New Mandala

10 responses so far ↓

• 1 serf // Nov 20, 2007 at 3:53 pm

  More muddled thinking from Ad!!!

• 2 Democratus // Nov 21, 2007 at 11:03 am

  Aed is a native of Suphan and has been supportive of a range of nationalist causes from left to right.

• 3 chris baker // Nov 22, 2007 at 12:36 am

  In Talat Bang Li in Song Phinong early this morning, I thought Ad was coming round the corner, instead a string of ten song-taeo displaying the Chat Thai team and belting out this song. The slogan on the trucks is ‘Suphanburi chooses Chat Thai,’ a statement of fact not an appeal. The tune is Ad’s standard anthem used to sell himself, the nation, beer, caffeine stimulants, and now Banharn.
  Line 5 better as ‘lights the way for Thai politics’ and line 7 as ‘Chat Thai’s policies do not waver.’ That line is the kicker. CT can claim to have pursued policies for the big-middle farmers of the central plain in the past.

• 4 Farang Ky Ay // Nov 22, 2007 at 4:48 am

  Hi,

  I thought EC prohibits campaign songs, maybe I haven’t undersood theses new rules issued? Or maybe the EC canceled or bent some of these rules for fear of the controversy raised by most of the parties against these rules?
  Thank for answering, I’m a little bit in the fog by now

• 5 bangkokpundit // Nov 22, 2007 at 4:10 pm

  The song was on TV a while back. I likewise thought it was Carabao, but wasn’t sure whether he would want to dilute his “brand image” even more. It wasn’t on the party website back then.

• 6 Republican // Nov 22, 2007 at 7:13 pm

  Don’t be too hard on Aet. He’s a pretty damn good singer-songwriter as far as I’m concerned. We shouldn’t expect him to have highly developed political ideas as well, especially when we have university presidents and political science deans willingly serving a royalist dictatorship.

  Instead of accusing Aet of opportunism we should be condemning in the strongest possible terms the “higher caste” of academics, both Thai and Western, who DO have the job of studying and understanding Thai society and politics, and who for the most part lined up squarely against the democratically-elected Thai Rak Thai government last year and who have continued to be so “nom naem” towards the royalist regime installed after September 19.

  Yet they present themselves to us as people of “silatham”, leaders of the “peoples movement”, fighting for “freedom”, or else act with the arrogance of academic “detachment”, treating both sides even-handledly in the interests of “neutrality”.

  Which leading academic has come out with a straightforward denunciation of the king’s role in the coup and support for the dictatorship?

  Aet serves a market, the academics serve the state, and many of them, a dictatorship as well.

  Compared to these academics Aet is 100 times more “honest”.

• 7 jonfernquest // Nov 22, 2007 at 8:43 pm

  Placebo revolutionary delusions are good distractions so that the real thing ain’t happening. Chaiyo.

• 8 polo // Nov 23, 2007 at 4:15 am

  Republican,

  You are being naive. Aed has lent the force of his popularity to politcs regularly and consciously, early on helping Big Jiew Chavalit Yongchaiyut, not a sign that justice, honesty and anti-corruption are important to Aed.

• 9 Lleij Samuel Schwartz // Nov 23, 2007 at 2:28 pm

  Re: Republican>

  Don’t be too hard on Aet. He’s a pretty damn good singer-songwriter as far as I’m concerned.

  My only comment is de gustibus non disputandum est.

  As for the rest of your comment, I feel the distinction you draw is quickly becoming a false one. In a dictatorship, those that are successful in the local market, by definition, serve the state. Indeed, it is worthing noting that the office of Reichminister für Volksaufklärung und Propaganda Ladda Tangsupachai has been doing its best to draw all forms of artistic expression into the greater hegemonic web of the state through being the sole arbiter of what is authentically “Thai” and what is entartete Kunst/Kultur. That which does not serve the interest of the state is not allowed to florish in the marketplace (complete with all its messy farang concepts, like “invisible hands” and “property rights derived from reason; not from a เจ้าแผ่นดิน”).

  However, Aet is allowed his own political views, and the most municifent Ladda has allowed him the opportunity to express them for the time being.

• 10 jonfernquest // Nov 23, 2007 at 7:15 pm

  Ad Carabao (Chang Beer) and Chamlong Sri Muang (no beer), right now, out in front of SET, nine rounds, catch as catch can, no gloves, I want to resolve all tis revolutionary stuff right now.

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