He came to drain the swamp, but the swamp has reclaimed him. He came to purge politicians, but politicians have found him. He came to rewrite history, and we wonder how history will remember him.
Only that official history has no time to wonder or doubt. History of the Thai Nation, published by the Fine Art Department in 2015, states on page 195: "After the coup d'etat, Gen Prayut became prime minister. He has embarked on reforming Thai politics into a real democracy. Gen Prayut practises moral principles and stamps out corruption to lead Thailand toward true democracy."
Hagiography is approved, funded and promoted. Last November, the prime minister ordered the authorities to deliver 100 copies of that book to each of the 77 provinces. I wonder in which cobwebbed corners of a village library they have now been tucked, or maybe its glorious pages have been torn to wrap greasy fried bananas. If they're looking for an English translator, I'll send in an e-bidding form. The budget must be huge.
Manipulating history is easy, generally speaking, because nobody was there to see it -- like the soap opera Bupphaesannivas and its historical fantasy. But when everybody is here to see it, when history is still in the process of shaping up, an attempt to seize control of it is an insult, a barefaced bastardisation of a national narrative -- one of the most hotly disputed narratives the nation has ever had to deal with. That passage in the book published by taxpayers' money is also an act of public irresponsibility and editorial mess.
The Fine Art Department (why are they responsible for this book?) defended the writer this week after an uproar, saying he wrote what he saw as the truth at that point.
Ah, the truth. The tricky truth owned by those with power. The one page in this book may seem like a minor detail, but it speaks of a more profound struggle to control the official narrative and thus to define history, the struggle that has affected the way we think about politics, the nation, the future, even the language. If "practise moral principles", as the book says, means the summoning of critics and sinister visits to protesters' houses -- from the 2014 coup until now -- then the phrase should have been edited to "flop moral principles". If "stamp out corruption" means going after those you disagree with and remain oblivious to the stinking fish in your camp, then "stamping out" is an exaggeration, maybe a lie.
If "true democracy" means postponing an election date six times, undermining checks and balances, and excessive use of the one-law-to-rule-them-all Section 44, then we should burn all dictionaries and invent a new language. Why not? Section 44 can see that through glitch-free.
Speaking of true democracy, the prime minister has made a call that must make even his cheerleaders at least twitch -- if they care to take in the news. The appointment of the influential Khunpleum brothers to the inner circle of the military government came after Songkran like a splash of ice-cold water.
Sonthaya Khunpleum has been named adviser of political affairs to the PM, while his brother Mr Itthiphol has been made assistant to the tourism and sports minister. The Khunpleum clan, as we know, are the East Coast big shots who basically rule political and commercial interests in the area. Mr Sonthaya was a culture minister during the Yingluck Shinawatra administration (his wife held that post before him), while Mr Itthiphol served as ministerial adviser many times. The patriarch of the Khunpleum -- or ex-patriarch -- is Somchai "Godfather of Chon Buri" Khunpleum, who has been sentenced on a murder charge but has recently been released on probation in a programme for ageing inmates.
"They aren't here for my own personal interest," said the PM of the surprising appointments. "We're heading [to the election] and I need people who can advise me."
For a general who came to power vowing to scrub away the encrusted grime left by politicians, this is a big swallow of his own words. And the reason he has given, that he needs "advice as the election nears", only confirms the speculation that he's planning to remain where he is -- on that chair and in the page of history textbooks, pedestalled and glorified -- for a long haul.
In his latest song released just before Songkran, PM Prayut wrote, "May heaven protect Thailand / May one day the bad guys be defeated / May those who've lost their ways find a light in their heart / May they join us to do good for the our land". How convenient -- the politicians who've lost their ways have found the light and been invited to join the band of saviours. History will always remember this.
Kong Rithdee is Life Editor, Bangkok Post.
