Inspired by Rama IX
I suggest that in seeking reconciliation, we follow the approach that our beloved national father, the late King Rama IX, used in designing his royal projects to solve national problems, for example, to wean hill tribes away from growing opium.
Rama IX was legendary for collecting information first-hand from the grassroots and officials dealing directly with the locals — ensuring buy-in from the grassroots. His solutions were based on local culture, local wisdom, and local conditions, and were aimed at sustainability — again helping to ensure grassroots buy-in. Rama IX relied on demonstrations that the proposed solutions worked, and never used coercion. In short, the hill tribes accepted our beloved father’s suggestions because they were based on the grassroots’ inputs and ideas, suited to each locality’s conditions and culture, and had been shown to work in the long run.
Thus, in the case of the hill tribes, Rama IX didn’t charge in with a heavy hand, ordering the arrest of growers left and right. Instead, he interviewed tribes people and government officials with direct contact with locals, collecting information and ideas. Then Rama IX consulted experts as to what could replace the income the tribes people got from opium, before deciding on growing a new species of vegetables and fruit. He tested his ideas on pilot farms, showing locals that his solutions were adapted to their cultural and agricultural environment, and were sustainable, so they voluntarily followed his lead... the rest is history.
In achieving reconciliation, a neutral, respected party — perhaps academics — first needs to identify the key issues by talking to the locals and officials directly in contact with them — following HM’s time-proven approach. We might find that we must close our income gap and improve our education system. Working with locals and outside experts, this third party can design solutions to alleviate these local issues and implement sustainable, scalable pilot projects. These projects can gradually be expanded as localities voluntarily implement these solutions with state assistance, for example with funding or training.
We rightfully praise our beloved King Rama IX, and delight that King Rama X will follow in his father’s footsteps. Shouldn’t we do likewise? BURIN KANTABUTRA public opinion and fortunes, the monarchy presides ancient, calm and supreme within its functions, over all the treasures that have been saved from the past and all the glories that we write in the annals of our country.”
Thailand? It could be, but was, in fact, written by Winston Churchill in 1948 about the British monarchy. MARTIN