[Tlc] Sondhi Limthongkul in Seattle

Mon Nov 20 00:57:24 PST 2006

Whatever one's views of Thaksin or the putsch that has, at least for the
present, ended his premiership, it is high time to put an end to these
very curious "Thaksin was the only politician in my memory who did
anything for the poor." lines.   In the mid-1970s, Prime Minister
Khuekrit Pramot and his finance minister Bunchu Rotchanasathian
introduced a raft of policies aimed at Thailand's rural poor.  In
comparative perspective, the thoughtful design and frankly progressive
rationale (little surprise, in view of Bunchu's very long association
with the Thai left) of these policies set a standard not equaled till
today.  In the event, Khuekrit and Bunchu had only a brief period in
office to implement their policies.  Nevertheless, many have endured,
both as specific measures (consider, for example, the Thai rural credit
system) and as examples to leaders like Thaksin and his advisors.   As
luck would have it, too, last year saw the publication of Nawi
Rangsiwararak's excellent Bon thanon sai kanmueang khong Bunchu
Rotchanasathian.  From this book one can learn much about that way that
a sophisticated, committed man engaged with the problem of social
inequality in Thailand in an era neglected by all too many commentators
on recent events.

Mike Montesano

Bangkok

________________________________

From: tlc-bounces at lists.ucr.edu [mailto:tlc-bounces at lists.ucr.edu] On
Behalf Of ralbritt at olemiss.edu
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2006 8:47 PM
To: Charles Keyes; justinm at ucr.edu; tlc at lists.ucr.edu
Subject: Re: [Tlc] Sondhi Limthongkul in Seattle

	Thanks very much for thi, Biff. There must be some voices that
give lie to the oft-repeated charge that rural people are not
sufficiently competent to exercise the vote. For all his faults, Thaksin
was the only politician in my memory who did anything for the poor. More
seriously, what I find is that much of what is taking place is largely a
reaction to the sense of loss of power and prestige among the
traditional elites (this includes intellectual elites). For example:

	A few years ago, I heard Prawasi Wasi give a talk (in English)
in which he said that the problem for Thailand was that people aspired
too much, that they should go back to planting their rice fields and be
happy. I have held him in contempt ever since, but he is honored by the
intellectuals;

	Thirayuth's comment in March is another blow to democracy: "What
is worrisome is that Thaksin has mobilized the poor and gotten them
involved in politics....And what is worrisome about that is that the
poor vote differently from the middle class." So, he loses all
credibility in my book.

	I must say that Thongchai and Giles Ungpakhorn seem to be among
the few Thai intellectuals who can think clearly about the issue. They
both suffer from taking rather courageous positions. I hope that we can
provide them with sufficient support to continue.

	RBA

	> On November 14, 2006, Khun Sondhi Limthongkul spoke on
	> the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle
	> about the Thai political situation. His visit was arranged
	> by Thai students at the University. An audience of
	> approximately 350 people attended the event; most were
	> Thai by origin who live in the Seattle area, although some
	> came from as far away as Vancouver, British Columbia.
	> There was also a scattering of non-Thai in the audience,
	> including the former US Ambassador to Thailand, Darryl
	> Johnson, who is currently a lecturer at the Jackson School
	> of International Studies at the University of Washington.
	> Khun Sondhi first spoke in English for about 45
	> minutes and then took questions from the audience for
	> another 20 minutes. He then turned the microphone over to
	> Khun Karun Saingam, a former MP and former senator from
	> Buriram. Khun Karun spoke in Thai for about 45 minutes.
	> After a break, Khun Sondhi then spoke and answered
	> questions in Thai for another hour.
	> A few Thai students, led by Khun Anusorn Unno, a PhD
	> candidate in anthropology at the University of Washington,
	> distributed a handout in both Thai and English, entitled
	> "9 Myths about the September 19, 2006, Coup." Although a
	> brief dispute arose because the organizers demanded that
	> the protestors not have their signs in the foyer outside
	> the lecture hall which had been booked for the event, this
	> was resolved when the protestors moved outside the front
	> door of the hall. A photo of Khun Sondhi, Khun Karun, and
	> Khun Anusorn appeared with the story published the next
	> day in the online edition of the Thai newspaper The
	> Manager. (For this story, see
	>
http://www.manager.co.th/Politics/ViewNews.aspx?NewsID=9490000141271).
	> Khun Sondhi said that while he was not happy with the
	> coup, he was very happy it had happened. He reiterated the
	> reasons he has presented many times before about why
	> former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had so abused
	> power that only a coup could remove him. He said that if
	> the coup had not happened on September 19th there would
	> have been bloodshed the following day in a confrontation
	> between those attending a rally to protest his continuing
	> in office and Thaksin's supporters.
	> He argued that there cannot be electoral democracy in
	> Thailand such as is found in the West because most people
	> outside the middle class lack sufficient knowledge to
	> understand how power can be abused. The rural people only
	> vote, he claimed, for those who pay them either directly
	> through party organizers (hua khanaen) or indirectly
	> through the populist programs. He compared the populist
	> programs of Thaksin to those of Peron in Argentina. Khun
	> Sondhi said that in the future he himself will work only
	> with the middle class who have sufficient education to
	> truly understand how populist politicians can abuse power.
	> He added that while the middle class is found primarily in
	> Bangkok, it is also represented in the urban areas of each
	> province.
	> Khun Sondhi said that politicians of all parties in
	> Thailand are characterized by kilet, a Buddhist term that
	> in Thai means greed for power, wealth and fulfillment of
	> sexual passion. He was quite dismissive of a written
	> constitution as the basis for governance in Thailand. He
	> said that only if the people have a spirit of democracy
	> can democracy truly exist. Without a constitution, the
	> only institution that can assure good governance is the
	> monarchy. He said that 'royal prerogative'
	> (phraratchamnat) is deeply respected and embodies the
	> spirit of the nation.
	> The audience was generally very receptive to Khun
	> Sondhi's interpretations.
	> My own assessment is not so positive. I am aware that
	> I am not a Thai, but I have been involved in studying Thai
	> society, particularly in rural areas, for many decades. I
	> find very disturbing Khun Sondhi's assumption that rural
	> people are ignorant and are not capable of making good
	> political choices unless they are 'bought'. I have found
	> just the opposite. Rural people today are not the peasants
	> of yesteryear and it is a myth that they are ignorant
	> (ngo). Villagers today are very much aware that unless
	> political leaders are chosen who will respond to their
	> needs for government services such as healthcare,
	> education and government-sponsored loan funds they will
	> continue to be very disadvantaged in Thailand's capitalist
	> economy. Khun Sondhi's position seems to me to contribute
	> to the growing class division of Thai society. I also
	> found his dismissal of a written constitutional basis of
	> governance and emphasis on 'royal prerogative' to, in
	> effect, turn back the clock on the governing of Thailand
	> to the sys tem that existed prior to the revolution of
	> 1932. 
	> I am happy, nonetheless, that Seattle and the
	> University of Washington should have been put on the map
	> of Thai politics through Khun Sondhi's visit.
	> 
	> Charles (Biff) Keyes
	> 
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