Kings, Country and Constitutions: Thailand's Political Development 1932-2000 (review)

SOJOURN Vol. 19, No. 2 (2004), pp. 308-12ISSN 0217-9520 Kings, Country and Constitutions: ThaiUnd's PoliticalDevelopment 1932— 2000. By Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian. Richmond: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003. 276 pp. Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian's latest book is a detailed yet readable overview ofThailand's political evolution since die fall ofthe absolute monarchy in 1932. As her title indicates, she is particularly interested in the two institutions ofdie monarchy and the constitution. There have been sixteen of the latter during the last seven decades, and the figure is actually twenty-eight if one counts all of the interim and amended versions (p. 30). Essentially the book seeks to explain why the first institution has been so durable and the second so fragile. The book is divided into two parts; the first two chapters analyse Thai democracy — and the frequent lack thereof— and the various steps backward and forward which it has taken through successive constitutions. The other four chapters focus on a chronological narrative of the constitutional monarchy — two each on the period before and after 1952, awatershed represented by the present King Bhumibol's (r. 1 946—) assumption of his role as an adult monarch after his return from Europe in late 1951. The first two chapters concentrate on his uncle (Prajadhipok, r. 1925-35) and brother (Ananda, r. 1935-46), while the last two are devoted to his own reign, which Kobkua terms the "Coming of Age of Thai Constitutional Monarchy". The first section, focusing on constitutions and democracy in Thailand (the two are by no means synonymous), provides a lucid and articulate analysis of the fits and starts which have characterized the country's political evolution since 1932. The author discusses the various constitutions which have come and gone over the years, with particular reference to their treatment of the monarchy. Although previous authors have traced Thai constitutional history in more detail, Kobkua's bookwill probably be more widely accessible than these other studies (Pornpibul 1978; Thak Chaloemtiarana 1978). Her analysis emphasizes the frequency with which constitutions have been drafted, adopted, and shelved by successive regimes in order to "maximize the Book Reviews309 power of the interested group or faction concerned, and not for the promotion ofthe common good ofthe state or for the individual's right or privileges" (p. 7). The story is not a pretty one, and Kobkua is unsparing in her criticism ofthe various forces all along theThai political spectrum which have collectively deprived the country of a permanent charter. She is cautiously optimistic about die most recent (1997) constitution, which she feels represents at least a partial reversal of the tendency for Thai democracy to be "an exercise of process over principle, form over substance" (p. 8). Her arguments will resonate with most students of Thai political history, though many would perhaps take issue with her generally sceptical stance towards Pridi Phanomyong (1900-83), who is lionized in Thai liberal circles for his contribution to the country's democracy. To be fair, in this respect Kobkua is being faithful to her own royalist views and to her sympathies for P. Phibunsongkram (1897— 1964), who was Pridi's most prominent political and ideological opponent (Kobkua 1995). The book switches gear as we move into the second and third sections focusing on the monarchy. Here the author is particularly interested in chronicling the waning and subsequent waxing of the throne as a political force — ultimately the political force — in Thailand . She first looks at the struggle for power between Prajadhipok and the People's Party regime, which stripped him ofhis power in 1932 and eventually drove him to abdicate in 1935. Next is a good discussion of Ananda's reign (during most ofwhich he lived abroad as a "minor monarch "), a topicwhich has frequently been overshadowed by the dramatic developments insideThailand, notably the (first) rise and fall ofPhibun. Finally comes what is really the psychological and emotional core ofthe book, the history of the present reign and the "success story" of King Bhumibol. Drawing heavily on American and British diplomatic archives , Kobkua provides a detailed narrative ofhis reign and the vicissitudes ofhis life as Thailand's longest-reigning monarch. The book provides a wealth ofinteresting details and...