Too bad the news has not been followed through _ that of our prime minister suffering a hearing ailment.

VASANA CHINVARAKORN

Too bad the news has not been followed through _ that of our prime minister suffering a hearing ailment. On Tuesday, the Bangkok Post ran a front-page story about Surayud Chulanont being told by his physician at Phramongkut Klao Hospital that he is developing tinnitus, an auditory disorder that could turn serious, and which as yet has no permanent cure. The suspected cause, according to the report, was Gen Surayud's frequent air travel.
Interestingly, his predecessor Thaksin Shinawatra shared similar symptoms which once prompted a week's hospitalisation and temporary hearing loss some years ago.
Current government spokesman Yongyuth Mayalarp was quick to state that his boss' problem was in no way similar to Mr Thaksin's. It was only ''minor; he [Surayud] just felt something inside his ear'', he said.
One should not doubt the spokesman's words, for Dr Yongyuth is also a well-respected physician. But neither should one take the matter lightly. In fact, the whole nation must prepare for what could turn into a crisis, and not only of Gen Surayud's personal health, but of everyone else's in the country.
The signs of repercussion were already evident, right on the very same page of Tuesday's paper. Underneath the PM's hearing problem report was another one about Mr Thaksin and his wife facing the second arrest warrant over their alleged violations of the stock trading law. (The first warrant which the couple has failed to comply with concerns the Ratchadaphisek land scam.) Living so far away in their luxurious mansion in London, and taking into account the pitiable state of his ears, Mr Thaksin and Khunying Potjaman are not likely to have heard that they are ''wanted'' back in Thailand. (After all, the sounds made by his Manchester City football team and their fans are probably deafening enough for Thaksinatra.)
But hasn't Mr Thaksin's loss of power been a result of his inability to listen and failure to hear?
One symptom of tinnitus is the hearing of strange, persistent sound(s) inside the patient's ears. Could it be the case that our ex-prime minister has been hearing only his own voice _ which falsely reassured himself of invincibility _ and thus has had to face the unexpected, calamitous downfall?
But Mr Thaksin is certainly not the only one who has had this tinnitus, aka ''ringing ear'' problem. Alas, a lot of men (and women) in the corridors of power seem to be sharing varying degrees of auditory disorders. They seem to be hearing some sort of repetitive, hallucinatory sounds _ sounds that echo, augment, their innermost beliefs. Their egos, perhaps.
For the Royal Irrigation Department chief, the sound seems to be ''Kaeng Sua Ten dam project'' _ a mantra that keeps popping up whenever he wants to propose a solution to the annual drought and floods.
For the energy policy chief Piyasvasti Amranand, the recurrent theme appears to be generation of electricity at all cost, which now leads to the latest tinkering with a nuclear power plant scheme. (PM Surayud seems to have caught this bug too _ see how tinnitus can be surprisingly contagious _ when he spoke at a meeting of the Defence Council College about nuclear power being needed as part of a long-term plan to secure sufficient energy supplies. Incidentally, the news was put right next to the one about his health check-up at Phramongkut Klao Hospital.)
Last but not least, the top guys at the Airports of Thailand Plc may be suffering from a most peculiar version of tinnitus: they may be hearing nothing but the blurring whirl of airplane turbines. Thus their continued deafness to the plight of residents living near Suvarnabhumi Airport. Thus the continued distribution of sleeping pills to those people as a remedy.
On second thought, other bureaucrats are also sharing this deafness, and blindness too. So they are unable to hear or see the problems right in their respective turf. And we haven't even started talking about politicians and what each might be hearing in his or her head.
In this increasingly noisy country, we common folk have probably not been spared this hearing disorder, either. But then we would be suffering alone and not spilling what we may have (mis)heard or imposing it on policies that would affect others.
This hearing disorder is, indeed, a national crisis _ and it should not, must not, be taken lightly.
Vasana Chinvarakorn is a senior writer for Outlook.