Abstract:
This research studies the television program called "Returning Happiness to The People" produced by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)'s government led by General Prayuth Chan-ocha. It's examines how the program reflects the legitimacy claims of the government and how it constructs state-desired citizens. The study reviews and analyses the content of all the 252 episodes using the conceptual framework of legitimacy, demonization, and citizenship and analyses the implications on human rights. The study finds that the NCPO claimes its legitimacy based on five grounds, namely, the government comes to stop violence and to keep peace and order; the government is loyal to the Monarchy; the government solves the problems created by its predecessors; the government is working toward complete democracy; and the government is building national reconciliation. Such legitimacy claims are presented along with five forms of desirable citizens, namely, the citizens who do not use social media to criticize the government; the citizens who respect the law and order; the citizens who are moral and be conscious of Thai history; the citizens who prioritize security over democracy; and the citizens who are loyal to the Monarchy. The research argues that the program shows that the government preferred obedient citizens. Civil and political rights are, therefore, significantly limited in this process.