This year my time in Thailand
coincided with the cremation of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.(1) What an experience. Although I was not among those who were
privileged to gain places along the route, I was still glued to the televised
coverage from 9 am until 10.30 pm, by which time the focus had turned to
traditional and other performances and I gave up and went to bed. The next morning while visiting a friend, I
was fortunate to catch the morning parade of the King’s relics and ashes from
the royal crematorium back to the grand palace.
It was an once-in-a-lifetime event; one which
encapsulated the deep love, trust and respect the people of Thailand had for
their king. It was especially touching
to see how carefully his body, and then ashes, were guarded and protected every
step of the way. This huge ritual pageant, with both Hindu and Buddhist
elements, was magnificent and very moving. I could not help but compare our
attitudes to our democratically elected leaders and other dignitaries in
Australia. There is no-one, I think,
that could engender that depth of feeling on a national level.
Certainly no-one we love, respect, or trust enough.
During his lifetime King Bhumibol Adulyadej was
a great humanitarian. He did not seem to
directly influence the political processes.
Rather he focussed on the people and their needs with the aim of uniting
Thailand and moving it towards self-sufficiency.
He implemented and financially supported many projects
all over Thailand, based on his philosophy of:
- sufficiency economy and sustainable development for agricultural areas as well as cities; a middle path with ethical business practices and without greed or harm to others;
- the importance of continuing education and education without discrimination, including for the poor and needy.
Ideals like these seem to have been lost in our
‘profit-is-all’ and ‘the-greater-profit-the-better whatever-the-cost’ world. It is not surprising that respect for our
political and business leaders is also missing.
Watching the outpouring of love and grief, and the
magic of the ritual performance over the five days, illustrated that there is
more to life, more that we need and can experience, than just profit and
balancing the books. The event would
have been enormously expensive. But it
spoke to, and was for, all Thais, not just a few elite.
During the day of the cremation Thai people
also had the opportunity to place a white funeral flower at a local memorial to
King Bhumibol Adulyadej, which was burned
at the same time as the King’s cremation in Bangkok. I was told that the king’s remains were to be
divided into two urns, and placed in two temples so the public could visit although
I’m not sure about this, and I missed this last part of the journey, having to
journey on myself.
We in Australia lack much as a nation by not having someone to
represent us who we can respect and perhaps grow to love; someone who will work
for the good of the people, not just for profit. It would probably need to be someone outside
the political system. I have been
interested in the swell of interest in moves for Australia to become a republic
and elect an Australian Head of State. I
do think it is well over time for us to become a republic but perhaps this is
not enough. An elected Head of State is
still a civic functionary and somewhat removed.
I’ve also toyed
with the alternative idea of an indigenous ‘royal couple’, elected by the
indigenous community. There would
certainly be more flexibility in their role.
Is this an answer? Apart from being ‘the right thing to do’ I don’t
know. I do know it should be someone who
loves this country, can respond empathetically to those in need, and guide the
nation towards a better future for individuals as well as a country. Idealistic? Yes, but so what. To have a leader who we can love, respect and
trust...that would be a great gift.
Thailand had the People’s King, Britain had the People’s Princess,
Australia....?
(1) The details and photos of this event can easily be found on the internet so I have not included them here, eg. Bangkok Post, Friday October 27 2017
c. Annette Maie, 2017
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