The protesters, including TV and radio journalists, claimed that the appointment of a new board led by Pongsak Payakvichien, who is also an executive of Matichon Plc, had disrupted the company's business.

According to the protesting employees, MCOT is supposed to operate as a profit-oriented business, with a high degree of social responsibility and free of government control. MCOT employees petitioned interim Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to remove the new board for allegedly making disruptive changes to policy and programming without consulting MCOT staff. The message from MCOT employees was clear. They were referring to the textbook definition of the CEO of a public company, who is expected to uphold the interests of the traditional stakeholders: consumers, shareholders and employees.

But MCOT employees seem to have conveniently omitted any discussion of the special status of the company - previously a state enterprise and now a public company majority-owned by the government. The company owns and operates broadcast frequencies, which are considered a valuable national resource, without paying anywhere near the actual economic cost for the privilege to commercially exploit them. Also lost in the debate is the fact that all initial investment in equipment and facilities has been paid for with taxpayers' money.

The wisdom of former prime minister Thaksin's move to privatise MCOT was widely questioned. The debate centred on the question of where the loyalty of the new MCOT should lie. As an organisation that has virtually free use of broadcast frequencies, MCOT is supposed to repay society by offering quality programming of benefit to the general public. Content and programming that is considered beneficial to the public, in addition to its role to entertain and educate, includes news programmes that are not only timely, accurate and truthful but also reflect the full spectrum of political plurality among the Thai people.

Protesting MCOT employees must be reminded that during the five-and-a-half years under former prime minister Thaksin, the broadcast media, including MCOT, was abused, manipulated and controlled as part of the ruthless propaganda machine of Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai Party. Under Thaksin's iron-fisted rule, what passed for news, particularly in broadcast media, consisted almost entirely of the daily activities of the prime minister and members of his Cabinet, who were portrayed in a flattering light.

At that time, broadcast news was devoid of public debate on issues of national importance that would affect the lives of ordinary citizens - not to mention controversial issues such as corruption scandals involving Thaksin and his cronies. News commentary programmes on television produced by independently minded commentators, including those on MCOT's Channel 9, were removed from the air waves one by one because Thaksin would not tolerate voices of dissent. Such sinister manipulation and blatant interference by Thaksin was never met with protest by MCOT employees - journalists or otherwise - because they knew too well to exercise strict self-censorship.

It appears that what the Surayud government and the new MCOT board say they want to do is to re-orient the operation of this broadcast and electronic media company to both serve the public interest as well as to expand its business the way a listed company should. The idea is to get the balance right. Another more difficult and arguably more important task for the government is to lay the groundwork and create the kind of environment that will give broadcast journalists - who have for too long been subjected to ruthless control and manipulation by the powers-that-be - the chance to develop into independent media professionals who stand up for what is right.

As for the Surayud government and the military, which claim to champion broadcast media freedom, the onus will be on them to demonstrate beyond any doubt they are prepared to take fair criticism, tolerate dissenting voices and subject themselves to scrutiny by independent journalists.