Реферат: Thailand Political Culture Essay Research Paper INTRODUCTIONFor

Thailand: Political Culture Essay, Research Paper

INTRODUCTION

For us to be able to study political culture, it is imperative that we first learn how to define it. Political culture refers to the attitudes, beliefs and values, which underpin the operation of a particular political system. These were even seen as including the knowledge and skills about the political system, positive and negative emotional feelings towards it and the evaluative judgments about that system.

Particular regional, ethnic or other groups within a political system which are referred to as “subcultures” have their own way of dealing with the political system that the political culture in one country can be united or may even be diverse. This has been given greater focus because of the fact that the influence of the individuals involved in this vary significantly due to geography, religion, ethnicity and even the economy.

Studying political culture may help us understand of how a certain people react to certain political events and developments in certain societies and it may also help us be aware of the reasons for tension within a community and even in nations.

This paper aims to study the particular political culture of Thailand and further examine the causes of how it came to be now. It also aims to examine how this particular kind of political culture has influenced the way that the government is run today and most of all, its effects on the other sectors and parts of the community.

Wide research has been done to resolve this particular study. The resources include encyclopedias, books on the country, articles of newspapers and the Internet. There has also been interaction on the part of the researcher and people from the said country by means of the chat room.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

The theory that would best serve the out puts of this paper would be the one on the relation of democracy and development. It is composed of two theses; one that says, “Development causes democratization”. This is backed up by many political theorists and will be discussed furthermore in the analysis as applied to the case of Thailand.

The other one stresses, “Development does not lead to democracy of even further democratization”. It stated different reasons for this such as (1) statist economic development which says that the government of that certain country is involved or even controls the economic development of their country so, there is intervention on the part of the government in terms of the economy; (2) culture as a factor where the people in the government and the society accepts the thought of development in the economy and also the government but they do not apply it because they want to preserve the traditional cultures of the people; (3) racial and ethnic division; (4) external factors such as intervention from foreign countries and even the IMF or the World Bank and; (5) political factors. This thesis holds true for countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia where we can see that they are economically developed but there is no democracy in the country because of two or more reasons stated above.

THAILAND

Prathet Thailand (“Land of the Free”) or Kingdom of Thailand is located in the Southeast Asia. Previously called Siam, it has a total land area of 198, 456 sq. miles (514, 000 sq. km.). Located in mainland Asia, it extends for about 985 miles (1, 585 km) from north to south and about 510 miles (821 km) from east to west. It is bordered on the north and west across the Salween River by Burma, on the north and east across the Mekong River by Laos, on the southeast by Cambodia and on the south across the Isthmus of Kra by Malaysia.

LAND

It is mainly divided into four regions: the Northern Mountains which is mainly full of forests of evergreen and teak trees; the Khorat Plateau which covers about 30% of its land area and is the most populated; the Central Plains which is the most fertile area and where the Thais plant their rice and lastly, the Southern Peninsula which is mostly covered by dense jungles, home to many animal species.

Thailand boasts of its being the only nation in Asia to have avoided colonial domination so it has managed to preserve its traditional society, religious traditions and its ancient India-derived conception of governmental authority. However, with the onset of new technology, even though its society is traditional, it has managed to catch up with other European countries. Proof of this is the fact that if you go to Thailand, you will see tall skyscrapers on one side and see the smaller shacks and the “wats” (temples) on the other side.

PEOPLE

Thailand’s population of 61,230,874 (July 2000 est.) is largely divided into many races but what seems to dominate is the Mongoloid race or the Chinese. Most of the people in Thailand are ascendants of Thai-speaking people who have migrated from Southern China. Other members of the population include other immigrants from neighboring countries like Cambodia, Vietnam and Burma. But, in the urban cities like Bangkok, there is also a mix of Japanese, Indian and European people.

There are also other people who live in the hills and have accepted the traditional way of life. These people in rural villages usually survive by fishing, lumber, mining and agriculture, where they grow their own food like corn, cassava, fruits and rice. These small villages have their own schools and a “wat”.

Thais are 95% Buddhists but mostly Theravada Buddhists but, other religions include Islam, Christianity and even animism. Its official language is Thai and other languages used are English, Chinese, Malay and other tribal languages.

ECONOMY

Thailand’s currency is bath where 1 baht = 100 satang. Before 1960, Thailand relied mostly on rice and it natural reserves of tin and also on rubber and teak. However, in the 1960’s, more roads were constructed, more forestlands were developed and banks loaned money to farmers which they used for irrigation, dams and even tractors. This began the new era f technology for the economy of the country. Today, Thailand has on of the most stable economies in Southeast Asia, operating on free enterprise, which depends on rice and manufacturing.

One of the major sources for its economic stability is the agriculture business. Majority of Thais are farmers who own their lands. Rice production takes up 25% of the total land area of the country. But, they do not rely solely on this. They also plant bananas, cassava, corn, cotton, jute, pineapples, soybeans, tobacco, and sugar. Thailand is also known as the 3rd largest producer of rubber for international market.

But they are also involved in manufacturing of cement, food products, plywood and textiles, particularly silk. They also fish for anchovies, mackerel and shellfish but they also have their own fishponds. Aside from that, they also mine tin, lead, manganese, tungsten and iron ore. They also make use of their vast forests of teak and other hard trees. However, nowadays, one of Thailand’s highest contributors to their economy is tourism where about 4 million people visit its temples and beaches every year.

GOVERNMENT

Thailand’s government is one of the most centralized and bureaucratic in the world. Though national acts have been passed to decentralize it and give autonomy to the local administration, it has not been successful because very little power is given to them. The country is divided into 72 provinces but is also subdivided into 576 districts more.

Thailand’s political history is considered to be most colorful and amazing because it has changed its Constitution a dozen times since 1932. King Bhumibol signed the latest Constitution on October 1997. There have also been numerous changes in the government but with no bloodshed. However, nowadays, its form of government has rested on constitutional monarchy.

The monarch is considered the sacred head of the country and is also considered the moral leader of the state. Though the monarch has no governing powers, he is still considered as the symbolic head of the state. But, he is given the position as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. He also appoints the country’s Prime Minister on the recommendation of the President of the National Assembly. The present monarch is King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX) and his wife, Queen Sirikit. He is considered to be the longest reigning monarch since 1950.

The Prime Minister holds the executive power of the state and has the highest authority over political appointments and also of national security. He rules the country with 44 other ministers, which he chooses. The Premier holds the term of 4 years.

Thailand’s National Assembly (Rathasapha) is bicameral with the Upper (Senate) or Wuthisapha and Lower (Congress) House or Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon. The Senate is composed of 200 members (as of March 2000) who are replaced every 6 years; of whom are chosen by the Prime Minister. Congress, on the other hand, is composed of 500 members (as of March 2000), replaced every 4 years and is elected by the people. The Senate President is considered to be the President of the National Assembly while the Speaker of the House, the Vice-President.

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