Sompong: Over-awedABOUT POLITICS
Bangkok Post
Diplomatic patois a bit off-key for bemused foreign minister - Prawase refuses to give up his fight for a national unity government - Disenchanted Chavalit refuses to lie down and looks for new roles
The reluctant minister
The appointment of Sompong Amornvivat as foreign minister caught everyone off guard, including Mr Sompong himself.
He had no chance to meet the media after the oath-taking ceremony before His Majesty the King last month because he had to rush off to New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting, his first official engagement outside the country after assuming his ministerial post.
When he was asked by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to become foreign minister, two different thoughts went through his mind.
The offer left him rather confused as to why Mr Somchai offered him the job.
''I will give it a try. If I cannot do it, I will bow out,'' said the minister.
Mr Sompong has admitted international affairs are not his cup of tea, and it shows. He was the first minister in the Somchai cabinet to be criticised by the media about his inaction at the UN.
He was supposed to deliver a speech to the UN General Assembly, but changed his mind and decided not to do it. He came to the decision not to speak after his plane touched down in New York and he also cancelled bilateral talks with more than 20 countries because he said that at the time the government had not yet announced its policy to the parliament.
''When [one is] debating in parliament, the person [from the opposition party] will not consider the content of the speech because delivering a speech in the UNGA session will always involve talking about the country's policies,'' he said.
''To play it safe, I decided not to speak. And in bilateral talks there is always a discussion on policy. I was afraid of making an authorised commitment while policy had not been announced to the parliament yet,'' he said.
''I understand it might be seen as a waste of money [to go to New York and do nothing], but I think doing something we are not confident about could backfire on the government,'' he said.
Mr Sompong, 67, accepts that diplomacy is not his turf - he is more at home dealing with local issues.
''I am inexperienced in foreign issues. So when I talk about international issues, I have to be careful and change the tone of my language,'' he said on his first day in office before meeting a large group of media at the Foreign Ministry after returning from New York.
''Diplomatic language is not music to my ears,'' Mr Sompong, a former justice minister, said.
He said some of the demands of the foreign affairs job worried him.
''It's no piece of cake. I beg to disagree with anyone who thinks this job is easy,'' he said.
The reluctant minister
The appointment of Sompong Amornvivat as foreign minister caught everyone off guard, including Mr Sompong himself.
He had no chance to meet the media after the oath-taking ceremony before His Majesty the King last month because he had to rush off to New York for the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) meeting, his first official engagement outside the country after assuming his ministerial post.
When he was asked by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat to become foreign minister, two different thoughts went through his mind.
The offer left him rather confused as to why Mr Somchai offered him the job.
''I will give it a try. If I cannot do it, I will bow out,'' said the minister.
Mr Sompong has admitted international affairs are not his cup of tea, and it shows. He was the first minister in the Somchai cabinet to be criticised by the media about his inaction at the UN.
He was supposed to deliver a speech to the UN General Assembly, but changed his mind and decided not to do it. He came to the decision not to speak after his plane touched down in New York and he also cancelled bilateral talks with more than 20 countries because he said that at the time the government had not yet announced its policy to the parliament.
''When [one is] debating in parliament, the person [from the opposition party] will not consider the content of the speech because delivering a speech in the UNGA session will always involve talking about the country's policies,'' he said.
''To play it safe, I decided not to speak. And in bilateral talks there is always a discussion on policy. I was afraid of making an authorised commitment while policy had not been announced to the parliament yet,'' he said.
''I understand it might be seen as a waste of money [to go to New York and do nothing], but I think doing something we are not confident about could backfire on the government,'' he said.
Mr Sompong, 67, accepts that diplomacy is not his turf - he is more at home dealing with local issues.
''I am inexperienced in foreign issues. So when I talk about international issues, I have to be careful and change the tone of my language,'' he said on his first day in office before meeting a large group of media at the Foreign Ministry after returning from New York.
''Diplomatic language is not music to my ears,'' Mr Sompong, a former justice minister, said.
He said some of the demands of the foreign affairs job worried him.
''It's no piece of cake. I beg to disagree with anyone who thinks this job is easy,'' he said.
2 comments:
I really do feel bad for Mr. Sompong. This is indeed an extremely hard position for him and it is definitely not for the inexperienced.
Blaim it on those PAD.
Post a Comment