Thai PM’s book recommendation backfires

Literature 1.01. Most people have read George Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’.  It’s the tale of a ‘democratic’ and utopian farmyard until the pigs get hungry for power and end up running the place as a dictatorship, dressed up as a democracy. The book resonated the fears of a post-WWII Britain and the rise of Stalinism.

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.”

The sentence is a comment on the hypocrisy of governments that proclaim the absolute equality of their citizens but give power and privileges to a small elite – Wikipedia

Meanwhile, the Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha had recommended that those who are interested should read the Thai version of George Orwell’s book “Animal Farm”, saying “it offers a good insight to life”.

Oh the irony! Between the pork-barreling and the snouts in the trough (add your own metaphor)…

The recommendation promptly stirred heated debate on Thai social media, especially Twitter. Some took it as a satirical jab at the ongoing power negotiations involving politicians, as the Thai translation of the book title literally reads “Politics: Matters of the Animals”.

“The PM might not have realised that the book actually centres on criticism of dictatorship.” @tanawatofficial said in his tweet.

@Farmhaneee, meanwhile, seemed to take the recommendation as a good idea, adding that the book is a really good read, if one can grasp its deeper meaning.

“Think about what the farm represents and what kind of animals you are in there.” she said.

The PM, however, dismissed any criticism, saying his intention in recommending this book was purely to encourage people to see life from a different perspective.

Lieutenant General Werachon said that the PM would like the current political negotiations to run their natural course, according to the law and traditional political practice, adding that he respected the voters’ voice through all political parties and encouraged the formation of a coalition government to fulfill the people’s wishes with unity.

Maybe recommending ‘Animal Farm’ is not the sort of literature the PM would want the locals to be reading at this time.

SOURCE: Thai PBS | The Thaiger | George Orwell