Time to redefine Thainess for 21st-century success

When the government seeks to promote Thainess, what exactly do they mean? I guess every nation has their particular traits, but what are our national traits? And are they traits which we would want to advertise or encourage?

I love this country. It is my home and I see so much potential for Thailand to make its mark upon the world stage. But let me be clear. We must make a distinction between Thai culture and Thainess, because to me, they are two completely different things that have two very different consequences for Thai society.

Thai culture is something we can all be very proud of. Thai cuisine is heralded as a gift from the culinary Gods. Thai boxing is a world-renowned martial arts discipline. Thai massages and masseuses are now so popular they’re available in all major European cities. Thai artists have for decades been making their mark on the international stage, like the late Ajarn Tawan Dachanee. And Thai history wrapped up in the mystery and intrigue of our monarchy has been the subject of numerous tales both fiction and non-fiction. The list is endless. While Thai culture is pushing us forward, making Thailand one of “THE” destinations to visit and our way of life the envy of the world, I believe that Thainess is the very thing that is holding us back.

While some Thai traits are invaluable to us, there are a few that are not conducive to the tough economic competition we face from our immediate neighbours like Vietnam.

Thais by nature are “85 percenters”. If it’s 85% complete it’s as good as done. We are not willing to put in the extra elbow grease to achieve perfection. To us, it’s just not worth the hassle. Evidence for this is rife. Look at our BTS and MRT public transport system. Both are unconnected. Your BTS ticket can’t be used on the MRT. If you want to connect with the MRT you have to queue and buy a token. And why doesn’t the BTS have a machine that accepts bank notes and spits out change like in other countries?

Check out the taxi queue at Don Mueang airport. It’s a national embarrassment. Sometimes hundreds of tourists are stuck for hours waiting to get a ride. These little things matter when it’s all added up. Achieving perfection is worth the effort. The Egyptians who created the pyramids were not 85%, nor were the Chinese who built the Great Wall, nor the Europeans who constructed the Channel Tunnel or the Japanese who made the Shinkansen bullet train. The price of perfection is hard work and discipline but the rewards know no bounds.

Thais also prefer to treat the symptoms instead of finding a cure. The evidence for this can also be easily found. Cyclists being run over and killed on our streets? No problem. Just issue bike licences to teach cyclists how to dodge drunk drivers. Rapists and gangsters roaming the beaches of Koh Tao? Simple. Make sure all tourists are electronically tagged and women should refrain from wearing bikinis. Political divisions tearing Thailand apart at the seams? Piece of cake. Ban all discussion and sensible debate on all contentious issues. Rural voters not educated enough to make informed decisions? That one’s easy. Do away with the added bother of voting altogether. Children being let down by a decaying educational system? No worries. Just recite Gen Prayut’s 12 principles or throw a few thousand iPads at the problem. Thais not exhibiting enough Thainess? You guessed it, encourage Thais to wear our national costume on Fridays.

No doubt some will accuse me of being unpatriotic. But what’s so unpatriotic about refusing to settle for mediocrity? What’s so unpatriotic about addressing the cause in order that we might find a cure? And what’s so unpatriotic about wanting to see my country and my people reach its potential? Thailand is known as the “Land of Smiles”, but that doesn’t mean we have to smile at everything. It’s okay to be angry once in while.

Let us all redefine and take ownership of Thainess, because nobody, not even the CP Group, has a monopoly on it. Instead of being known just for our smiles, let’s also make Thailand a land of opportunity, fairness and equality. A land of mutual respect for each other’s rights but also a land where citizens know their duties. A land of hope and aspiration, where if you work hard and play by the rules you can achieve success. But most importantly a land where “we” can all feel like stakeholders.

A professor of US politics once asked me if I knew what the most important word in the United States Constitution was. I shook my head. He said “We”, the very first word and it goes on so eloquently:

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Songkran Grachangnetara is an entrepreneur. He graduated from The London School of Economics and Columbia University. He can be reached at Twitter: @SongkranTalk