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Kingdom of fear: royal governance under Thailand's king Vajiralongkorn
[journal article]
Abstract This article examines royal governance under King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) for the light it sheds on Thailand's recent political development. It is argued that the existence of "fear" defines Vajiralongkorn's relationship with the people. For members of the ruling class, fear keeps them in check... view more
This article examines royal governance under King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X) for the light it sheds on Thailand's recent political development. It is argued that the existence of "fear" defines Vajiralongkorn's relationship with the people. For members of the ruling class, fear keeps them in check. Within the palace, promotion and demotion are vital for control. The Royal Gazette (Rachakitjanubeksa) has become a platform for public humiliation that operates to inculcate fear. For the public, fear proliferates through a variety of means, including employing laws to punish critics of the monarchy, particularly the exploitation of lèse-majesté law, with the state's keen cooperation. But the 2020 protests, which demanded immediate monarchical reform, seriously challenged Vajiralongkorn's fear-based royal governance. The Thai case demonstrates that fear, a centuries-old form of governance used by many rulers to control their subjects, is no longer an effective tool of governance in modern, middle-class-driven, capitalist societies, like Thailand. Fear has a tendency to backfire on a sovereign if overused.... view less
Keywords
governance; anxiety; management style; Thailand; political leadership; political lawsuit; monarchy; government; type of government
Classification
Political System, Constitution, Government
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
Dynastie; Herrscherhaus/Dynastie; Politische Führung (Prozess)
Document language
English
Publication Year
2022
Page/Pages
p. 359-377
Journal
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 41 (2022) 3
ISSN
1868-4882
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed