The modernity of King Chulalongkorn

Abstract

This research article analyzed King Chulalongkorn’s attitude towards modernity in the government based on the King’s writings. The results revealed that King Chulalongkorn exhibited the attitude that the modern form of government of the West was not yet compatible to the Thai society. This was because forms of government were different from one country to another according to the country’s environment and culture, as well as the people’s ideology. Thailand, however, would need to opt for a western form of government in the future. The western form of government would then need to be adjusted to suit the context of Thai society. In addition, the King expressed the attitude that the key to good governance, whether in the western form of parliament or in the traditional form of Thailand, was the administrator who must be modern and professional.