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Published on August 24, 2007

His Majesty the King began learning his constitutional craft in 1946 at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, where he changed his specialisation from science to law and political science. This academic study was merely a primer - at best a theoretical course. In his Oath of Accession to the Throne in 1946, as his ancestors had done, His Majesty pledged to "reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the Siamese people". In his 60-year reign, His Majesty has not deviated from that pledge and has indeed earned the love, admiration, and trust of his people in a manner that cannot be fully comprehended by foreigners.

The significance of his reign relates to three main themes: the well-being of his subjects, the security and stability of his nation, and national unity.

In the first four decades of his reign, His Majesty travelled to every corner of the country, meeting with the people, especially farmers and the poor in rural and remote areas as well as the hill tribes. Gathering information, personally assessing the farming and agricultural areas, experimenting with his new concepts and applying appropriate technology at his palace grounds in Bangkok, His Majesty began a series of royally initiated projects.

His over 3,000 projects to date deal with such areas as irrigation, water-resources management, forest and fishery conservation, soil erosion and improvement, crop-substitution, reforestation, land development, rural and community development, primary health care, eradication of leprosy, education, flood control, urban traffic and environmental protection. His wide-ranging interests, combined with his self-acquired technical knowledge and pragmatic approach based on local culture and wisdom, have enabled the poor, the underprivileged and the disenfranchised to lead a more hopeful and constructive life, thereby strengthening the social fabric of our society and fortifying our national cohesion and identity.

I have so far dwelled on the varied activities that His Majesty initiated, developed and implemented. These activities do not normally fall within the domain of a constitutional monarch. But the fact that His Majesty has persevered in these activities for the long-lasting benefit of the Thai people has very much endeared him to his subjects. His Majesty has, in the process, gained the "reserve powers" which have been put to good use, whenever circumstances require.

As I stated previously, His Majesty embarked early in his reign on a journey to know his people and, in the process, allowed them to get close to and know him. At the same time, he used his time wisely to accumulate "constitutional" experience. His Majesty has been through 16 constitutions, 18 coups d'etat, and 24 prime ministers. He has an acute grasp of constitutional rule yet he remains detached from politics, playing a non-partisan role in the country's political process and development.

As a constitutional monarch, however, His Majesty possesses three discretionary powers: "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage and the right to warn". Under normal circumstances, he exercises these prerogatives through private audiences he grants to the prime minister of the day. In a constitutional monarchy, His Majesty does have formal powers and responsibilities under constitutional provisions. In exercising this function, he is ever conscious of his non-political role. All bills approved by the National Assembly are to be presented to His Majesty for signature. This is not just a formality, as His Majesty retains discretionary power to withhold his assent temporarily. In private consultations with the prime minister, His Majesty's observations, be they "encouraging" or "warning", provide an important input for the head of government to re-evaluate the government's position and direction. His Majesty's response to the issues raised by the prime minister is consistently advisory in nature and non-judgmental in politics. He adheres strictly to the letter and spirit of the constitution. His Majesty has also been through a few crises in our political history. His handling of the events produced results which in turn brought about tranquillity and normality to the Kingdom.

Without His Majesty's guiding hand, we would not be where we are today - a nation which has invariably demonstrated its inner strength, political resilience, social harmony and economic dynamism - a trait which has enabled the Thais to survive many a threat and misfortune in their long history.

Incidentally, His Majesty, as implied in his public address a few years ago, does not see himself as infallible - a king who can do no wrong in the ordinary sense of the word. His Majesty is not above criticism. In fact he welcomes critical comments based on facts and objectivity. The current legal constraint is not taken literally by him. He personally never made use or took advantage of this legal recourse to silence critics. Nor is he by royal convention in a position to answer or respond to these critics. He is unperturbed and proceeds to give royal pardon to those who are convicted.

The reverence and loyalty that the Thai people hold for His Majesty is in my view the reason for the existence of such law.

To the people in general, the Thai monarchy is not an abstract or irrelevant concept, but a responsive, caring and indispensable institution that is an integral part of their lives. His Majesty is seen by his subjects as "the People's King".

The second edition of "The King of Thailand in World Focus" offers a foreign perspective of the King's life whereas I attempt tonight to present a Thai perspective of our King and his multifarious activities. They are not mutually exclusive and in many respects are even complementary.

I offer my thanks to the FCCT (Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand) and the numerous individuals who produced this important book. They are friends of Thailand and make every effort to understand our monarchy and the very special bond between our King and the Thai people.