We're really not heeding King's words

We're really not heeding King's words

Last Friday, the United Nations held a special session to pay tribute to His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The eulogy is clear: the world lost a great leader who tirelessly worked to serve his people, and helped the needy and the marginalised -- and was a trailblazer of sustainable development.

King Bhumibol has now attained his humble wish, according to a western journalist who interviewed him. The monarch wanted to be remembered for his work, his "useful" projects which totalled 4,447, and which included patents such as the Chaipattana aerator to recycle wastewater, or artificial rain to help farmers get more water for their harvests. He was a soil scientist who used modern science and local wisdom to provide remedies that turn bad soil into good farmland.

I believe millions of Thais were delighted listening to the UN's tribute last week because our love for King Bhumibol has no boundary. But we also face a big challenge to prove it. To keep his memory alive, we need to do more than just hang his portrait in our homes. We need to practise King's Bhumibol's sufficiency economy philosophy (SEP) and sufficiency theory.

Of course, the National Economic and Social Development Board has incorporated SEP within the national development master plan, and state agencies have pledged to put sufficiency theory into action. I wonder how many of those promises have turned into action.

Anchalee Kongrut writes about the environment in the Life section, Bangkok Post.

The fact is that our development policy, at least during the last half century, has been based on an extraction economy -- a short-term capitalising on natural resources. King Bhumibol's sufficiency economy goes in the opposite direction, for it takes into account long-term consumption and methods to replenish natural resources.

I think the state of pollution in Thailand speaks volumes for how unsustainable our development policy has been. Industrial mining activities such as tin in the South, gold in the Northeast and lead in the West cause toxic contamination that pollutes soil and water resources and cause health hazards.

Our coal-fired power plants such as the notorious Mae Moh in Lampang provide energy but still emit air pollution that cause many people to suffer. Our lucrative industrial estates, especially those on the Eastern Seaboard, are linked to contaminants, and make tourism and fisheries unsustainable.

I often feel dismayed when I hear about pollution cases or deforestation in places such as Nan province, or scandals such as the rice-pledging scheme. Those problems are symptoms of unsustainable development which could have been prevented if those responsible had followed the King's principles.

The agricultural sector might suffer less environmental degradation, less contamination from excessive use of toxic chemicals; farmers might have fewer debts if the King's New Theory that advocates integrated farming was championed as national agriculture policy. Small-scale and sufficiency farming would have been mainstream if governments provided the same privileges such as low-interest rates that are handed to large-scale, rich farmers.

I doubt if any pro-coal developer has paid serious attention to His Majesty's concerns over the adverse effect of this fossil fuel, concerns which he raised in a speech back in 1989. Over the years, we have seen the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand defiantly pushing coal-fired power plants in the touristy coastal areas in Krabi province, using the label of a sustainable source of energy, despite strong opposition from locals.

As the King attached the importance to the protection of natural water resources, villagers in Chiang Rai province are worried about the junta's plan to turn major wetland areas into a special economic zone for industry.

A week after the King passed away, the Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives launched a new policy which aims to convert two million rai of rice plantation into corn fields to supply raw materials for the animal feed industry. Private companies joining the project will guarantee to buy the corn at contracted prices.

To be fair, the policy will reduce water consumption, yet critics voice concern about plummeting corn prices and the potential for pollution as corn harvesting requires massive use of chemical fertilisers. Yet, the real question is whether these projects are truly sustainable. Are they in line with King Bhumibol's SEP?

It is easy to proclaim love. But after the tears are shed and all has been said, all of us need to turn our words into action.

Anchalee Kongrut

Editorial pages editor

Anchalee Kongrut is Bangkok Post's editorial pages editor.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (1)