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When we think of a king, we usually associate him with
the palace, power and pomp. A king does not need to work
or break into perspiration. In our twentieth century,
kings are usually constitutional monarchs whose faces
appear on stamps and wave their hands during ceremonial
occasions. However, in Thailand, King Bhumibol Adulyadej
does not quite match our hackneyed image of a
constitutional monarch. While modernization and
communism have resulted in the demise of several
monarchies in the region, King Bhumibol continues to
thrive in Thailand. King Bhumibol came to the throne in 1946 at the age of
eighteen. Since then, the country has suffered many
military coups and change of governments. The king has
avoided being suck into the political conflicts and he
has shown himself to be a stabilizing factor during
difficult times. The royal family in Thailand is much
loved and respected by the people.
The King and his family have certainly worked hard to
earn the admiration of his own people. The king travels
extensively throughout the country spending up to eight
months in a year outside of Bangkok. During his trips,
he not only consult the monks or officials but also
solicits first hand information from the villagers,
farmers and agricultural workers concerning their
problems, needs and hopes. His majesty is certainly a
'hands on' king who has helped thousands of villagers in
every province in Thailand.
The members of the royal family accompanied by some
officials would often arrive in the villages by
helicopters. "When we go to see the people, we seem to
follow an unwritten plan. We separate and move out in
four groups," the king has said. Youngest daughter
Princess Chulabhorn, a biochemist by training goes along
with the medical team. Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
and Queen Sirikit normally focus on the special home
industries projects, which are designed to supplement
the low rural income. The king, himself, deals with
problems of infrastructure: water, communications and
farming techniques.
"I love the King because when he came, so did the
water," says forty-year-old farmer, Ja Phu, whose fields
and 11-member family suffered from frequent droughts
until the king came and designed a 75,000 cubic meter
dam in his northern village. In every village, the king
would solve some problems including domestic quarrels.
The King is also deeply concerned about education in the
country. He insists on handing out the graduation
certificates personally to every graduate in the
government universities. At one institution alone, it
involved seven days of degree-giving. In this way, the
king has personally connected, however fleetingly with
the future leaders of the country.
The Royal Family certainly has the wealth, the style and
the education to move with the best in any society. King
Bhumibol, himself, was educated in Switzerland, speaks
five languages and has a host of hobbies including a
passion for jazz music. He plays eight different
instruments and has written over forty compositions. Yet
the Royal Family has become known as the `Working
Royals', working to improve the lot of the rural folks
which comprises 80 percent of the country's population.
On one hand, the King sees his work as his duty towards
his people. On the other hand, it is his contribution to
his country's stability. In not neglecting the poor, it
is one way of warding off social unrest. "The publicized
danger is communism. But the greed of our own people is
more dangerous. If we clash among ourselves, it will
destroy us," says the King. |
