An enduring legacy
A board member of the Thailand Sustainable Development Foundation remembers Surin Pitsuwan and his contribution to the country’s development
Sustainable development in Thailand has been making great strides during the past decade, thanks to co-operation between the government and private sector. Kitti Wasinondh, a board member of Thailand Sustainable Development Foundation (TSDF) also believes that the contribution of outstanding people, such as politician/academic Surin Pitsuwan, has been a prime factor to the country’s claim of sustainable progress.
Surin’s sudden and unexpected passing due to heart failure on Nov 30 last year, at age 68, just when he appeared to be going from strength to strength after his stint in 2008-12 as Asean secretary-general, came as a shock to many including Kitti, a close friend and colleague.
Last year, Thailand was ranked 55 in the annual edition of the Sustainable Development Solution Network’s SDG Index and Dashboards report that ranks 157 countries on the nation’s progress in implementing the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the global development agenda. Thailand was ranked 61 the year before.
Kitti said sustainable development in today’s world has become a necessity as it aims to define viable schemes that integrate the economic, social and environmental aspects of our daily life.
What has furthered worked for Thailand has been its Sufficiency Economy Philosophy (SEP) for sustainable development goals focus, which advocates quality knowledge and virtues, he added.
“SEP is a mindset for decision making,” said Kitti, a retired diplomat. “This means we base our decision making on our knowledge utilising what we value, our virtues, applying this with the three principles of moderation, reasonableness and prudence.
“The aim is for the outcome of our decisions to be balanced, taking into consideration economy, society, the environment and culture. All this in order to promote sustainable happiness for all. Ultimately, SEP is a means to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
“Self-sufficiency [self-containment] and sustainability, might be two different words by their implication and application are closely connected.”
Kitti said the success Thailand has had with sustainable development could not have been possible partly if not for the support of Surin, a respected politician and passionate advocate of late King Bhumibol Adulyadej home-grown approach towards sustainable development.
“I worked closely with Dr Surin during my days at the Thai Foreign Ministry, and found him to be the epitome of self sufficiency in all aspects of his life. A captivating public speaker, he shared enthusiastically King Bhumibol’s Sufficiency Economy Philosophy with the international community.
“He was on board shortly after TSDF was founded in late 2014, and continued to be part of us until his demise. His last appearance with TSDF was when he participated in the launch of the book, A Call To Action: Thailand And The Sustainable Development Goals, in January 2017 at the Siam Kempinski Hotel in Bangkok.”
Going down memory lane, Kitti shares that Surin never wasted opportunities to speak about how self-sufficiency and sustainability are attainable in all walks of life. Be it among farmers or high-ranking dignitaries, his message was simple and right to the moment.
“We Thais are lucky to have been provided an answer to sustainability, he used to say,” said Kitti.
“As foreign minister he took pride in sharing with the international community that Thailand had found a solution to a sustainable world within the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy.
“Dr Surin, who kept abreast of all the latest news, had flair for peppering his speeches with interesting titbits of knowledge. It was not just foreigners but also Thais who listened intently when he said the best thing to share with the world is Thailand’s knowledge and experience [of applying the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy], so it will not vanish, instead continue to grow, and in turn, eventually benefit Thailand, because Thais also reside in one world as a shared community.”
Kitti remembers that during a speech on “Sufficiency Economy Philosophy [SEP]: A Thai Way To Sustainable Development” at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in 2015, Surin shared how the late king taught his people how SEP was attainable through managing their desires and consumption level through a better family-based economy.
This approach, he told his audience, had tangibly helped local communities and villages to get out of debt, produce more, manage their own affairs more at the local level, and have surpluses to share, sell and trade with their adjacent communities and more.
He then added that at the grass-roots level a sufficiency economy begins with self help and productivity which then helps to reduce conflicts and unemployment in the village because they are morally and ethically influenced by the practice.
Kitti fondly remembers Surin as a hands-on person who enjoyed being in the thick of things. He attended TSDF trips to the provinces to better gauge the foundation’s sustainable development projects and always had lots of questions and suggestions to share with the locals he met on these visits.
During one of his speeches at Unesco, Surin told the audience that Thailand’s Sufficiency Economy Philosophy deserved serious attention because it is one way to look towards the future of sustainable development in communities.
During this address, Kitti said Surin shared how thousands of schools in Thailand were experimenting with this approach; growing their own fruits and vegetables, raising chickens and pigs while simultaneously encouraging parents of students to stop vices such as gambling and alcohol.
“As an orator, he wielded great influence over his audience. So people listened when he said this approach is bankable, and one way to conserve the environment, get out of debt, and prevent conflicts,” said Kitti.
“He told them how big businesses had shown a keen interest to get involved in helping eradicate poverty through this approach. In his own charming way he invited diplomats to come see for themselves, telling them that they would not be disappointed.”
Kitti admits that while he missed Surin’s valuable insight into taking Thailand to the next level in sustainable development, he believes the late politician’s vision for the country will continue to live on through the numerous projects he played an integral part in.
We Thais are lucky to have been provided an answer to sustainability