Streetwise: A look in here, a look in there

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva should sigh with relief, now that one of the agenda items announced when he came to office is finished.

Nobody can deny that Abhisit has done much hard work. He has been here and there to woo back confidence - even the confidence of people in the entertainment industry, who were in a lively mood when seeing the "boyish and good-looking" PM at the Suphannahong awards presentation ceremony last week.

Now that the international gathering of leaders in Cha-am is over, Abhisit will have a number of overseas trips to attend to. But he has also set aside some of his valuable time to preside over "Living Style 2009", the latest campaign of property company Sansiri, to be launched this Friday. Remarkably, accompanying him will be Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij.

Yes, it is known that Korn has been close to company president Srettha Thavisin through a complicated structure of marriages, and Korn was therefore recently criticised for offering tax allowances to home-buyers and thus favouring property companies. Fortunately, the criticism was muted, as the allowances benefit all developers and all home-buyers.

Still, Abhisit's presence could convince many that he favours Sansiri, particularly when he did not show up when three property-related associations with hundreds of developers as members opened the Home and Condo Show 2009 on February 19. Presiding over the event was Deputy Finance Minister Pruektichai Damrongrat.

Yet, how could we expect a man with a tight schedule like Abhisit to attend all functions? Probably, on February 19, he was tied up with national issues - or perhaps the three associations didn't send him an invitation.

A CHANGE OF STYLE

To be successful, hosting a show-business event requires great artistic skill. Academy Awards nights years ago were a big hit, drawing huge advertising income. But the organiser this year decided to change the style, given that the normal presentation was dull. And it announced beforehand that even the Hollywood stars who walked down the red carpet would be stunned by the changes.

In effect, the lower stage resulted in a more friendly atmosphere, and shortened the time for all the Oscar awardees to walk up and down. Hugh Jackman was an attractive host and he also joined in a Broadway-styled dance with Beyonce Knowles. The overall atmosphere was fine, but it still looked much like those old Academy Awards nights.

Maybe next year the organiser will move the stage to a concert hall. Certainly, a centre stage could be a good idea and the winners would be able to reach it from all directions.

Or what about flying the awards to the winners in their seats?