By Kavi Chongkittavorn*
The Bangkok Post
Oct 24, 2017
With the world in flux and full of uncertainty and local conditions that are still a work-in-progress, to be self-sufficient and sustainable is ultimately the best method to cope with unknown challenges.
Thailand now wants to achieve economic self-sufficiency, which has both internal and external dynamics, to move forward into the future. Indeed, at the policy level, the sufficiency economy philosophy has many economic, social, environmental and cultural facets and applications. At the personal level, it is about moderation, reasonableness and prudence. But the list is endless.
Within the Thai context and strictly applied to rural development and engagement with the majority of Thais, here is some very basic local wisdom that will cut through the thick rhetoric to the essence of people-centered sustainable development.
First, to pursue the sufficiency economy philosophy, one must have a good knowledge of local conditions. This is more easily said than done. Thailand is an agricultural country, although the government is trying to move the country to the next level of development — the 4.0 upgrade. It is an aspiration that will take a generation to achieve. Therefore, policymakers have to adjust their narratives sufficiently to fit in with the country’s new realities. That way, they can realistically assess local conditions and employ ways to materialize given policies.
Second, there must not be a fixed solution or hypothesis to tackle local challenges. Again, Thailand has so many Western-trained experts, in particular development experts of all creeds and colors, who are good at giving prognoses without leaving their air-conditioned offices to try to find out for themselves what is actually going on in the world. The best approach is to understand the nitty-gritty of the local situation and attend to it as fast as possible. This is an art. Thai people, especially in rural areas, know exactly what they want and will provide genuine assessments of their condition only to those who show compassion and sympathy, not to so-called parachutists, who visit once and claim to be ready-made experts.
Third, it is vital to get the people concerned or villagers that the authorities want to help to agree first. Finding out whether they want outside intervention or not is the key. These people are living in their natural settings and habitats and they might not like outside impositions. They already practice economic self-sufficiency without knowing it — living with nature. Therefore, if they concur, let their projects or ideas prevail, in the so-called “explosion from within”. Again, if the past is any judge, officials often take things into their hands once they have identified specific groups or areas without prior consultation. In most cases, these interventions are short-lived to fit in with their pre-designed developmental agendas.
Fourth, sufficiency economy means developing both the people and their areas in integrated ways. Sometimes, development projects are aimed at assisting targeted groups without sustainable solutions. What might look good on paper could give the wrong impression because the communities as a whole are not involved in planning and implementation.
Finally, it is important to listen before making decisions and to solve the problems of concerned communities and people. Quite frequently those in power do not listen to divergent views and plans. Some of them tend to think that theirs are better or more workable. Without any consensus at the bottom, policy-making and implementation from the top down is essentially non-sustainable.
Within the international context, over the years, Thailand has tried relentlessly to promote sufficiency economy philosophy programs with other developing countries, especially within UN-related frameworks. As the chair of the Group of 77 in 2016, the country was on a high learning curve to encourage others to work together and share their best practices to attain sustainable development.
Besides contributing US$520,000 (17.2 million baht) to a trust fund to promote south-south co-operation, Thailand spearheaded a series of regional and international meetings on sustainable development. Most importantly, Thailand is currently the coordinator of ASEAN with the UN on implementing sustainable developmental goals. Bangkok has been working hard to synergize the two goals.
So far, Timor-Leste, Lesotho, Cambodia, Indonesia and Myanmar have formed international partnerships with Thailand in promoting this bottom-up approach. It is hoped that as Thailand moves forward with more actions rather just words, the economic self-sufficiency approach would be recognized the world over as a model that could give all of us decent and well-balanced lives.
*Kavi Chongkittavorn is a veteran journalist on regional affairs.
(https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1347934/action-needed-for-economic-self-sufficiency)
