But politics is still politics, and many ministers who take up a portfolio are not really right for the job. And more so than even the foreign, finance and interior ministries, the Culture Ministry must set a good example.

Uraiwan became Thailand’s first culture minister after the Thaksin government created the post in 2002. (Before that, there were Art and Culture Departments under the Education Ministry.) In taking up the position, she was helping fill a Cabinet quota for her husband Snoh, a Thai Rak Thai MP and leader of the party’s Wang Nam Yen faction.

One year later, political discord forced her to move over to the Labour Ministry, making way for Anurak Chureemas, who had no background in art or culture, to replace her. He, too, was simply part of Snoh’s Cabinet quota.

Uraiwan returned as culture minister last March, holding the position for 11 more months. Her job became increasingly shaky, because of increasingly serious friction between Thaksin and Snoh, who has publicly criticised the prime minister for selling his family’s stake in Shin Corp.

Uraiwan resigned on February 3, one day before anti-Thaksin protesters led by media tycoon Sondhi Limthongkul held a historic rally at the Royal Plaza.

“I resigned my position to try to preserve a culture of good governance in Thai politics,” the former minister had announced earlier, although few had ever accused her of stealing the (political) scene or acting especially responsibly.

During her brief tenure, Uraiwan failed to earn much praise for promoting art and culture in the Kingdom. Her culture preservation campaigns came out in non-creative ways that focused on details instead of long-term policy. Her idea flops included setting up places of worship, complete with Buddha statues, in department stores, so shoppers could perform religious rites. She tried to reduce the copious sex and violence seen on television. To protect children from the bad influence of television soap operas filled with sex, violence and sleaze, she suggested moving them to later at night. And teenagers have never forgotten her outdated campaign to ban girls from wearing spaghetti straps during Songkran.

Just prior to leaving her post, the minister came into conflict with the Contemporary Arts and Culture Department, by cutting the budget for exhibiting contemporary Thai art at the Venice Biennale. She had supported the activity four years ago, when Thailand first participated in this prominent international art festival.

Like Uraiwan, Anurak also emphasised traditional art and culture as well as religion, but he had no long-term strategy for supporting culture.

Perhaps it was not either minister’s fault, what with art and culture never having been their expertise or even of major interest to them. After all, accepting a Cabinet post is like playing musical chairs; it’s just part of a political game.

Unlike national policy on the economy or national security, the Thaksin administration has never had a clear-cut long-term policy for promoting our art and culture. Thus, whenever a new minister takes over, she or he lacks direction.

But our PM does have a vision. In the last few years, he has mentioned turning Bangkok into an “Asian culture hub”. Intending to compete with Singapore and Hong Kong, the government announced plans for a multi-billion-baht art centre behind the Thailand Cultural Centre on Ratchadaphisek Road. Unfortunately, this new, first-ever, world-class project has been put on indefinite hold.

Critics complain that building infrastructure, or “hardware”, alone is not enough. We need to prepare “software” – human resources, management and educated citizens – for sustainable development.

Art and culture are every bit as important to the Kingdom as the economy or national security. With proper administration, they can earn as much foreign revenue as tourism or fashion. Thaksin once said on his weekly radio programme that he’d like to be culture minister, because he could get businesses to buy paintings for home or office decoration as one way to support the art scene.

Finding the right culture minister requires careful selection. She or he should at least understand art and culture and be some sort of visionary.

A new minister will be appointed after the April 19 senate elections. Politics may be politics, but we hope that this prime minister, with his 19 million votes that he likes to talk about, thinks seriously about filling this important Cabinet position.

Phatarawadee Phataranawik

The Nation