Despite campaigning last year on being able to “think big and deliver,” the Pheu Thai government has recently found itself struggling to deliver on one of the most basic tasks of maintaining a government: producing a cabinet of ministers. What was supposed to be a routine reshuffle, the normal adjustment of ministerial portfolios that every government undergoes every once in a while, has instead become a major distraction for Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and produced a flurry of negative headlines at a time when this government looks like it just can’t catch a break.

One only has to glance through the front pages of Thai newspapers in the last couple of weeks to see the extent to which Srettha could do without a self-inflicted public relations injury. There was Paethongtharn Shinawatra’s declaration of war on central bank independence, which was roundly criticized by economists and policy experts. The Pheu Thai government’s newfound obsession with selling rice a decade old dating back to Yingluck Shinawatra’s rice pledging scheme has produced puzzlement and mockery. So it has hardly helped Srettha to also be buffeted by continual dripping of bad news that resulted from his cabinet reshuffle late last month.

Much has been written about the departure of former foreign minister Parnpree Bahiddha-nukara, who was dissatisfied with the removal of his deputy prime minister title. Most importantly, this was damaging to Thai foreign policy; Parnpree had taken a proactive approach as Thailand’s top diplomat and deserved to continue in this role. And to take a public relations perspective, this was also a poor look for Pheu Thai’s electoral position. 

Click here to read the full piece at Thai Enquirer.