IRELAND’S MINISTER FOR Finance would probably be a tad jealous of his Thai equivalent if he knew about his most recent expolit.

As Brian Lenihan sweats over the upcoming Super Budget, Thailand’s finance minister Korn Chatikavanij has been flexing his acting muscle instead – appearing on one of the country’s soap operas, “Wanida”.

It wasn’t all fun and games, however. It seems that Korn was on a serious mission to spin a bit of pro-government propaganda during his flirtation with the small screen.

In what we can only assume was a seamless incorporation of policy promotion into a soap opera set in the 1940s, Korn presents the audience with a plan to… help them repay high-interest debt.

During the doubtlessly thrilling episode, a debt-ridden character exclaims that he has found a way to pay his creditors. A few moments later, Korn shows up to explain how the plan works.

“The government of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has helped over 500,000 people and reduced debt burden by about 3 billion baht ($100 million) per month. It’s lucky that Mr. Prajuab registered,” Korn says, referring to the character.

While the effectiveness of such a publicity stunt remains to be seen, we can’t help but wonder if it will catch on. Will we snatch a glimpse of Lenihan in Fair City soon – perhaps sitting in McCoys with a calculator and a thumbs up?

Watch this space…