Thailand : State-Building Democracy and Globalization
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Thailand State-Building, Democracy and Globalization About the Author CHAI-ANAN SAMUDAVANIJA was Professor of Political Science at Chulalongkorn University from 1975 to 1995. He became Headmaster of Vajiravudh College in 1996, the position he holds at present. Chai-Anan was an active participant in many political events during the period of which he writes in this book. He was one of the drafters of the 1974 Constitution and Chairman of the Joint Senate-House Committee to amend the 1992 Constitution. He served as an adviser to two prime ministers (General Prem Tinsulanonda and General Chatichai Choonhavan) and was a leading member of a number of government and parliamentary committees. He was also a senator and a judge of the Constitutional Court. He sits on the governing councils of Chulalongkorn, Chiang Mai, Silpakorn, King Mongkut and Mahidol universities. He is also a member of the National Education Commission, the National Civil Service Reform Commission and Chairman of the National Educational Technology Committee. He was formerly Chairman of Thai Airways International and is currently a member of the company’s board. Chai-Anan is President of the Institute of Public Policy Studies (IPPS) and Vice-President of the Royal Institute. He has written over ninety books and undertaken several research studies on Thai political history and politics, public policy, and strategies for higher education. Thailand State-Building, Democracy and Globalization Chai-Anan Samudavanija Institute of Public Policy Studies IPPS Bangkok, Thailand 2002 © 2002 by Chai-Anan Samudavanija All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. Published by INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY STUDIES (IPPS) 99/146 Ngamwongwan Road, Ladyao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900 Tel: (662) 941-1832, (662) 941-1833 Fax: (662) 941-1834 e-mail [email protected] www.fpps.or.th ISBN 000-0000-00-0 Printed in Thailand by P. Press Co. Ltd., Bangkok. To My Parents Contents Lists of Illustrations and Tables .............................................. x Foreword ............................................................................. xi Preface ............................................................................... xiii PART ONE: FOUNDATIONS 1–A Conceptual Framework: The Politics of Developing Countries Redefined .................................................... 3 A Three-Dimensional Model ................................................... 7 Third World States’ Attempts for Legitimacy ...................... 10 2–Democracy and Democratization in Asia: Evolution or Imposition? ............................................................... 14 Introduction .......................................................................... 14 Themes in the Democratization Debate ................................ 17 Perspectives from Southeast Asia ........................................ 21 Democratization and Economic Development .................. 21 Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) ....................... 26 Democratic Consolidation ................................................. 30 External Factors ................................................................ 32 Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) and Democratization ...................................................... 37 ODA and Good Governance ............................................. 39 ODA and Asian NGOs ...................................................... 41 Promoting Democratization............................................... 45 The Limits of Bilateral Influence ....................................... 48 Conclusion ............................................................................ 52 vii VIII CONTENTS PART TWO: EVIDENCE 3–State-Building and the Politics of Depoliticization .............. 59 Constitutionalism and State Identity ..................................... 61 From Siam to Thailand ......................................................... 62 Pibul’s Government and State-building ................................ 65 New Forces Affecting State-identity .................................... 74 Foundations for Thai State-building ..................................... 76 4–Thailand: A Stable Semi-Democracy ................................ 82 Historical Review .................................................................. 82 Postwar Politics ................................................................ 89 The Breakdown of Military Rule ....................................... 93 The Failure of Democracy, 1974–1976 ............................ 94 The Resumption of Military Rule ...................................... 98 Historical Analysis .............................................................. 102 Constitutional Structure and Change ............................... 102 Political Institutionalization .............................................. 107 Economic Development and Social Change .................... 114 The Consolidation of a Bureaucratic Polity ..................... 117 Theoretical Analysis ........................................................... 124 Future Prospects ................................................................ 130 5–Economic Development and Democracy .........................137 Introduction ........................................................................ 137 Industrialization as a Source of Intersectoral Conflict ....... 141 Political Behavior of the State in Economic Decision-Making .......................................................... 145 Ungovernability and “Institutionalized Anarchy” ................ 149 Conclusion .......................................................................... 155 6–Old Soldiers Never Die, They Are Just Bypassed: The Military, the Bureaucracy and Globalization ........157 “Western” and “Eastern” Organizations ............................. 162 The Security-Development State........................................ 167 State Elites Bypassed .......................................................... 169 Concluding Remarks .......................................................... 178 CONTENTS IX PART THREE: OUTLOOK 7–Holes in the Net: Local Culture, Self-Government, and Globalization ......................................................183 8–Good Governance: Only the First Step for Thailand .........189 The Private Corporate Sector ............................................. 190 The Agricultural Sector ...................................................... 192 Toward a New Consciousness ........................................... 194 9–A Balanced Scorecard for Humane Development ...........197 Epilogue .............................................................................206 Bibliography .......................................................................210 Index ..................................................................................217 List of Illustrations 1. Paradigm of Political Trends ............................................ 7 2. The Three-Dimensional State: Major Characteristics........ 9 3. Elements of the Balanced Scorecard ............................204 List of Tables 1. Comparative Elections Results, January 1975 and April 1976, for Largest Parties in Thailand ................. 96 2. Results of the Thailand General Elections, 1983 and 1986 ..........................................................101 3. Constitutions in Thailand: June 1932–December 1987....105 x Foreword stablished in 1985, the Institute of Public Policy Studies (IPPS) Eis one of the main partner projects of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. For nearly two decades, the Foundation has cooperated closely with this policy research institute to develop an extensive program of civic education through seminars, research studies, publications and multimedia presentations. The publication of Thailand: State-Building, Democracy and Globalization makes available to an English-speaking public a unique selection of studies from Professor Dr. Chai-Anan Samudavanija, covering Thai politics from the 1932 Revolution to the present, based on a compilation of articles, essays and lectures presented to international audiences from 1989 to 2002. After clearly defining a theoretical and conceptual framework in Part One, in the second part of the book the author provides a description of the development of the Thai nation state as well as of the creation of its state identity, followed by a very comprehensive analysis of the historical, political and economic framework of the development of democracy in Thailand. Included is a comparative assessment of the process of democratization in Asia, focusing on the key issue of the interdependence of democratization and economic development. External factors such as security issues, cultural forces, and the role of foreign aid as influences affecting prospects for democratization are also considered. The third part analyzes the impact of the phenomenon xi xii FOREWORD of globalization on Thai politics, including the relationship between globalization and good governance. The present publication gives the reader a very valuable, structured and comprehensive overview of Thai politics in its various aspects; its presentation in English will further contribute to the regional and international presence of IPPS. The Konrad Adenauer Foundation is proud to have contributed