Kingdom of Illusions

I was browsing through a book store in Chiang Mai a few months back and came across a book entitled ‘The Kingdom of Illusions’. It was a book about Thailand and the title stuck a chord with me and I immediately wished that I had thought of that. You see, Thailand, for all intensive purposes and on many levels, is a kingdom of illusions. There is a very high value placed on appearance and one must be conscious of their appearance. This value is reflected in dress, behavior and other aspects of life. In my classes my students often spend more time than their American counterparts adding what I would call finishing touches on their project. The result is something that is often more visually appealing than what their American counterparts might produce. However, often times the quality of the assignment doesn’t mirror the level of quality of the appearance of the project. Some of the most beautiful projects I’ve received are significantly lacking in substance. While the value of appearance is one to be encouraged, it shouldn’t overshadow substance.

Thailand is in the process of recovering from several prolonged years of political confrontation which resulted in a coup and the ensuing political ramifications of that. A constitution has been reinstated and elections are scheduled for December 23 after which a new parliament will be installed. Recently, the Election Commission released a set of rules and regulations for the campaigns leading up to the election. They hope to stamp out the widespread vote buying and other underhanded methods of obtaining votes which is far too common in Thailand. They hope that these rigorous standards will ensure a fair and free election. Several days ago, the last of the candidates registered with the EC and following the closure of the registration they took all of the candidates to Wat Phra Kaew, one of the most sacred and famous temples in Thailand, and had them swear in front of Buddha image that they would follow these rules. The Bangkok Post published a political cartoon the following day which I feel captures my sentiments. It shows the candidates in a boxing arena with a statue of the Buddha in one corner with a politician seated in front of it while whispering out of the corner of his mouth to his followers behind him who are engaged in a tremendous fight to also promise to abide by these rules. The Election Commission and the current government (as well as the candidates themselves) are trying to create this illusion that the election is going to be democratic and fair. I can’t help but think that the lessons and values (related to appearance and substance) which my students have at this age are not much different from those of the politicians. Of course I realize that politicians project images and it is rare to find a politician who consists of much more than an image, but I can’t help but wonder what messages these public ceremonies are sending to the people watching them. I can’t imagine that anyone took them seriously. To those who have already been taught that image trumps substance this only reinforces that message. To those who have lost faith in the government and the candidates this only confirms their fears. And to those who hoped for something different this time around this only shows them that the while the government has changed the substance has remained.