Our Dear “Invisible Hand”

The real power in Thailand, it seems to be, is an “invisible hand.”

That invisible hand has become Thailand’s political buzzword when troubles loom.

It’s the buzzword though uniquely used by the neo-populist movement of the Thaksinists.

There doesn’t seem to be a soul left within a paranoid PPP that hasn’t been touched in some way by the invisible hand – thereby cheekily reinterpreting the metaphor coined by economist Adam Smith.

HE Samak Sundaravej and the government’s new media czar, Jakrapob Penkair, blamed the invisible hand alike for some pressure tactics behind the scenes.

HE Samak even spoke of an escalated “dirty invisible hand” – a first in the astonishing breviary of Thai politics.

The grand puppet master himself, Thaksin Shinawatra, is said to have been guided against his will by the invisible hand that has become a household name in Thai politics.

Blame it on the invisible hand.

Why not make that hand a part of the never-ending Amazing Thailand tourism campaign.

We’re sure that the this uniquely surreal Thai concept of “No, it wasn’t me!” could draw quite some interest among foreign politicians and alike.

We though, the public, who refuse to be utterly confused, know exactly who the invisible hand is.

For us it is a most visible hand and we’re surprised those at the helm are speaking in tongues about something that is as clear as alphabet soup.

The tougher things get, the more visible that hand acts.

As mom always said: “Behave son, and there’s no smack in the face.”

— Whereas Not The Nation, the website you can trust, succumbs to the hype of the buzzword as well, though with the slightly different approach of Samak’s Invisible Hand Job.