The Monarchy
The first and foremost concept is the status of the monarch as Head of Armed Forces and Upholder of the Buddhist Religion and all other religions. Every constitution provides that the monarch is sacred and inviolable in his person. His sovereign power emanates from the people, and as Head of State, he exercises his legislative power through the Parliament, executive power through the Cabinet headed by a Prime Minister, and judicial power through the courts. The monarch is empowered with the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to warn whenever the government appears not to administer the state affairs according to the wishes and for the good of the people.
The king has little direct power under the constitution but is a symbol of national identity and unity. The present monarch--who has been on the throne since 1946--commands enormous popular respect and moral authority, which he has used on occasion to resolve political crises that have threatened national stability.
The institution of the monarchy in Thailand has a history going back more than 700 years. Although the revolution made in 1932 changed its status from the center of power to the center of loyalty, this new role has enhanced the status of the monarchy, giving it a unique character and bringing it close to the Thai people's way of life.
Currently, Thai people respect the institution of the monarchy as "the highest reliance" when they face national crisis. For instance, when the conflict between the military government and protesers in May 1992 turned violent, His Majesty the King call the leaders of both sides to compromise, thus bringing about a peaceful solution to the conflict. In 1997, when Thailand faced the beginning of the Asian economic crisis, His Majesty gave wise advice to his suffering people about living a simple life,an economic principle he called the Sufficiency Economy. This concept became well-known and has spread throughout the country.
The concepts of monarchy have their origins in Sukhothai, founded in the early part of the 13th century and generally regarded as the first truly independent Thai capital. Here, particularly under the reign of King Ramkhamhaeng the Great (1279-1300) was born the ideal of a paternalistic ruler alert to the needs of his people and aware of the fact that his duty was to guide them. This is a view markedly different from the divine kingship practiced in other countries, for example by the Khmers.
This paternalistic ideal was at times lost during the long Ayutthaya period, when Khmer influence regarding kingship reappeared, and the monarch became a lofty, inaccessible figure, rarely seen by most citizens. Nevertheless, the four-century era of Ayutthaya witnessed the reigns of some remarkable rulers, whose achievements were far-reaching.
After the destruction of Ayutthaya in 1767 and the brief reign of King Taksin at Thonburi, the present Chakri Dynasty of Bangkok was established in 1782. It has carried on much of the tradition of Thai kings as handed down from Ayutthaya. Western influences, however, became more powerful in Southeast Asia during the fourth and fifth reigns of the dynasty, and Thai kings were wise enough to see that some adaptation to Western standards would become necessary in order that Thailand might escape conquest and survive as a sovereign nation. Princes and courtiers began to be sent to study in Europe where democracy was the rule, and in Thailand itself power began to be decentralized as well as divided among capable people outside the immediate circle of the King.
In 1932, however, a group of people quickened the process by staging a bloodless revolution, which transformed the country into a constitutional monarchy in the European model. The then King Prajadhipok (Rama VII) continued to reign as a constitutional monarch but only for a few years before he was forced, by ill health, to abdicate. King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII) was chosen to ascend the throne at a tender age and spent his life mostly at study abroad. His unfortunate death in 1946 at the age of 20 brought his younger brother, Bhumibol Adulyadej, to the throne. For the past 51 years, it has been left to King Bhumibol Adulyadej to give the meaning to, as well as set the practical standard for the role of a Thai king within a democratic framework.
As a man, King Bhumibol Adulyadej has displayed a remarkable range of talents. He is a gifted musician and composer, particularly in the field of jazz; one of his songs was featured in a Broadway musical in the early 1950's and his skills have been a cknowledged by such masters as Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton. He was an enthusiastic sailor in the early years of his rule and won the Southeast Asia Peninsula Games gold medal in 1967. In addition, he can point to impressive achievements in the fiel ds of painting, photography, and engineering. Thanks to his international education and upbringing, he is fluent in three European languages and at ease in a variety of cultures. Undoubtedly, though, posterity will remember him most for his accomplishm ents as leader of Thai nation during a critical period in its history.
On the evening of May 20, 1992, about 50 million Thais were watching television and felt included in the historic audience granted by His Majesty the King to the Former Prime Minister and his opponent, Former Palang Dharma Leader, at the height of the conflict with the use of force against prodemocracy demonstrators. From that moment on, through each step taken on the path back to normalcy and democracy, His Majesty the King clearly showed his interest in following up the development, from the dissoulution of the House of Representatives, the inauguration of the newly-elected House, the appointment of the new coalition government, along with the people's hope and aspiration.
