Pridiyathorn didn't have to look far to see the master of the game in action. In the latest James Bond instalment, "Casino Royale", Bond won over the bad guy at poker by excelling in his bluffing strategy and in his ability to read his opponent.

Bond is a fictional British agent with the code name of 007. Writer Ian Fleming created the character in 1952. Since then, Bond has gained a worldwide population because of his ability to outsmart the villains.

Pridiyathorn is apparently inspired by Bond. He has even donned a bow tie to important functions. But unlike Bond, who has been rejected by some feminists for being a womanising spy, Pridiyathorn proves to be more liberal, gender-wise. He handpicked Tarisa Watanagase to succeed him as governor of the Bank of Thailand, the first woman to attain the office.

To become a winner, Pridiyathorn does not have to follow in Bond's footsteps by shooting from the hip or sipping shaken-but-not-stirred martinis. He should, however, learn a thing or two from Ian Fleming's hero by simply renting a few Bond videos to see how this super-agent manages to survive dangerous missions.

The latest Bond adventure could not be more timely for Pridiyathorn, who barely survived the lottery episode. The movie, still in the theatres, shows how Bond wins his gamble, even though he doesn't play a brilliant game. But like any hero, Bond never gives up.

At one point, Bond almost loses the game and his life because he, like Pridiyathorn, can not calm his nerves. Bond almost lost ground because he was arrogant and impatient. But Bond realised that he couldn't afford to lose because Le Chiffre, the villain, would have the winnings to finance terrorist acts.

In the same way, the defeat of Pridiyathorn's bill would translate into a loss of Bt30-Bt40 billion a year in government revenue. This in turn could be translated into social benefits such as scholarships for needy students or the sponsoring of athletes.

Le Chiffre may have been just a warm-up for future Bond missions. Another was Elliot Carver, the egotistical media baron with a desire to rule the world, from "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1997).

The modern-day villain realises that money is not the sole basis of power. Complete control of a media empire is a better strategy for world domination or the pursuit of a personal agenda.

In the movie, Carver manipulated the media and plotted the sinking of a British battleship to turn the British against the Chinese. As the movie shows, the media mogul is prone to be destructive, especially if he has a personal issue with Pridiyathorn. No! We meant to say, Bond.

Apparently, Pridiyathorn's fight with his own version of Carver, the media baron, has yet to be concluded. Let's wait to see the event unfold. The lottery saga may determine Pridiyathorn's political career.

Whatever the mission, there's always a bad guy in a Bond movie. There was Dr No - which we have to stress does not stand for "Dr No Entry" or "Dr No Tax Payment". He was the villain in the Bond movie starring Sean Connery in 1962. In this movie, Bond was sent to a Caribbean island to uncover a mysterious plot against international security by Dr No. The doctor's evil plan was to send mysterious energy waves that interfered with US missiles.

Not far from Dr No's island in the Caribbean, there's another business empire belonging to another "Dr No": the mysterious Ample Rich Investment Co Ltd, located in the British Virgin Islands. Ample Rich was a source of suspicion for MI6, as its share transaction records mysteriously disappeared on the day of a big-lot share transaction between ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's son and daughter, Panthongtae and Pinthongta.

This discovery may not pump up the adrenaline like Bond, but if the irregularities in the transaction help substantiate the military's allegations about Thaksin's ethics and corruption, it could give the interim government a licence to kill. 

Jeerawat Na Thalang

The Nation