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By Mihar Dias April 2025
If diplomacy were a playlist, Malaysia just dropped a track that insulted the host and skipped the chorus of common sense.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit to Thailand (April 17–18) was meant to be a warm embrace of regional unity, trade ties, and ASEAN chairmanship chest-thumping. But somewhere between the handshakes and photo ops, a clanging off-note went viral.
The culprit? An official video posted by PMX’s social media team, set to a Thai ballad titled “Om Pra Mah Pood” – roughly translated as “Swear on Buddha Before You Speak.” https://focusmalaysia.my/soundtrack-slip-up-has-pmxs-social-media-team-just-offended-thailand/
Subtle? Not really. It’s a song associated with dishonesty and broken promises. Imagine attending your in-laws’ dinner and accidentally blasting Adele’s “I’ll Be Waiting” on your phone. Now make it international.
Thai PBS World—a respected outlet, not a meme page—reported the incident, noting the video had 30,000 views before it quietly vanished, likely into the same black hole where good judgment goes to die.
Let’s give the benefit of the doubt: maybe someone on the comms team just wanted a “local vibe.” Mission accomplished.
But in diplomacy, nothing is local. Everything is loaded. Music, flags, even desserts can start fires. And in this case, it wasn’t cultural appreciation—it was lyrical self-immolation.
It’s part of a growing pattern. Just weeks ago, Sin Chew botched a flag in an infographic, proving that national symbolism is now a high-risk sport. All this while Malaysia gears up to chair ASEAN. https://focusmalaysia.my/soundtrack-slip-up-has-pmxs-social-media-team-just-offended-thailand/
Terrific.
Here’s the lesson: in diplomacy, details matter. Especially when your “friendly overture” sounds like you're calling your host a liar—in their language, no less.
Maybe next time, someone should actually Google the lyrics.
Or just stick to Rasa Sayang. At least that one doesn’t come with a diplomatic time bomb.
Because if this is how we charm our neighbours, Anwar might want to pack less rhetoric—and more Spotify Premium.
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