Foreign minister adds seasoning to cabinet mix

I am not seasoned in anything let alone the intricate art of diplomacy. Yet, a kid like me knows a clean break from the heart-breaking seizure of the Bangkok airports by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) is needed if the new government wants to survive, and more importantly, if it wishes to see this country moving on.

Hence, it bugs me to no end why a "seasoned diplomat" like Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya does not realise that.

To be honest, I am still struggling to find an innocent explanation as to why Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva picked Mr Kasit to serve in this all-important portfolio in the first place.

I can understand his rationale that the new government needs someone who can hit the ground running. Mr Kasit, with his long and respectable career in foreign affairs, fits the bill.

The question is if that bill is the only, or the most pertinent, one to fit. Mr Kasit's handicap is well-known. While I hope the PM has made the right call, and I hope the career diplomat in Mr Kasit will resurface and prevail in time for him to serve this country when it badly needs someone to speak for it, I can't help but feel worried. Whether he wants to acknowledge it, FM Kasit is toting enormous baggage. Can a burdened diplomat "hit the ground running" or move agilely in the ideological maze and constantly shifting concept of Thailand in the post-Thaksin era or after the coup or after the most radical phase of the PAD?

As Mr Kasit's drawback is plain to see and it can be argued that it has the potential to subvert his power.

As for Mr Kasit, let me be clear on where I stand. While I don't think there is anything wrong with joining the PAD's many protests, even its occupation of Government House, I draw the line once the group marched on and laid siege to the airports.

I appreciate that Mr Kasit has his own ideology. Indeed, he is known and respected for having the courage to stand by his convictions even if it goes against the prevailing order or incurs a personal cost to him. Still, I wish the FM would realise how many members of the ordinary public - those who are neither with the yellow or red shirt brigades or the so-called silent majority - feel about the issue.

He might have been on side with the yellow band at one point. He might have enjoyed the "excellent food" and "excellent music" or the festival-like atmosphere at the PAD protests. He might have truly believed that the occupation of an airport was an "innovation" in public protest, a ground-breaking method to advance the cause of democracy when mainstream politics is so tightly controlled it offers no room for alternative voices.

Whatever, those deeds and beliefs are now personal. They must be kept separate from his new job. FM Kasit is speaking for Thailand now. Everything he says must represent what this country is and how we want the world to see us.

In my opinion as a less-than-seasoned journalist, I believe Thailand regrets the airport siege and the trouble it caused to travellers while the world would like to hear a reassurance that such a reckless incident is not allowed to happen again. There is not much more than this that the FM can say. Personal feelings aside, the regret and reassurance should be Thailand's official line to the world.

In his partial apology to the Thai public, Mr Kasit did not deny he made the "excellent food, excellent music" comment to Britain's Daily Telegraph but said it may have been "misquoted or taken out of context". Considering the local context of what Thai people are living with, I wonder if the FM's personal anecdote can be considered superfluous.

No matter the question of propriety, FM Kasit's explanation still sounds so much better than the utterly lame one offered by PM Abhisit that Mr Kasit's comments "were made before the royal command appointing him as minister".

The PM should have known better. But of course, he is new to the job so I can only hope that he will be able to stay around long enough to offer a more seasoned opinion.