Fortune tellers are talking about it; the Saraburi barracks on the ready; the Democrat Party are starting to fall apart over the authoritarianism of f├╝hrer Abhisit over the coerced, illegal and clumsy attempt to nominate a favoured yellow supporter Police Chief; senior police meeting at Thammasat threatening to bring the Dem Party down next week for a number of reasons, including taking blame and being ordered to let the yellow shirts off the hook when they were rampaging in public places; Newin and his mate Interior Minister Suthep are on the edge – including over Abhisit’s behaviour and Newin’s looming corruption charge over rubber plants (Newin said well, Ok, we should declare an amnesty for everyone-including himself!); the grand self-sufficiency project (and along with other similar “nicked” Thaksin grassroot initiatives) have caught the Minister for Social Welfare for one with his pants down over a high level corruption charge…The Red’s petition (not about Thaksin but fundamentally about democracy and frustration felt by so many) and the ongoing mischievous counter-petition enforced through the Min of Interior and Blue shirt thugs on a hapless and a thoroughly dejected population: a forthcoming coup? probably. It is all up to the army Nick. Burma here we come!
What, no comments yet on this fascinating post? Thanks for sharing this Huw. I do wonder, however, about what impact, if any, cross-ethnic religious networks might be having on identity creation in Wa areas. I’ve been told, for example, that there are some American Christian missionaries working in Wa areas (perhaps only on the China side?). Also, has the UWSA/UWSP allowed access to Wa Special Region 2 by those working for the Burmese government’s “Buddhist Mission to the Hill Tribes” (Bouddha Taungdan Thathana – maybe that’s not the exact name that’s used)? Maybe the impact of missionaries of either ilk is marginal. I’m too acquainted with this issue in any event.
“You paint a very rosy picture of pre-1932 absolute monarchy…”
Tettyan I have painted no picture of pre-1932 absolute monarchy, so maybe you could show me where it’s rosy, otherwise an apology is in order.
So let’s look at the more nasty options coming up in the near future.
1/ A return to absolute monarchy – very unlikely as the monarchist have some real problems with the succession coming up.
2/ A PAD fascist takeover – as they would be unlikely to gain power through elections it would have to be in conjunction with another army coup, which at the moment the military leadership seems disinclined to do, although always a possibility.
3/ Thaksin returns and again attempts to put his own family and friends in the most powerful places in the military, police and civil service, but this time makes sure all the army is under his control.
Having giving the nasty options, what would be the better ones?
1/ Thailand muddles along with attempts to be a Western style democracy.
2/ Thaksin comes back and he is no longer a corrupt autocrat, but a believer in true democracy.
3/ The Marxist-Leninists who were against Thaksin pre-2006, ride in on his coat-tails, take over and build a wonderful Maoist peasant state just like Cambodia was. (I’m not sure if that is Giles and the Workers Democracy Party’s dream. Maybe they could post here and tell us what their aims are.)
What scares me right now is people like Chalerm, is he really the leader of the opposition?, and a Thaksin comeback which will drive Thailand back to a fascist Pibul-like 1938 rather than an absolute monarchy of pre-1932.
What makes you think the the pro-Thaksin types have a monopoly on fascism in Thailand? The PAD, as documented on this site and others, also has leaders with fascist tendencies (as well as pro-absolute monarchy tendencies, even though you claim it’s only at the extreme fringes of the PAD against the weight of the evidence that many PAD leaders have called on the monarchy to increase the role it plays in nat’l affairs).
You paint a very rosy picture of pre-1932 absolute monarchy as compared to Phibul’s regime post-1938. For a more informed and nuanced view of this topic, may I suggest the book Kings, Country & Constitutions: Thailand’s Political Development 1932-2000 by Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian.
Is this the same sufficiency economics as purported by his Royal Highness the king. Where he suggests that people live within their means and return to their villages (“let them eat cake”). Even if their means = Zero! That’s good advice from the worlds Richest Monarch with wealth in excess of 35 BILLION Dollars. It Was twice that at 70 Billion, but the recent events in the worlds stock markets reduced the wealth to just 35 Billion. Hey it’s tough for everybody !
RN now we are getting silly. Do I have start of list of Thaksin’s actions to compete with your list? Do we want to go over Samak or Chalerm’s past? It’s all a bit pointless as I feel like I’m arguing against a party line with you. We will see what happens and as someone said, hindsight is a wonderful thing.
The military coup, the xenophobia (including aggression against a neighbouring country in contempt of the International Court of Justice), the campaigns of hatred, the increasing use of a tyrannical law, the promulgation of laws as specially honed political weapons by people that have no right to be making laws in the first place. And Les Abbey is afraid that fascism might return if Thaksin came back?
but I suspect that the elite that need to read and take the article to heart dont actually read anything more than an SMS (eg Maverick) so they wont get the message
Prem and his mates are experts at nodding and winking and they think they dont need more than that
too subtle for the audience that needs it, its only the thoughtful people that already agree that will applaud
EDITORIAL Revolutionary sufficiency
Published: 21/08/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News Bangkok Post
How can you preach sufficiency to the poor when they do not even have enough to start with? We often hear this question from critics of the sufficiency philosophy. Unfortunately, it is a question that leads nowhere.
When moderation is the cure for excessive consumerism and materialism which is threatening the survival of humankind, we should instead ask what we must do to make moderation the norm in public policies and our everyday life, instead of harbouring cynicism.
In a society marked by outrageous inequalities such as ours, the pursuit of moderation is indeed a radical move. It implies a comprehensive, systematic reform to undo power monopoly of the few by ensuring equitable distribution of resources for the majority. These resources include land ownership, food security, education, healthcare, welfare, rights, access to credit, to life opportunities and to decision-making at all levels.
The 2007 Constitution makes it clear in Article 83 that the government must follow the sufficiency philosophy in its public policies. Article 85 also stipulates that the government must carry out policies to effect land reform and equal access to water and other natural resources. So we should closely monitor the Abhisit government to make sure it stays true to these constitutional mandates, that it does not just pay lip service to the moderation principle or abuse it for political gain – which, sadly, is what is happening with the scandalous Sufficiency Community Project.
Simultaneously, we should push the government to fulfil its constitutional obligations to create an equal playing field for the citizenry.
In the meantime, we should also monitor if the government is undermining the already moderate lifestyle of the locals by allowing environmentally destructive industries to destroy the sources of their livelihood.
Reacting to the government’s destructive policies is not enough, however. While it is essential to push for pro-active policies to give the citizens equal life opportunities, it is also equally, if not more, important to foster a social environment to encourage the values of moderation, giving and sharing in society.
After all, sufficiency or moderation is not just a principle, it is a moral principle. Amid the powerful religion of greed-driven materialism, moderation is social conscience against excess. It encourages people to define happiness differently by going back to the basic values of family togetherness, food security, community cohesiveness, and spiritual growth.
But these values are not isolated from the social environment. They grow when there are supportive public policies. They wilt when families and individuals must struggle in society’s rat-race without an adequate social safety net. To provide fertile soil for morality to grow, we must push for policies that empower the people while instilling them with a sense of moral duty to share when they have more than enough.
Sharing is not about material goods only. It is also about the sharing of information which is crucial to curb excessive power at the top. This sharing of information is a check-and-balance tool to moderate information and power monopoly, without which democracy will never have a chance to grow.
The sufficiency or moderation philosophy is a powerful political tool to redress the excesses of the powerful. Instead of crippling ourselves with cynicism and allowing the government to target only the poor, we should see the potential of the sufficiency philosophy and use it to effect change.
I thing the Thai Royal have done very well with the environment. what about when they had the airport closed? A huge saving on carbon with no planes taking off. On the downside the tanks sent onto the streets in the last coup and the carbon footprint left, was very bad. But overall the royals balance out with their greenness (more a light yellow), not unlike the yellow shirts we have seen worn by PAD, I think.
Oh, you know very well huh? Sounds like you’re a Thai journalist.
What I was trying to say (to Nick), the Thai press should ‘report’ what happened, not to feed the news to the audience.
During Thaksin’s era, his company AIS pulled off advertising to those newspapers, so what? It’s the company’s right to do so. In fact, do you believe that some of Thai journalist tried to approach Thaksin asking for his money. When he said no, they began attacking him?
For example, Sondhi himself, asked Thaksin for a TV channel . The MCOT then gave him a prime time talk-show. Then they kicked him off. Since then he began attacking Thaksin and Preediyadhon Dhevakul, former governor Bank of Thailand, for not having his debt cut.
Naew Na newspaper was a channel for Prasong Sunsiri, Thaksin’s enemy, to bite the government.
I understand, Thai journalists need to eat, feed their families. They need to stay in the job. So they just report whatever the boss want to hear.
The Nation lost its portfolio so it just sold the office building to survive. During Thaksin’s era, Bangkok Biz News owned by the Nation, twisted the news by retouching the picture of a dead southern rioter. Where is their ethic?
C’mon, even Reader Digest filed the bankruptcy. I know Thai media got affected by economics recession too. But you guys don’t need to make up story and feed that junks to the audience.
Prah Athit Road is a public road, and the best route for me to go home from Sanam Luang. I drove along the road when i saw PAD guards in front of ASTV firing slingshots, stopped, and took photos. The “scene” happened already when i arrived. I did not cause anything.
I am a journalist – it is my job to “make some news” when they happen. It is not to be my job to be “creative” when reporting.
RN I will have to say what I said to Bangkok Pundit, we will have to agree to disagree. I have no idea how corrupt MPs were in the UK 300 years ago but it doesn’t sound good if they compare with some of the recent Thai ones.
Am I an absolutist? Which I take is a believer in absolute monarchy? No, my sympathies are republican. Even in my own country, the UK, that puts me in a, although growing, minority. Even in Australia there is large minority who are anti-republican. At the moment in Thailand I suspect those with republican views are a very small minority.
I think those who believe in an absolute monarchy would be found only on the most extreme fringes of the PAD. The monarchists in Thailand and especially the Privy Council obviously have some big decisions coming up which may well decide the fate of the present constitutional monarchy.
What scares me right now is people like Chalerm, is he really the leader of the opposition?, and a Thaksin comeback which will drive Thailand back to a fascist Pibul-like 1938 rather than an absolute monarchy of pre-1932. This I think is where I disagree with all the pro-Thaksin and pro-red shirt supporters on this blog. It isn’t some proto-revolutionary movement of progressive ideas, it’s a movement to turn the clock back.
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Suthep denies
Fortune tellers are talking about it; the Saraburi barracks on the ready; the Democrat Party are starting to fall apart over the authoritarianism of f├╝hrer Abhisit over the coerced, illegal and clumsy attempt to nominate a favoured yellow supporter Police Chief; senior police meeting at Thammasat threatening to bring the Dem Party down next week for a number of reasons, including taking blame and being ordered to let the yellow shirts off the hook when they were rampaging in public places; Newin and his mate Interior Minister Suthep are on the edge – including over Abhisit’s behaviour and Newin’s looming corruption charge over rubber plants (Newin said well, Ok, we should declare an amnesty for everyone-including himself!); the grand self-sufficiency project (and along with other similar “nicked” Thaksin grassroot initiatives) have caught the Minister for Social Welfare for one with his pants down over a high level corruption charge…The Red’s petition (not about Thaksin but fundamentally about democracy and frustration felt by so many) and the ongoing mischievous counter-petition enforced through the Min of Interior and Blue shirt thugs on a hapless and a thoroughly dejected population: a forthcoming coup? probably. It is all up to the army Nick. Burma here we come!
What it means to be Wa: Identity creation in the Southeast Asian borderlands
What, no comments yet on this fascinating post? Thanks for sharing this Huw. I do wonder, however, about what impact, if any, cross-ethnic religious networks might be having on identity creation in Wa areas. I’ve been told, for example, that there are some American Christian missionaries working in Wa areas (perhaps only on the China side?). Also, has the UWSA/UWSP allowed access to Wa Special Region 2 by those working for the Burmese government’s “Buddhist Mission to the Hill Tribes” (Bouddha Taungdan Thathana – maybe that’s not the exact name that’s used)? Maybe the impact of missionaries of either ilk is marginal. I’m too acquainted with this issue in any event.
Montesano on Thailand in April 2009
“You paint a very rosy picture of pre-1932 absolute monarchy…”
Tettyan I have painted no picture of pre-1932 absolute monarchy, so maybe you could show me where it’s rosy, otherwise an apology is in order.
So let’s look at the more nasty options coming up in the near future.
1/ A return to absolute monarchy – very unlikely as the monarchist have some real problems with the succession coming up.
2/ A PAD fascist takeover – as they would be unlikely to gain power through elections it would have to be in conjunction with another army coup, which at the moment the military leadership seems disinclined to do, although always a possibility.
3/ Thaksin returns and again attempts to put his own family and friends in the most powerful places in the military, police and civil service, but this time makes sure all the army is under his control.
Having giving the nasty options, what would be the better ones?
1/ Thailand muddles along with attempts to be a Western style democracy.
2/ Thaksin comes back and he is no longer a corrupt autocrat, but a believer in true democracy.
3/ The Marxist-Leninists who were against Thaksin pre-2006, ride in on his coat-tails, take over and build a wonderful Maoist peasant state just like Cambodia was. (I’m not sure if that is Giles and the Workers Democracy Party’s dream. Maybe they could post here and tell us what their aims are.)
Montesano on Thailand in April 2009
Les Abbey says –
What scares me right now is people like Chalerm, is he really the leader of the opposition?, and a Thaksin comeback which will drive Thailand back to a fascist Pibul-like 1938 rather than an absolute monarchy of pre-1932.
What makes you think the the pro-Thaksin types have a monopoly on fascism in Thailand? The PAD, as documented on this site and others, also has leaders with fascist tendencies (as well as pro-absolute monarchy tendencies, even though you claim it’s only at the extreme fringes of the PAD against the weight of the evidence that many PAD leaders have called on the monarchy to increase the role it plays in nat’l affairs).
You paint a very rosy picture of pre-1932 absolute monarchy as compared to Phibul’s regime post-1938. For a more informed and nuanced view of this topic, may I suggest the book Kings, Country & Constitutions: Thailand’s Political Development 1932-2000 by Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian.
$ufficiency economy
Is this the same sufficiency economics as purported by his Royal Highness the king. Where he suggests that people live within their means and return to their villages (“let them eat cake”). Even if their means = Zero! That’s good advice from the worlds Richest Monarch with wealth in excess of 35 BILLION Dollars. It Was twice that at 70 Billion, but the recent events in the worlds stock markets reduced the wealth to just 35 Billion. Hey it’s tough for everybody !
Montesano on Thailand in April 2009
RN now we are getting silly. Do I have start of list of Thaksin’s actions to compete with your list? Do we want to go over Samak or Chalerm’s past? It’s all a bit pointless as I feel like I’m arguing against a party line with you. We will see what happens and as someone said, hindsight is a wonderful thing.
Examining the “success” of a northern Thai Royal Project
Just as well the northerners were not Muslims. Then might have ended up being exported to Pattaya in containers !
… and if one green royal should …
Ralphy Baby !
The man knows what he is talking about. He has been writing about the subject for years.
Trust him.
David
$ufficiency economy
See Political Prisoner’s comments at http://thaipoliticalprisoners.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/new-what-about-economic-and-political-inequality/
Montesano on Thailand in April 2009
The military coup, the xenophobia (including aggression against a neighbouring country in contempt of the International Court of Justice), the campaigns of hatred, the increasing use of a tyrannical law, the promulgation of laws as specially honed political weapons by people that have no right to be making laws in the first place. And Les Abbey is afraid that fascism might return if Thaksin came back?
17 August 2009: petition day
Taro: The other side of what coin?
… and if one green royal should …
Kid’s stuff, written by an intern, based on a Google search that turns up propaganda by the royals themselves (and not just in Thailand).
$ufficiency economy
Srithanonchai
very good article…. thanks
but I suspect that the elite that need to read and take the article to heart dont actually read anything more than an SMS (eg Maverick) so they wont get the message
Prem and his mates are experts at nodding and winking and they think they dont need more than that
too subtle for the audience that needs it, its only the thoughtful people that already agree that will applaud
17 August 2009: petition day
hi Nick,
short and simple… I’ve never been disappointed in your work yet. Keep it up. I’ve passed on the link to this to others.
Hope that your book is doing well. Good luck
SARDINES
$ufficiency economy
EDITORIAL Revolutionary sufficiency
Published: 21/08/2009 at 12:00 AM
Newspaper section: News Bangkok Post
How can you preach sufficiency to the poor when they do not even have enough to start with? We often hear this question from critics of the sufficiency philosophy. Unfortunately, it is a question that leads nowhere.
When moderation is the cure for excessive consumerism and materialism which is threatening the survival of humankind, we should instead ask what we must do to make moderation the norm in public policies and our everyday life, instead of harbouring cynicism.
In a society marked by outrageous inequalities such as ours, the pursuit of moderation is indeed a radical move. It implies a comprehensive, systematic reform to undo power monopoly of the few by ensuring equitable distribution of resources for the majority. These resources include land ownership, food security, education, healthcare, welfare, rights, access to credit, to life opportunities and to decision-making at all levels.
The 2007 Constitution makes it clear in Article 83 that the government must follow the sufficiency philosophy in its public policies. Article 85 also stipulates that the government must carry out policies to effect land reform and equal access to water and other natural resources. So we should closely monitor the Abhisit government to make sure it stays true to these constitutional mandates, that it does not just pay lip service to the moderation principle or abuse it for political gain – which, sadly, is what is happening with the scandalous Sufficiency Community Project.
Simultaneously, we should push the government to fulfil its constitutional obligations to create an equal playing field for the citizenry.
In the meantime, we should also monitor if the government is undermining the already moderate lifestyle of the locals by allowing environmentally destructive industries to destroy the sources of their livelihood.
Reacting to the government’s destructive policies is not enough, however. While it is essential to push for pro-active policies to give the citizens equal life opportunities, it is also equally, if not more, important to foster a social environment to encourage the values of moderation, giving and sharing in society.
After all, sufficiency or moderation is not just a principle, it is a moral principle. Amid the powerful religion of greed-driven materialism, moderation is social conscience against excess. It encourages people to define happiness differently by going back to the basic values of family togetherness, food security, community cohesiveness, and spiritual growth.
But these values are not isolated from the social environment. They grow when there are supportive public policies. They wilt when families and individuals must struggle in society’s rat-race without an adequate social safety net. To provide fertile soil for morality to grow, we must push for policies that empower the people while instilling them with a sense of moral duty to share when they have more than enough.
Sharing is not about material goods only. It is also about the sharing of information which is crucial to curb excessive power at the top. This sharing of information is a check-and-balance tool to moderate information and power monopoly, without which democracy will never have a chance to grow.
The sufficiency or moderation philosophy is a powerful political tool to redress the excesses of the powerful. Instead of crippling ourselves with cynicism and allowing the government to target only the poor, we should see the potential of the sufficiency philosophy and use it to effect change.
… and if one green royal should …
I thing the Thai Royal have done very well with the environment. what about when they had the airport closed? A huge saving on carbon with no planes taking off. On the downside the tanks sent onto the streets in the last coup and the carbon footprint left, was very bad. But overall the royals balance out with their greenness (more a light yellow), not unlike the yellow shirts we have seen worn by PAD, I think.
17 August 2009: petition day
Portman
Oh, you know very well huh? Sounds like you’re a Thai journalist.
What I was trying to say (to Nick), the Thai press should ‘report’ what happened, not to feed the news to the audience.
During Thaksin’s era, his company AIS pulled off advertising to those newspapers, so what? It’s the company’s right to do so. In fact, do you believe that some of Thai journalist tried to approach Thaksin asking for his money. When he said no, they began attacking him?
For example, Sondhi himself, asked Thaksin for a TV channel . The MCOT then gave him a prime time talk-show. Then they kicked him off. Since then he began attacking Thaksin and Preediyadhon Dhevakul, former governor Bank of Thailand, for not having his debt cut.
Naew Na newspaper was a channel for Prasong Sunsiri, Thaksin’s enemy, to bite the government.
I understand, Thai journalists need to eat, feed their families. They need to stay in the job. So they just report whatever the boss want to hear.
The Nation lost its portfolio so it just sold the office building to survive. During Thaksin’s era, Bangkok Biz News owned by the Nation, twisted the news by retouching the picture of a dead southern rioter. Where is their ethic?
C’mon, even Reader Digest filed the bankruptcy. I know Thai media got affected by economics recession too. But you guys don’t need to make up story and feed that junks to the audience.
17 August 2009: petition day
“vora”
Prah Athit Road is a public road, and the best route for me to go home from Sanam Luang. I drove along the road when i saw PAD guards in front of ASTV firing slingshots, stopped, and took photos. The “scene” happened already when i arrived. I did not cause anything.
I am a journalist – it is my job to “make some news” when they happen. It is not to be my job to be “creative” when reporting.
Montesano on Thailand in April 2009
RN I will have to say what I said to Bangkok Pundit, we will have to agree to disagree. I have no idea how corrupt MPs were in the UK 300 years ago but it doesn’t sound good if they compare with some of the recent Thai ones.
Am I an absolutist? Which I take is a believer in absolute monarchy? No, my sympathies are republican. Even in my own country, the UK, that puts me in a, although growing, minority. Even in Australia there is large minority who are anti-republican. At the moment in Thailand I suspect those with republican views are a very small minority.
I think those who believe in an absolute monarchy would be found only on the most extreme fringes of the PAD. The monarchists in Thailand and especially the Privy Council obviously have some big decisions coming up which may well decide the fate of the present constitutional monarchy.
What scares me right now is people like Chalerm, is he really the leader of the opposition?, and a Thaksin comeback which will drive Thailand back to a fascist Pibul-like 1938 rather than an absolute monarchy of pre-1932. This I think is where I disagree with all the pro-Thaksin and pro-red shirt supporters on this blog. It isn’t some proto-revolutionary movement of progressive ideas, it’s a movement to turn the clock back.
… and if one green royal should …
Hero worship of overconsuming and overassuming hi-so will never stop rising sea-levels. Modern day Canutes?