts by local officials to prevent villagers from airing complaints.

``I want officials to see and understand my way of thinking, analyzing, and deciding, and bring that knowledge to help solve the existing problems they face in solving poverty,'' Thaksin told reporters on Jan. 12. ``No cosmetic work can be disguised from me. I will analyze all of the problems with the real situation and solve it to show all people nationwide.''

About 10 percent of Thailand's population lives below the poverty line, two-thirds of them in the northeast, according to a World Bank 2005 report. Household incomes in 19 provinces in the region averaged 9,279 ($235) baht in 2002, compared with 28,239 baht in Bangkok, according to government statistics.

Supporter of Poor

About 40 cameras, 100 production crew and five broadcasting vans will be used to capture Thaksin's five-day camp. The show will air on channel 16, a dedicated reality TV channel run by United Broadcasting Corp., Thailand's dominant pay-TV operator.

The broadcasts may help to restore Thaksin's reputation as a supporter of the poor. In 2001, he started a $2.3 billion fund to provide cheap loans to villagers, helping to spur an economy that expanded more than 6 percent in 2003 and 2004. In this second term he expanded a cheap medical plan for villagers to also cover dental work. Growth slowed to a seasonally adjusted 2.2 percent in the third quarter of last year.

``It's a re-launch'' of a popular image-building stunt Thaksin performed in his first month as Prime Minister, when he ate with an ``assembly of the poor'' in front of government house, said Ubonrat. ``The rural people have more trust than the urban electorate,'' she said. It also provides a distraction from persistent rumors his family is selling some of their business holdings, she added.

The reality TV stunt enables Thaksin to communicate with Thais on his own terms, bypassing traditional print and other media that have criticized him for alleged dictatorial tendencies.

``It should be a good way to promote himself, showing the people how hard he works for them,'' said Kaewkaw Na Chiengmai, owner of a silk shop on Thapae Road in Chiang Mai, capital of the northern province where Thaksin was born. ``I will watch, even if there is a Korean soap on another channel.''