BANGKOK – For the second straight year, the people of Thailand have suffered the disappointment of not hearing and ignoring the wise advice of His Majesty The King.
This week, the Royal Household announced that His Majesty would be indefinitely postponing his annual birthday address. It is the second consecutive year that His Majesty has skipped his birthday speech, which is televised live nationwide and serves as a living testament of Dhammaraja wisdom for the Thai people. A highlight of the Thai calendar, the speech gives the citizens of this nation an opportunity to come together, listen intently, and for the following 12 months politely disregard every word.
Many Thais expressed personal disappointment that they would be unable to hear and ignore the voice of their revered father, who has reigned for 62 years with a serenity and selflessness that have inexorably vanished from day-to-day Thai society.
“He is our Guiding Light,” said business executive Poraj Thinitanee, who followed His Majesty’s 2001 speech warning about materialism by buying a BMW 525i and a Tag Heuer titanium watch. “His words give all Thais a framework to live by.”
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva summed up the public disappointment by saying that “it is during these troubled times that we look to His Majesty the most, to be reminded of the values of tolerance and compassion.” Abhisit then announced that the DSI has arrested a fifth person for spreading inauspicious rumors about His Majesty’s health and causing the SET to plunge in October.
“Remember, His Majesty himself said he was not above criticism,” said Abhisit, citing the 2005 birthday speech that was followed by a harsh crackdown on criticism of His Majesty. “I find such humility inspiring.”
Although the Royal Household did not provide an official explanation for the postponement, it is believed that His Majesty, who has spent over two months at Siriraj Hospital recovering from lung inflammation, may not be well enough for a public address. However, His Majesty will attend a royal audience for government dignitaries, while Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn would stand in at several other royal rituals.
The occasion of His Majesty’s birthday has brought a peaceful lull in the nation’s contentious politics, with the pro-Thaksin United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) party canceling a scheduled anti-government rally out of respect for the monarch.
“His Majesty has frequently spoken of the need for unity and working together to move Thailand forward,” said opposition Pheu Thai Party MP Katun Hosakun, who was convicted this week of violently assaulting a Democrat MP last year in the House cafeteria. “We are pleased to take the occasion of His Majesty’s birthday to pause briefly in our quest to bring down the government by whatever destructive and juvenile means necessary.”
Even without an official speech to disregard, many Thais say that His Majesty’s mere presence provides a reminder of the egalitarian Buddhist values that can be callously thrown out the window while pursuing a modern, status-obsessed and gleefully elitist middle- to upper-class Bangkok lifestyle.
“Just looking at his photo in my 18 million baht Thonglor condo makes me happy,” said boutique hotel owner Kimminija Wataranpol. “The way he gave up a life of luxury in Switzerland to come and serve the poor is simply amazing. I mean, I could never do it, but it’s inspiring that he did.”
