Does this kind of propaganda even work?

I know about the principle of the Big Lie. I was raised on "no such thing as bad publicity" and "there's a sucker born every minute." But...

The New Light of Myanmar newspaper, a government mouthpiece, on Sunday praised the response of country's leader, Senior Gen. Than Shwe, to the disaster.

"His loving kindness and goodwill for the people is much better than that which a parent has for his children," the newspaper said. "As a matter of fact, he is dedicating his life to a prosperous future of the nation's over 57 million population."

Do any of the people even remotely believe this? Does Gen. Shwe think they do?

Great Leader Comrade Kim Il Sung would have been proud of such praise.