Thai authorities are very good at wasting taxpayers' money. Even setting aside the ongoing diabolical corruption, our governments - past, present and future - have a knack of spending our hard earned cash in the most nonsensical manner. Elite cards? Bangkok Fashion City? Tablets? Fake CCTV cameras? The litany goes on.
When I could use better healthcare, a better education system for my niece and better BTS and MTR lines among millions of other things, I've come to realise that if I want a "better" everything, I must truck on myself as there is no point waiting idly for a better day.
And then they have to go and hire Tyler Brule to "rebrand" Thailand as a way to lure more foreign investors and capital. As much as I respect Brule for his successful manoeuvres over Wallpaper* and Monocle, I still have my doubts concerning the upcoming PR campaign.
I also suspect that Brule wouldn't be the only communication guru hired with my tax money for this task. More state budget wasted, definitely.
The latest issue of Monocle features a special focus on Thailand. That might possibly be this project's first attempt to get Thailand into a cool international arena. Honestly speaking, I haven't had the heart to dig in as I am not sure if I'll like what I read. This Thai focus also coincides with his involvement with our country's rebranding. You do the math.
Based on Brule's recent interview with the Bangkok Post, he doesn't plan to address the negative image of Thailand, and he will fully concentrate on the positive aspects.
So what would that be now? What is our old brand, and what is our new one? Would we be stuck as smiley people, beautiful beaches, age-old traditions, golden temples and service-minded peasants once again?
Can we as a nation ever move forward from those postcard images?
By not acknowledging the negatives - from prostitution and the obscene wealth gap to crime and pollution - once again we're back in denial, and those problems will never be taken care of if we continue to dodge the bullet, painting pretty pictures to please foreigners. I feel that we must own up to our problems, and improve rather than throwing money at one PR campaign after another. Once we improve, and we can show the world legitimate statistics, investment is sure to follow.
I'm no economist, but even I know that one major factor that would scare away foreign investors is political instability. Thailand is what Thailand is, but if we still tolerate corrupt politicians and a crooked system, then we'll never be stable. If the authorities want a better image for the country, then the first item to change is themselves, rather than roping in some PR mavens or so-called branding experts.
In my humble, useless opinion, this kind of campaign is a money-sucker. Certain people will benefit, or even get super rich (think local contractors and coordinators). Certain people will come up with elaborate roadshows or launch events, and the only thing that gets consumed at the end of the night is champagne, not Thailand's "good" image.
This is the way of the world, I know, but seriously, wake up and spend money where it's needed. I won't touch on many other areas that could use fiscal stimulation, but just to rebrand Thailand as a cool, investment-worthy country, maybe we can start by supporting our cultural practitioners financially.
I've seen enough dreams of musicians, designers, writers, film-makers and artists being crushed because they couldn't survive while honouring their arts. Invest in cultural entrepreneurs, educate society with free concerts and exhibitions and provide scholarships for art students.
Those are some of the options from the top of my head. Remember how proud we were about Cannes Palme d'Or winner Apichatpong Weerasethakul, and now imagine if we have 100 Apichatpongs. Imagine how much foreign investors would be interested in our film industry.
I strongly believe that if you want to rebrand Thailand, you must really know, and actually, as corny as it sounds, love Thailand. Thailand has that kind of nuance that can't be absorbed from reading expat-penned Bangkok-based novels or hobnobbing with Thai socialites.
As Brule clearly stated in his recent interview with the Bangkok Post, however negatively local journalists think, feel or write, we wouldn't have any impact somewhere else. As true as that may be, by George, I pay tax every month to this country and I reserve my right to rebrand myself as a pessimist.
Onsiri Pravattiyagul is Life's resident music weirdo who also writes about popular culture.