Saichol Sattayanurak1 Intellectuals and the Establishment of Identities in the Thai Absolute Monarchy State his article examines the ways through different from those of his father owing to T which intellectuals, who possessed the differences in situation. Likewise, the authority in the Thai state under the absolute differences in situation and experience caused monarchy, established Thai identities. Economic Somdet Kromphraya Damrong Rachanuphab’s and political contexts were important factors ideas to differ from those of King Rama VI. Such that influenced intellectuals to establish the differences caused the absolute monarchy identities in response to crucial problems, system to have a great lack of the ideological especially those tending to affect the power unity needed to oppose the challenge from a new structure which intellectuals attempted to group of people who efficiently introduced a new maintain. ideology. The three intellectuals on whom the author After the establishment of a true absolute focuses her study are King Rama V (King monarchy in 1887, King Rama V attempted to Chulalongkorn), King Rama VI (King extend his authority and claim his rights over Vajiravudh) and Somdet Kromphraya Damrong Rachanuphab (Prince Damrong Rajanubhab). natural resources throughout the kingdom in The significance of this study lies in the fact that order to raise the national income through the three intellectuals’ ways and systems of concessions, taxes and fees for forestry, the thinking, which were reflected through the timber industry, mining, fishery, land, water- identities which they established, had a number courses and so on. (14:378-379, 17:51, 55). of effects on the political policies during According to the Mining Act, the absolute monarchy period [1892-1932]. Meanwhile, their ways and systems of thinking ‘Land as well as all the minerals in the also influenced the mainstream culture in Thai kingdom belong to the state through His society. Majesty’s authority... authority to manage It is hypothesized in this study that King watercourses for boats and rafts, for Rama VI’s ideas of creating identity were agriculture, for mining and for other Journal of the Siam Society 90.1 & 2 (2002) 101 06 P 101-124 101 8/8/05, 14:43 102 SAICHOL SATTAYANURAK useful activities belongs solely to the King Rama V was satisfied to see that ‘Siam government to act as it deems appropriate will benefit from foreigners who settle and and is not transferable to any person’ engage in trade and hence will continue to (13:110-130). develop’ (34:163). King Rama V based his idea upon the belief The King possessed the authority to change that every person used his/her reasoning power the degree of the exploitation of natural resources in his/her own best interest. For this reason, in the provincial areas, such as changing an he analysed the problems in the government apiary forest into a firewood forest (14:442-443, service as resulting from government officials 14:69-70), which became an important source who sought personal satisfaction and of income due to the great increase in the use of consequently caused immense inequality firewood in various businesses. Another was a amongst personnel with regard to benefits change from a field into pasture land (16:176) received in each office. because of the slaughter license fees collected ‘An important issue has arisen because, from domestic sellers and exporters. The king through power abuse, ministers and also promoted commerce by reclaiming land and personnel of the Interior, Defense, Port converting it into roads, canals and railroads. and Agriculture departments are currently Moreover, he regarded crime suppression and seeking larger amounts of benefit rapid criminal trials as a high priority so as to than what they formerly received... the prevent commercial and occupational compli- Department of Capital struggles to gain cations. At the same time, his attempt to create more benefits but is not able to do so more efficiency in both local and regional openly, so it opts for dishonest means... governance gave rise to peace-keeping and the Department of Agriculture, on the resource-controlling mechanisms throughout other hand, manages all the purchase and the kingdom. distribution of rice, so it can easily misap- The aforementioned processes resulted in an propriate and gain more benefits than any increased importance for the government other department can...’ (36:132-136) service. The majority of problems confronting In short, King Rama V realized that govern- King Rama V, therefore, were those concerning ment service problems were caused by the fact the relationship between government officials that ‘the inconsistency of the government and the king. Such problems if left unsolved could service process and of the personnel’s legal eventually undermine the king’s sovereignty. benefits gives rise to multitudes of unfinished work, because there is a tremendous amount of King Rama V’s Ways of Thinking work, and government officials do not have sufficient motivation’ (36:134). ‘Good govern- In order to comprehend fully the problems ment officials have no desire for positions in facing King Rama V and the solutions for which certain departments, for they expect more he opted, it is necessary first of all to understand benefits and promotional convenience in some his way of thinking. King Rama V realised the other departments. This is the way good people importance of commerce. seek benefits’ (36:148). ‘...since in the present-day world com- King Rama V’s solution to the government merce is considered most important, service problems was structural reformation, as unlike in the past, when wars resulted from is evident in his statement, ‘It is high time the fights for women or desires to extend ribs and boards were erected permanently. power. But nowadays things have No longer should we only fill a hole to stop the changed; commercial competition has leak’ (36:148). The King also convinced the occurred instead.’ (34:4) officers in government service who lost benefits Journal of the Siam Society 90.1 & 2 (2002) 06 P 101-124 102 8/8/05, 14:43 Intellectuals and the Establishment of Identities in the Thai Absolute Monarchy State 103 to accept change by explaining to them that not something that could not be changed or despite the loss of short-term benefits, the corrected. He realised that it was the surround- long-term benefits would last much longer. ing conditions that could determine and correct ‘Although it seems that the loss of the disposition, so that ‘bad characteristics will present benefits is far greater than what subside and lax behaviour will be improved’ you will gain after the change, you will be (46:71). As King Rama V solved problems able to exploit those benefits for a great in the government service system, he also length of time...but if the country is not attempted to correct government officials’ secure, all people will suffer equal pain.’ ‘disposition’ or ‘temperament’ in addition to (38:185) giving them professional knowledge, because to King Rama V’s option to solve government work efficiently would require not only knowl- service problems on a structural basis and his edge but also good disposition or temperament. explanation of the matter reflected his holistic He believed that people were able to repent, as way of thinking. In his opinion, it was not be- he stated, ‘Even if a man becomes evil like a cause of the bad nature of human beings that thief, he still can become a good man if he government officials sought personal benefits really repents’ (21:291).2 (and not because of craving according to Bud- King Rama V’s holistic thinking is also dhist belief, either) but rather because of eco- evident in his many other statements, which nomic factors. People normally had reasons for emphasize ‘thorough thinking and management seeking personal benefits to cope with the chang- ... so that the work will be carried out to comple- ing economic situation, as mentioned in the fol- tion’ (38:180), ‘wise and total management’ lowing statement-: (38:180), ‘long-term planning’ (36:147), ‘...as the country is developing, govern- ‘complete thinking’ (38:185) and ‘thorough ment officials’ legal incomes become consideration of every advantage and disadvan- inadequate because things become more tage’ (38:183). expensive than they used to be... but what King Rama V’s holistic thinking also enabled is important is... that benefits are several him to see the connection between the past, the times as numerous as they used to be... due present and the future, as he pointed out that the to the country’s progress...’ (36:131-132) problems in the government service system were Therefore, in addition to the reformation of a result of prolonged complex changes that had the government service system and the advice taken place earlier, and that his proposed amend- concerning long-term advantages discussed ments to the government would be to the previously, King Rama V also acted to solve country’s both present and future advantage. problems in the government service system by (See 38.) giving salaries to government officials accord- Well aware of the differences between ing to their rank, and later he also considered the present and the past, King Rama V suggested granting them pensions (13:187). that in the present time ‘the country is prosper- King Rama V was fully aware that in its early ing and the people are enjoying more freedom’ stage the newly established government service (11:15). The country’s prosperity not only system was not able to operate well as a system caused consumer products to become so expen- and had to depend largely upon individuals, as sive that government officials began to work he wrote, ‘In our country, good things and fraudulently and ‘seek benefits surreptitiously development are done by individuals, so, unlike from their careers’ (11:235-236) or seek some other countries, our country cannot ‘dishonest benefits’ (11:236) but also gave rise operate as a machine’ (45:174).