BANGKOK — Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is being tested again in handling negative reactions after she was criticised by some netizens as being an embarrassment for Thailand and likened to a schoolchild as she had read the text from her iPad at the 3rd Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) in Doha, Qatar last week.
This wave of criticism came after the youngest Prime Minister in Thai history, at 38 years old, had just expressed her joy at being included in TIME100 Next List of the Leaders Shaping the Future. She said that she felt happy and honored, as she hadn’t expected this.
Upon returning from the conference on October 4, the government announced that her first participation in an international forum was successful, receiving acceptance and praise from various countries. Prime Minister Paetongtarn herself stated that she was very well received and had conversations with leaders from many countries, all of whom mentioned that Thailand was the initiator of the ACD meeting two decades ago.
“Member countries expressed their congratulations that Thailand will chair the ACD in 2025, which Thailand will fully commit to. Several countries that I met with expressed interest in investing in Thailand,” she said.
Former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin tweeted praise for her participation in the summit and her bilateral meetings with leaders from four countries, saying, “Complete. International relations, food security, infrastructure development, the future of Asia. The Prime Minister has introduced herself on the world stage with the dignity of being the only woman among the leaders attending the meeting. Thailand is not inferior to anyone.”
However, criticism about her use of a computer tablet led to her being attacked with mocking and sarcastic words, similar to what her aunt, former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, had faced before. This sparked a fierce debate on social media between anti-Thaksin Shinawatra groups and some supporters of the orange party or People’s Party, with Pheu Thai Party supporters countering that these criticisms stem from bias and hatred.
PM Paetongtarn herself responded to criticisms in the comments of one attacker, explaining that she needs to be precise and some technical terms related to international relations are new to her. The notes, she added, were prepared by the Foreign Ministry.
When asked by reporters on October 7 if this response raised questions about her leadership, she replied that she simply wanted to explain that sometimes people are too quick to judge others. Information is needed to make such statements, so she clarified. She added that iPads are used worldwide, and it’s up to individuals whether to use them or not. But for major international meetings, whether using paper or an iPad, it’s important to cover all points accurately. This is what she wanted to clarify.
“In reality, in my work, public reaction is one thing, but getting the job done is the main issue. Sometimes I understand myself, sometimes I feel misunderstood, or when information is incomplete, I want to explain what happened. The Prime Minister is also human. If the reaction is positive, it’s encouraging. If it’s negative, it’s natural to feel disappointed, but after feeling disappointed, we must move forward. We need to consider how to advance our policies. We can’t just stay still because we have our term to do our best,” she said.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, Minister of Defense, who is seen as Paetongtarn’s mentor, commented on the negative criticisms towards her, saying he would like to invite everyone to focus on solving problems and looking at substance rather than nitpicking based on prejudice.
“Criticizing her accent, her voice, how she dresses, in my view, is nonsense,” he said.
Earlier, Phumtham posted a remembrance of the October 6, 1976 incident, calling for society to learn from this event about how political differences in Thai society that divide factions, concepts of good and evil, right and wrong, are all presented from a single perspective or to make one’s side the winner. This extends to monopolizing correctness and stirring up waves of oppression and contempt for those with different views, which has created severe impacts, losses, and deep wounds in the memories of many people in society.
“Although people are not using weapons to harm each other now, they create hatred and desire to defeat the other side to the point of not seeing each other’s human value, focusing only on winning. This makes Thai society more fractured. I hope that all of us in Thai society should jointly take responsibility, review, and study the violence that is changing form. We should further question how we should handle political differences,” he said.
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