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Early in his development efforts, His Majesty was asked why he devoted so much time to assisting the poorest and most neglected of his subjects. He replied:
"First and foremost is the humanitarian consideration. If we are to be kind to fellow human beings who live in the same country.and are known to be in dire need, it is necessary for the authorities who are better endowed both in knowledge and in wealth to go to their assistance." He added: "If the country is faced with difficulties and people in the remote areas are suffering, we cannot simply stay put in this paradise of a capital [ Bangkok ]." |
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He postulates an approach he terms "Loss-Gain". In its simplest form, it means making short-term sacrifices to gain long-term development goals:
"If we want the people to be prosperous, we have to invest in development projects which will involve budgets of hundreds or many thousands of millions [of baht].If the project is a good one, the people will very soon get benefit from it."
He evolves his theories by looking first at tradition, examining what worked in the past and why. "Looking for the good things of the past.we take old traditions and reconstruct them to be used in the present time and in the future."
He is a proponent of appropriate technology. If mechanical means are economically unsuited to an area, he will choose a shovel instead. He also believes in moving forward cautiously, making sure that a policy is workable before progressing to the next stage. Changing traditional ways too quickly and seeking industrialisation rather improving on Thailand's natural advantages is counter-productive. |
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| These in turn have led to two unique programmes with firm philosophical underpinnings. He first postulated them in the 1950s, and then refined them as he gained more experience. The first, New Theory, endeavours to help farm families help themselves. The second, Sufficiency Economy, embraces many elements of New Theory but is intended for both rural and urban citizens. |
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