You are tasked with repackaging the deputy prime minister into an appealing product for the upcoming general election. Your first instinct is probably: that sounds like an immensely difficult task. Prawit is a Dick Cheney-esque figure, whose claim to fame in the national consciousness is a bizarre wristwatch scandal. The need for a PR makeover has now become necessary. For decades, Prawit has been a powerful man, rising through the ranks of the army and becoming one of the most influential figures of the Eastern Tigers faction.
But despite the eight years serving as one of the most powerful figures in government, he has not developed a true popular following, known instead as more of a backroom operator. Entering the electoral arena was never the obvious move. Donning jeans and an eye-catching bomber jacket adorned with dragons, Prawit happily walked around a markets, accepting gifts and indulging in photos with voters. The joyless campaigner he is not. Prawit seems to be genuinely enjoying being on the campaign trail, whether while engaging in traditional Thai dance and talking walks around Lumpini Park.
The remake of Prawit has also extended to the repackaging of him from the gruff conservative general to a born-again economic populist. Pheu Thai had gotten ahead of him by announcing that they would steadily increase the minimum wage to baht. He announced that the PPRP would raise the money available to holders of the pracharath state welfare card to baht a month.
It was quite a way to kill two birds with one stone: launch his social media presence with a splash while stealing the mantle of reluctant leader from Prayut, a reputation the prime minister himself seems to cherish.
Yet this goes directly to the heart of the reinvention of Prawit: its purpose is to set him up to outcompete Prayut and his United Thai Nation Party at the upcoming general election.
