Coalition Behaviour In Modern Thai Politics

A study of recent politics and politicians given from an insight uniquely Thai. Describes the behaviour in political circles conforming to Thai sociological patterns. Repudiates certain foreign sociological concepts of Thai behaviour.

Reports and analyses tentatively the 1976 Elections focusing on the pre-election conditions, results and subsequent coalition formation. Data we gathered and interviews with ministry officials, officers and advisors of various political parties were conducted on a field trip to Thailand in March/April 1976. Concludes tentatively that the public has swung to the right and that certain problems must be overcome or a collapse of the Democrat coalition could ensue and a military coup d'etat even result. With 7 tables, diagram and 3 appendixes.

This paper examines the three-year attempt by the Thai people to establish a viable democratic political process. It focuses on the primary reasons for their failure: excessive right-left student activism, political polarization, intellectual-academic irresponsibility, status quo conservative and communist inspired subversion of the political process, ineffective civilian political leadership, excessive number of political parties, the impact of communist success in Indochina, and US foreign policy twards Thailand during this period. The paper also examines basic attitudes and patterns of action of traditional Thai political culture that may have indirectly contributed to the failure of democracy in Thailand. A central theme of the paper, however, is that old Thai bureaucratic polity that governed Thailand from 1932 to October 1973 collapsed because its political process could not cope with the rise of new economic and social pressures tht its earlier development 'successes' created. Thailand, in short, is seen as a case study of the hypothesis that long term economic development and political stability cannot occur and be maintained without corresponding development of the political structure and process that ultimately will develop and define the policies and processes most conducive to steady economic and social progress.

Examines the aliran (streams, ways of life, comprehensive patterns of social integration with a political party as organizational core) theme from the perspective of how it helps in understanding the dynamics of the present New Order regime - the nature of the power structure on which the New Order rests, the patterns of conflict within the regime and between it and its opponents, and the probability of its continuation in power.

Analyses the problems in external relations, delving into the background of the recent trends, and examines relations with China, USSR, US, Japan, Indochina and ASEAN partly in the light of internal events.