Giving Pridi His Right Place In History

07 May 2000

Pridi Banomyong, former prime minister, statesman, rector of Thammasat University and life-long champion of democracy, died in exile in Paris in May 1983. The centenary of his birth falls on Thursday. And as former students, colleagues and friends gear up for the first officially sponsored celebrations to acknowledge the immense contribution this man made to his country, there has been a flurry of activity in local publishing circles with reprints of his only novel, some of his essays, transcripts of speeches he made and papers he wrote on economic reform.

The few original editions of his work which have survived in university libraries are now treasured as rarities, offering, as they do, a window onto a turbulent period in modern Thai history. And perhaps the wide recognition he received for political transparency and competence had something to do with his skill as a writer.

Pridi is one of a handful of senior Thai politicians to have made a mark in local literary circles and his prolificacy is second only to that of the late MR Kukrit Pramoj, another ex-premier. While Kukrit wrote several classic novels during his lifetime, Pridi produced only one, HiddenThe King of the White ElephantHidden; it was first published in 1939. A new English-language edition of this memorable book which continues to attract a following among younger readers will be launched later this week during a ceremony at the Pridi Banomyong Institute.

HiddenThe King of the White ElephantHidden is akin to a parable on the evils of the blind nationalism which in the late 1930s was threatening to make a second world war a real possibility. It tells the story of a king named Chakra who ruled Ayutthaya some 400 years before. This chivalrous monarch had no love for the trappings of power or court life, nor did he hesitate to risk his own life in battle when war was unavoidable, but he was first and foremost a peace-loving man.

Several books have been written about Pridi but it is material he penned himself which best describes his thought processes and ideas on political and economic issues. An avid reader of English and French literature, Pridi was a polished orator and transcripts of many of his speeches have survived. They form the largest portion of his literary oeuvre, reminding us of his conviction that Thailand was in need of a progressive, revolutionary vision to ensure the development of true democracy and prosperity for all.

His best-known piece of non-fiction - still in print and attracting new readers to this day - is HiddenKhwam Pen Anitjang Khong Sangkhom ThaiHidden (The Transciency of Thai Society). Written during his first period of exile in China in 1949, this collection of essays describes the struggle between the old royalist guard and pro-democracy factions which culminated in the revolution of 1932 and the shift from absolute to constitutional monarchy. Pointing out the shortcomings of the pre-1932 system, Pridi noted:

"The Fifth King [King Chulalongkorn] and a number of his successors made Thai society progressive ... But ultimately the absolute monarchy must follow the transient laws of nature and the rise of new forces in our society. But capitalism still persists ... Any human society has a positive new power and a negative old force. It is common to see both of them clash regularly."

Pridi likened the events of 1932 to the French revolution in the 18th century, writing: "A revolution is needed when the HiddenkayaphayopHidden [body] of society changes more slowly than the bio-factors of society."

He noted that as a society become more humane, its political system progressed from "primitive communal" to "slave" to "feudal" to "capitalist" to "socialist" ("Many societies opt for this [last] system after trying capitalism.")

Pridi's language could be aggressive at times especially when, in pursuit of political reform, he took his detractors to task. In an essay entitled "Some Stories Concerning the Set-up of the Peoples Party" [the party which came to power after the 1932 revolution], he categorised "reactionaries" opposed to the revolution as: "Those losing benefits as a result of the political change"; "ultra royalists"; and "social scum" (or "the rotten masses") - people "thrown away" by the old society who felt left out in the new social order.

Pridi went on to label members of the latter category as dangerous, egotistical and conceited "capitalist lackeys" and "capitalist pseudo-aristocratic lackeys".

His enemies and critics often used his words against him, however, and later in the 1930s began spreading rumours that he was a communist. Pridi elaborated on his political ideology in HiddenNai Pridi Tob KhamthamHidden (Pridi Answers Questions), one essay in which collection - "Are Socialism and Communism Suitable for Thailand?" - focuses on the communist movements in Russia and China. However, this essay - actually the transcript of a lecture he gave to a group of Thai students in England - reads more like a summary of communist theory and fails to answer clearly the question it sets itself.

It was Pridi's involvement in the Seri Thai (Free Thai) Movement, an anti-Japanese resistance movement he helped set up during World War II, which generated the bulk of the writing by and about the man. Many of these books reprint important letters written by Pridi to foreign diplomats who supported Seri Thai. In Suphot Dantrakool's HiddenPridi Tells the Story of His Free Thai MovementHidden, the author features a letter written by "Ruth", Pridi's wartime code name, to the US secretary of state which contains the following sentence: "I believe the Jap[anese] desire to fight can be weakened if the resistance movement no longer tries to remain under cover.''

Some of Pridi's more interesting work deals with academic topics, essays with titles like "What is Philosophy?" and "A History of the Words 'Revolution', 'Evolution' and 'Coup' ". Many of his articles display his taste for foreign authors. He was particular fond of Abraham Lincoln and the quote "government of the people, by the people, for the people". In an essay entitled "How Can We Resist Dictatorship?" he quotes the 5th century Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu: "Know them, know us, fight 100 times, win 100 times.'' Pridi attended law school in Paris so it is perhaps not surprising that French authors were among his favourites, especially Montesquieu (of Hiddenesprit de loiHidden fame). And whenever he used technical terms in his Thai-language work, Pridi generally provided equivalents in both English and French.

The re-publication of some of Pridi's more important writing reminds us of the debt of gratitude we all owe to this champion of democracy and social justice once described as "the good man Thailand did not want''; an individual whose loyalty to his country and the Royal Family was called into question by his enemies but never disproved. Sadly he did not live to see his reputation rehabilitated and his valuable contribution to Thai society acknowledged.

By Manote Tripathi

The Nation / Mailbag