The Centenary of M.R.

Kukrit Pramoj
Story: Sanwarisa Mekpaiboon and Kanchala Navanugraha
Photos: Kampir Phatisena

“Kukrit is a proper noun. It means a state in which Karma, or action, is the cause
and motive that dictates the future. This state is widely known as “human being”... The
‘Kukrit’ state of being is Anicca and Anatta, meaning the impermanence and the
absence of an abiding self. Death is inevitable. if there are still Awitcha and Tunha,
namely ‘ignorance’ and ‘lust’, there will be rebirths, in different forms, different
names, influenced by both good and bad Karma. The cycle continues unless there are
no more of the two sufferings.” -- Siam Rath, August 22nd, 1950.

In April 2011, sixteen years after its owner’s death, ‘Suan Plu Residence’ still remains
stunning. The house is still embraced by the greenness of trees, withstanding the surrounding
concrete jungle. People still come to visit the place, but not as many as before. They are not
his students or admirers who used to bring the sounds of laughter, squabbling, music; nor are
they those who used to bring the smells of food to this place which was built in Thai
traditional style and is now preserved as a museum. It is too quiet here today. The green lawn
and the well-tended garden look too empty. While it may seem obvious that this is where one
of Thailand’s venerable figures used to live, the place has completely lost its liveliness.

For those living in his time, Professor Major General Mom Rajawongse (a title given
to royal descendants) Kukrit Pramoj was a person who had done and accomplished so many
things. He was a banker, a professor, a journalist, an actor, a national artist, a daring speaker,
a radio broadcaster, a man who liked to live a wonderful idealistic life, and as well as a
politician. He was appointed to almost every significant role, such as the founder of a
political party, a member of the House of Representatives, the President of the National
Legislative Assembly, and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand. As a leader of
ideas in many areas, he became renowned as a great savant. On the 23rd of October 2009, he
received acclaim from UNESCO as a World’s Historic Important Figure in Education,
Culture, Social Science, and Mass Communication.

However, for people of later generations, when they see a picture of this man— old,
white-haired, wearing glasses— along with his autograph, they will only see a soap opera
actor, a writer of short stories in Thai textbooks, or the 13th prime minister of the country.
They will only know him from conversations among members of older generations. The gap
between them, of what they know about M.R. Kukrit Pramoj, may result from the change of
time, the negligence of the adults, the children who are no longer interested, or the rushing
waves of the future current that dissolve the past and distance it from all of us. Nonetheless,
this is the man who, regardless of any term or aspect, played a significant part in Thailand’s
history, and whose legacies have been passed onto us today.
Birth

Major General Mom Rajawongse Kukrit Pramoj was the youngest among the six
children of Brigadier General HH Prince Khamrob, the nephew of King Rama II, and Mom
Daeng, the daughter of Praya Sri Pipat (Pae Bunnang). He had four siblings namely M.R.
Bunrab Pramoj, M.R. Sani Pramoj, M.R. Uraiwan and M.R. Tuantaoneuk. M.R. Kukrit was
born on April 20, 1911 in the year of the pig while his family was travelling by boat along the
Chao Phraya River to Pisanulok Province.

At the end of 1950, M.R. Kukrit Pramoj wrote in Siam Rath newspaper a reply to a
reader’s letter. The reader by the name “Chao Suan Plu (Suan Plu villager)” asked him about
the origin of the name “Kukrit”. M.R. Kukrit replied:

I as well find it strange

The name “Kukrit” is too odd
There are other fine names
But the queen liked them not
The origin that I have heard
I used to cry a lot as a baby
Maybe I did like other names not
It was she who gave the name “Rit”

* “Kukrit” means joy or great power

“Writing for a newspaper, we have to be prepared like feeling to feel nothing

when a dog pisses on us.”
-- Humor of Kukrit

The “Queen Mother” who gave the name relating to the abilities “rit” or “might” in
the poem above, was Queen Sripacharintra(Queen Mother) of King Rama V. The queen
intended to emphasize on the rhyme between “Kuk” and “Nuk” in the name of M.R.
Tuantaonuk, M.R. Kukrit’s fourth older brother.

M.R. Kukrit was educated by his eldest sister before entering Wang Lang School or,
now, WattanaWittayalai School. Then, he studied high school at Suan Kularb College. At the
age of fifteen, he continued his studies at Trent College, England. In 1933, M.R. Kukrit
graduated in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Queen’s College, Oxford University.
After the graduation, he came back and played important parts in Thai history.became a
historical figure of Thailand.
Newspaper with Spirit

One of M.R. Kukrit Pramoj’s major works was Siam Rath, the oldest newspaper still
in existence today, which will mark its 61st anniversary this June.

“He said not to let the newspaper die along with him” stated Chatchawan Kongudom,
the owner and current director chairman of Siam Rath while talking about the history and
production of Siam Rath after M.R. Kukrit, the major writer, had passed away. “I’m
struggling exhausted (down-at-heel) (dealing with the amount of loss). I have spent several
millions every month. We faced such a hard time in 1996 as we lost the capitol suffered a
loss especially during the inflation. But, the financial situation was better in 2007. We
already made a promise with M.R. Kukrit so we must fight and keep the business running.”

M.R. Kukrit founded “Siam Rath: newspaper in 1950 with an intention to elevate
readers’ knowledge of democracy rather than to seek for profits turn a profit. Siam Rath was
targeted at people who opposed autocracy because newspapers in those days only focused on
entertainment rather than educating people. According to M.R. Kukrit, “Truth, Integrity and
Freedom” brought about the “Spirit of a real newspaper writer”, just like the goal of Siam
Rath: “Siam Rath newspaper should be factual, unbiased, optimistic and occasionally
humorous.”

Because Siam Rath's benefit doesn't rely on the interest of any political side, it
remains truthful characteristic of no exaggerated headlines, no personal bias in the contents,
and no intentions to harm or profit anybody and determines to humorously present the truth.
Siam Rath has received a significant number of attentions and responses from educated
readers since its first publication on January 25, 1950.

During the company's first era stage, Siam Rath had only two main members: Sala
Likhitsakul, the editor, and M.R. Kukrit Pramoj, the director and writer who was responsible
for four columns in the newspaper: serial fiction, editorial, random topic and daily advice.
The influence of Siam Rath had on Thai society gradually intensified over through time along
with the popularity of its daily advice column. There were various kinds of questions sent,
not restricted only to the field of politics political issue, and the way they were keenly
answered with wisdom of the responder was what impressed the readers. The questions and
answers reflected the country's situation at the time and were was also historical evidence
which provided information on the lives of people in the past and their opinions on
surrounding conditions.

Siam Rath then became a stage for many reputable writers, for example, Utsana
Phleungtham, known as Pramoon Unahatoop, Ob Jayavasu, Ajin Panjapan, Vilas Manivat,
Nopporn Boonyarith and Dr. Boonsong Lekagul, one of the editors. Atsiri Thammachot, the
winner of The Southeast Asian Writer Award in 1981, saw this as an essential factor in lifting
Siam Rath to the next level of "the stage for intellectuals to express their intelligences
intellects."
 According to Atsiri, "Siam Rath is a political-focused newspaper and also a political
school where Professor Kukrit was is the principal and readers were are the students." In
consideration of its content, the selling point of Siam Rath was not the news itself but
critiques on social and political issues which stimulated thought and knowledge in its readers.
Art and culture were another strength in which the story of art and music, from the classical
to Thai pantomime or Khon, were portrayed in an enticing and comprehensible way directly
from the pen of the master, M.R. Kukrit.

The most significant role of Siam Rath during the time of M.R. Kukrit was "being a
mouthpiece of the citizens." The journalists' messages in the form of a newspaper were
available and, at the same time, unavoidable for everyone including the government, the
soldiers and opposition parties "Professor Kukrit was a man with a vision. He had many roles
in the society. He was fully equipped with knowledge, class, degree and experience as a
former teacher. Therefore, what he wrote in the column was the voice of the country." Atsiri
said.

Absurdity Against Tyranny

The middle of 1951 was a critical time for people behind the newspaper. After the
"Manhattan Rebellion", a failed coup attempt by officers of the Royal Thai Navy against the
government of Prime Minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram, locally known as Chomphon Por, the
government put the nation under martial law, imposing strict censorship on every newspaper.
Siam Rath, after its first year of operation, reacted to the situation in an unexpected way by
reporting "absurd news" since the first day of the protocol obligation.

For example, the newspaper carried foolish headlines such as “13 Betel Palms
Survive By Bending With The Wind, While Tamarind Trees Will Be Chopping Blocks Next
Year” and “Officials To Take Ordination Leave Must Get Heads Shaved.” to criticize the
government. The deprivation of the freedom of the press that had public duty to report the
truth would result in a series of nonsense articles to appear all over the newspaper.

Eventually, the government ordered administrators to stop filtering the news on August 20,
although martial law was still not lifted. Siam Rath continued to report the news as it had
before, but M.R. Kukrit would not write a news item until the king ordered the martial law to
be revoked on September 7, 1951. Siam Rath celebrated the occurrence by running a banner
front-page headline in red ink reading “Unfiltered Edition” and M.R. Kukrit went back to
writing his newspaper columns as before.

Rong Wongsawan described about the workplace atmosphere at Number 6

Ratchadamnoen Road in his book, Kukrit Pramoj, In Time’s Shadow. “This was a university
for the youth, the university whose deans paid for my tuition fees. He sat in the center of a
common room, behind a cluttered pile of books. To his side he was surrounded by people in
different positions, and from the handrail to the back were window panes. The ambience of
the room was not like that of the New York Times or the London Times, but it was exactly
how Siam Rath should be.”

Even though the atmosphere and location of the office have changed, Siam Rath is
still currently in operation. Despite less than stellar sales, it still has endured over many years
and strives to report the truth in order to protect the monarchy which is a standpoint that the
current executive body aims to preserve after the founder’s intention. In accordance with a
statement from the editor, Atsiri, that “Ajarn Kukrit was a royalist, he gave precedence to the
news relating to the king and the royal family’s activities. He was the one who brought the
role of the monarchy into the newspaper. When I first worked here twenty or thirty years ago,
those stories still defined our newspaper. Siam Rath has played a significant role in the
constitutional monarchy.”

From Short to Long Stories

Kukrit's most concrete legacy is undeniably his the literary works, in with countless
re-publications and compilations, from poetry, short stories, to a novel set that has been
adapted for into TV drama for many times like Four Reigns (Si Phaen Din). This historical-
based fiction is narrated through the life of "Mae Ploy", a minor courtier who witnesses the
change in all aspects of Thai society.

M.R. Boonrub Phinijchonkhadi recalled talk about his youngest brother this: "He had
always been poetic since he was a child. Whenever no on one lulled him to sleep, he did it to
himself, with this sample verse ‘Thou, blue pea branch, had thou ever known I love thee
every day. Thou, cinnamon bouquet, do not love me, I am poor” (The last word was with
children mispronunciation). Siam Rath then gave M.R. Kukrit Pramoj the opportunity to
manifest his artful talent of literature at will.

The classic short story legacy that most of Thai students are familiar with is “Mom”,
as it is included in the Thai language text book for high school study. M.R. Kukrit revealed
that "During the time I was working on ‘Mom’, I considered myself a dog. I don't feel the
slightest bit of shame admitting for telling I shed a lot of tears over for this book because I
felt feel what a one good dog can feel and I wrote write with dog’s true feelings true dog’s
feeling." Other kinds of works also prove that it was not only in the matter field of animal
that this writer had a prodigious level of understanding in and talent is good at.

Before Siam Rath came into existence, M.R. Kukrit wrote annals-style novels for a
newspaper called “Kiatisuk Weekly”. In 1949, he wrote a "capitalist version" of an the
episode called "Cao Cao, The Forever Prime Minister" from the Chinese classic “The
Romance of the Three Kingdoms”, to satirize Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram
(Chomphon Por), Thailand's military dictator who seemed never determined not to resign
from his position as of Prime Minister. After Siam Rath was born in the following year, M.R.
Kukrit continued his capitalist version of “The Romance of the Three Kingdoms” on the fifth
page of the newspaper until the end of the episode story in 1951. He then began to develop
write Four Reigns, a serialized novel that portrays under the palace life more vivid as any
writer or novel had ever done achieved before.

The writer confirmed that the character "Mae Ploy" only existed in the imaginary
world and was not a representative of anyone. She was an amalgam by putting together lives
of people he knew, stories he heard about and people he had conversations with, . "The life of
Mae Ploy continues day by day in on Siam Rath, her life is not anybody's life, I would cross
my heart."

The reason behind Four Reigns' greatness is not the life story of any character in
particular, but it is the exquisite language used, the vivid and appropriate descriptions and the
realistic elements of the characters. For example, the dismay Ploy feels after the first reign
ends is how the reader is made to feel.

"When she looked up, her eyes met the face of a soldier standing on the side of
Ratchadamnoen Avenue. He was aiming his barrel downward, lowered his face, and stood
staying still as he was assigned to. The face of the soldier was the face of young fellow from
the countryside, just like that what of other soldiers conscripted here, but what unleashed
Ploy's entire feelings was the face of this soldier. There were tears running down his cheeks
eyes, incessant tears. Even Ploy was is not kind of person who let her emotions show, after
she saw the soldier's face in her candle light, she cried her heart out."

The popularity of the novel Four Reigns is something not to be forgotten in the
history of Thai literature. It was also widely discussed by critics, even when it was still
published as a column in Siam Rath, or when the whole story was later published in one
volume. One of the critics was Wittayakorn Chiangkul who wrote the article, “Four Reigns
and Its Glorification of Thailand’s Monarchy and Customs” for Matichon Weekly Magazine
on 3rd April 1988. The article examined whether, apart from giving readers a pleasure, which
was the intention claimed by the author himself, Four Reigns was written with any other
underlying purpose? Mr. Chiangkul pointed out, “...With his beautiful and elaborate literary
writing skill, M.R. Kukrit created a novel that aim to spread and praise the ideas of Thai
traditionalism and the monarchical system. This was a reaction against the forward-thinking
‘Left Wings’ whose ideas prevailed among the people during the years 1951-1952. A great
and successful approach.”

One of Thailand’s most prominent thinkers and writers, “S. Sivaraksa”, or Sulak
Sivaraksa, wrote an open letter to the editor of Thai Post newspaper on 8th January 2009,
objecting to UNESCO’s approval of M.R. Kukrit as a World’s Important Figure. One part of
the letter mentioned Four Reigns, “...There is no need to say that Four Reigns is a novel with
an intention to brainwash Thai people, making them see democracy as an abomination, and
monarchy as an absolute. The novel promotes the notion that names are worth more than a
common man’s wisdom. After all, we are still under the power of these ideas, are we not?”
 Whether the thumb is up or down, Four Reigns managed to shake up the whole Thai
literary realm as well as the society in a way that no other historical novel could have done.
As a result, it was selected to be among “The 100 Books Thai People Should Read”, a list
compiled by Wittayakorn Chiangkul and 10 other members of the “Research Project for
Selecting and Introducing Good Books of the Decade”, supported by the Thailand Research
Fund in 2007-2008.

It is quite amazing when thinking about what M.R. Kukrit, the author of Four Reigns,
said. “I finish each episode of the story day by day. So the plot is not that complicated.” It
was genuinely because of his gift as an artist that this long novel, written day-by-day as a
column in a simple narrative style, was able to retain its unity. It is worth reading.

Even though Four Reigns was his masterpiece, and though he actually only started to
devote his life to writing when he had already approached the age of 40, he published more
than 150 works. There were short stories, translated stories, documentaries, articles, critiques,
all varying in contents, categories, and writing styles. To celebrate his literary genius, the
Office of Cultural Commitee Thailand praised Major General M.R. Kukrit Pramoj as a
National Artist of the Year 1985 in Artistic Language. This is the man whose works have
become national legacies. Whenever we pick them up and read through the stories, we will
always feel the thoughts and true self of their creator.

A Professor - An Academic

During the time when Siam Rath was proceeding to become Thailand’s leading
newspaper, M.R. Kukrit also took part in other duties. For example, he worked as an
executive of Bangkok Bank of Commerce Public Company Limited, and as a lecturer at
Thammasat University. Here, he was involved in the establishment of the Faculty of Liberal
Arts in 1962. He also helped the faculty to prepare some of the first courses namely,
Background to Thai Civilization, Comparative Religions, Philosophy, and Thai Cultures.

However, his penchant for teaching began before all these. During the Indochina War
and the Greater East Asia War, when he was called for military service, M.R. Kukrit was
invited as a special instructor to give lectures on Economics to commissioned military
officers. There, he was given the nickname, “Professor Officer Kukrit.” In the daily Q&A
column issued on the 31st of October 1950, someone asked, “Is it true that you are a lance
corporal? Is it true that you have taught senior military officers? When you went into the
lecture room, how did the senior officers greet you? And who acted first, you or them? And
why? The answer was, “I do have the title Lance Corporal of the Royal Thai Army, and earn
a full salary. Yes, I used to give lectures to military officers at the Ministry of Defense. As for
the greetings, well, I greeted them as they were my superior officers, and they greeted me as I
was their professor. We did this together at the same time. The thing is, we always had to be
very careful and make sure that it was really at the exact same time.”
 Boonchu Rojanastien, from one of his earlier groups of students, admired his great
teaching methods. “He could turn those subjects that people think are difficult to learn into
pieces of cakes.” Dr. Kasem Suwankul and Uttorn Polkul also recalled the Professor’s
fashionable taste of clothing. For example, he was the first who brought about thetrend
of wearing colorful clothes. But above all, it was his ability to pass on knowledge through his
sense of humor, and the way he taught his students about what was happening outside of the
lecture room. For instance, he criticized Thailand’s politics with straightforwardness and
rationality. This made his students feel fascinated in politics too.

[quote on pg.57]
“Everyone in the world has to ‘act’ for as long as they can remember. And this
‘acting’, as if in a play, has become our profession. Those who act well live well; for
those who act poorly, troubles await.” -- an excerpt from a conversation between M.R.
Kukrit and George Englund, the director of ‘The Ugly American.’

Furthermore, another gift M.R.Kukrit could pass onto the people is a place that will
provide space for us to exchange different ideas and knowledges. This year, ‘Kukrit 80
Foundation’ is planning to set up the ‘Kukrit Institute’ in Ngam Doo Plee Alley to mark the
centenary of his birth. The institute will provide an exhibition area displaying his works and
his biography, a library for learning and research, and a stage that allows the art of Thai
culture and local performances to be recognized. If the plan proves to be successful, the
institute will become a new medium that shares not only the life of M.R.Kukrit but also
delivers Thailand’s cultural legacies to young generations in the future.

[quote pg. 9]
“If one wishes to be a writer, one must read and write as much as possible. No
need to pretend oneself as an artist or a new expert, just write for the sake of writing,
feeling or atmosphere are not that important. Because if you were not truly great, it
would be horrible rather than adorable. Eventually, you could nothing, neither writer
nor artist.”

Phra, Nang, Yak, and Ling of Sarkhan

Due to M.R. Kukrit Pramoj’s high level of expertise in Thai art and culture making
Thai performing arts especially Khon dance, he adopted the art as his own cultural
heritage.The Khon dance is still being performed constantly as a high art on stage by his
students and also other inheritors of this cultural tradition.

M.R. Kukrit had practiced and performed several roles in the Khon dance since his
childhood. Tongsuk Tonglim, the former director of the Performing Arts College and his co-
workers narrated in the book 81 Years of Kukrit’s Life that “My teacher had been living in a
palace since he was young. He saw the way the Khon dance was being performed and then he
practiced it ever since. After coming back from foreign countries, his smoldering passion for
Thai culture was what kept him continuing to practice the art. When he was a young man, he
used to dress up and play the role of Naang which was normally played by women,
sometimes he also performed as Ravana (Yaksha King of Lanka).” He was second to none in
Khon art because he understood what art was and also knew how to bring Thai classical
dance to life. M.R. Kukrit had played almost every role in the Khon dance which were Phra
(male protagonist), Naang (female protagonist) and Yak (antagonist), except for Ling
(monkey warrior) a role he had never played before; nevertheless, he could definitely tell
how it should be presented on stage.

In 1963, M.R. Kukrit received a Pra Bhirav (Lord Shiva’s avatar) crown from King
Bhumibol at Vimanmek Mansion in Dusit Palace. The crown represented the highest rank in
Thai performing arts and music expertise, thus making him automatically became “the king’s
royal performer.” Three years later, M.R. Kukrit founded a Thammasat Khon performance
group based on a belief that the knowledge of Thai performing arts could live on only if both
performers and audiences took the leading role. The Thai Performing Arts College had
already produced the performers, but if the audiences had a limited understanding of the art,
no real progress could be achieved. He was convinced that the future of our society was in the
hands of university students. They needed to learn and practice the art by themselves to
decently pass on the knowledge later on. Therefore, M.R. Kukrit took on the responsibility of
training Thammasat students the Khon dance together with teachers from the Fine Arts
Department.

After just 3 months of training, the Thammasat Khon group performed an episode
called Nagabat (Indrajit’s serpent arrow) in honour to the king for which they got rapturous
applause. “Ajarn Kukrit had always told his students that the Khon dance needed discerning
audiences who could perform it, and this suddenly became clear to me when I had gained
more experiences. Since the Khon dance integrated different types of arts together, including
Thai musics, Thai performing arts, visual arts and craftsmanship, into a harmonious national
art. Therefore, it is important to comprehend its artistic values in order to fully appreciate it.
My admiration for Ajarn Kukrit was even more profound when I realized that what he had
thought decades ago was all true, it took perseverance to keep discerning audiences.” Anucha
Teerakanon, the director of the Thai Studies Institution, recounts his memories of M.R.
Kukrit, who had a grand vision of the most crucial part in preserving this national art.

The distinguishing characteristic of the Thammasat Khon was a short and to the point
play script reflecting current social and political issues in Thailand. Moreover, the play was
sarcastic, humorous and enthralling. However, its moment of glory began to fade away along
with the advent of the Thammasat Massacre on October 14, 1973, and when the head of the
group sworn in as Prime Minister from 1975 to 1976, the role of the Thammasat Khon group
gradually died down.

Following the beginning of the Thammasat Khon in 1966, M.R. Kukrit also
cofounded the Thai Studies department, Thammasat University, in 1970, which is presently
the Thai Studies Institution. The primary purposes are to gather evidences about Thai
cultures, traditions and events, in the forms of documents, books, films, photographs, and
tape recordings as much as possible, and also to be a leading center for research on Thai
society and people, both in the past and the present.

As well as his expertise in the art of Khon, M.R. Kukrit also excelled in other
branches of Thai performing arts, for instance, Thai traditional dance, folk plays (performed
only by males), musical plays, stage plays, farmer dance, comedy dance, and poem recitation.
He was also a Thai and classical musical prodigy in both Thai and classical instruments alike,
a painter extraordinaire, a great debater and a radio show host. Despite all of his talents, what
truly earned him an international reputation was a Hollywood blockbuster, The Ugly
American, starring Marlon Brando. M.R. Kukrit half-heartedly agreed to play the of Prime
Minister of Sarkhan, a fictional country in the film, only because he was a settings and
costumes consultant to the film director. He involuntarily agreed to play the character as he
wanted to help the film director out, Little did he know that his acting role would be a
rehearsal for his real-life premiership a few years later.

Entering the Political Stage

People in the new generations seem to be rather oblivious of M.R. Kukrit’s political
role as a founder and leader of a political party, as well as a prime minister. Possible
explanations are that his political party is no longer active and that it was too peaceful during
his one year in office.

In 1945, 13 years after the Siamese Revolution of 1932,M.R. Kukrit undertook

historic decisions by joining people who opposed the People's Party and establishing the
Progressive Party, the first Thai political party which was legally registered so that he could
stand for the parliament in the following election after the Second World War. Even though
he was a new face in the Thai politics, He was the first to introduce a new election strategy,
which was giving a public speech that. This subsequently won him, a new face in Thai
politics, a parliamentary seat. SubsequentlyIn 1946, he became a member of parliament
representing Pra Nakorn district in Bangkok and gained a recognition as one of the most
influential and outspoken MPs.

The following year, M.R. Kukrit again engaged in founding a political party. This
time he established the Democrat Party into which he dissolved his former party into, with
Major Kuang Apaiwong as its leader of the party, his brother M.R. Seni Pramoj as the vice
leader and himself as the party secretary. M.R. Kukrit won the way into people’s heart the
very first time he made a speech using his quick wit and sharp tongue.

His speeches were attracted widely attentions from the public and dominated the
headlines, initiating his political success. Nevertheless, he decided to resign from the
Democrat Party on September 16, 1948 due to its failure as an opposition party in vetoing a
new bill introduced to increase the MPs’ wage for 1,000 baht each. Instead, the party voted
yes in a referendum, causing M.R. Kukrit to frown on its decision. The incident became
headline-grabbing material because this was the first time an MP resigned as a political
protest against a parliament resolution.

Even though M.R. Kukrit had retired from the Thai politics in 1966, he was still a
journalist at heart. He couldn’t help but criticize Thai politics which drew him public
attention as one of the most admirable writers. He explained that “Being articulate was just
one of many ingredients; it was a long way of learning and researching before I could master
a way with words. Besides, the majority of people basically disliked the government, so my
speeches and critiques touched their hearts. This was where my reputation came from.”

No doubt there was no love lost between M.R. Kukrit and the government, but his
name was endorsed as a candidate in every MP and constitutional congress election. Sombat
Phugan, his students, aide-de-camp, and close friend, once daringly asked him for a reason
and he answered, that “I wouldn’t refuse the position they appointed me to, because having
different opinions was crucial for the country administration. I thought if the government
knew what my political view was and still nominated me, it was because they liked me to
express my thoughts. I had never said no to a chance of doing my best with my duty.
Criticizing the government as an outsider was easy, but we can’t keep doing that forever. I
couldn't resist wondering what it was like inside the parliament, as a result, I had to go in to
broaden my perspective and perception about the government. Had I not taken a part in it,
what right would I have to lead the people on my side? This was why I criticized the
government and attended some of political activities.

From the 13th Prime Minister to “Pillar of Democracy”

M.R. Kukrit became involved in politics again after the Thammasat University
Massacre occasion on October 14, 1973. He started out by being elected as a president of the
National Legislative Assembly, whose duty was to draft the 1974 Constitution of the
Kingdom of Thailand. Afterwards on November 4, 1974, He established the Social Action
Party with himself as the leader, Boonchu Rojanasatien as the party secretary, by cooperating
means of a cooperation with former MPs and businessmen. The election campaign came up
with a snappy slogans, for example, “Dare to say, Dare to do, Dare to achieve” “Do it right
with Kukrit” and “We can (do).” The campaign focused on bringing politics to people, as
well as promoting rural development and wealth distribution.

M.R. Kukrit explained the reason for founding the Social Action Party and standing
as an election candidate with Rong Wongsawan on December 8, 1974 saying, “My graduated
students and I are thinking that democracy is what all of us Thai people wanted. And when
democracy is established, ask not what democracy can do for you, ask what you can do for
democracy. After settling on the idea, we would love to do whatever we could with our
experiences, abilities, sacrifices, and sincerity for our country. The nation needs people who
are willing to make personal sacrifices expecting nothing in return, and this party is for us to
take part in promoting and preserving democracy by taking real action.” under the ultimate
power of democracy.”

His political comeback this time eventually led him to the office of Thailand’s
thirteenth Prime Minister from 1975 election, despite the fact that the party only had 18
members. The Social Action Party had to form a coalition government with 22 other political
parties, making it the biggest coalition government in the history of Thai politics. There were
a number of interesting policies, for instance, a 2,500-million-baht contribution to district
councils for rural development policy, an agricultural produce price guarantee policy, and a
diplomatic initiative with China.policy, There was also a welfare policy such as free buses,
and free medical care for Thai people earning under 1,000 baht monthly wage. Many more of
the recent governments have taken this successful populist policy as a model.

As the Prime Minister, one of M.R. Kukrit Pramoj's major works was to initiate
democratic diplomatic relationship with the People’s Republic of China in August 1985. This
policy reflected how M.R. Kukrit put the personal opinions aside in order to make the
country survive. because he He had clearly stated that he didn't support Communist ideals.
But later, However, after the United States withdrew its troops, while and the situation in
Indochinese Peninsula was remained unstable The Thailand’s with neighboring countries
namely of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam experiencing civil wars but which all ended in the
victory of was on the Communists. Therefore, M.R. Kukrit, then, turned at once to China at
once.

During that visit to China, M.R. Kukrit met nearly almost all the high-ranking members
of the Chinese Communist Party,especially above all Mao Zedong or the Prime Minister
Chairman Mao. M.R. Kukrit stated retold their conversation,

“‘People from around the world say that I'm a murderer or a vicious man. So, why
befriend with me then.' said Prime Minister Chairman Mao. So, I replied 'Let me put it this way
then Mister Mao. I'm not a marvelous man either. Some people also said that I'm evil. Others
also said bad too many awful things about me so much that no one would want my friend to
remember. I guess we aren’t a bad fit after all.' I replied”

Prime Minister Hearing the answer, Chairman Mao was pleased and slapped the chair
arm the arm of his chair in a great delight. Then, he started proceeded to discussing about
matters in China, Thailand and, global affairs including the world peace and the safety of all
people.

However, during his M.R. Kukrit’s years time as the Prime Minister, the international
conflicts intensified while Thailand was facing a crisis within the country. There were rallies
and protests. People destroyed the government-owned property and even broke into the Prime
Minister's Prime Minister’s residence. But apart from issues of public administration, as the
leader of the mixed constitution coalition government, the Prime Minister also faced problems
which he had to make required the fellow parties to work together. Finally, the mixed
constitution coalition government lost its stability resulting in only 8 years months of
administration in power. The Prime Minister decided to dissolve the government and
organized call an election at the beginning of 1976. The Democrat Party was re-elected, but it
However, the new government did not last long. due to This was because the intense political
situation turmoil at that time eventually erupted into the Thammasat University Massacre on
October 6th, 1976.until the bombing triggered the “October 6th 1976” incident.

At the end of 1985, M.R. Kukrit ended his role in Thai politics and resigned from the
“Social Action Party”, leaving only the name “Poisonous Turtle” which came from his
notable actions in politics. He got the last names “Pillar of Democracy” or “Master of Suan
Plu” because although he left the political world, he did not leave the stage of literature
literary stage. M.R. Kukrit still wrote critiques and reviews about Thailand under the
administration of different several governments.

Kukrit’s Recipes

The food heritage came from the fancy sophisticated lifestyle and the gourmet eating
preference filled with savor and delicacy. A meal includes soup, chili paste and side dishes
and ends with either desserts or fruits. This was The eating culture which M.R. Kukrit held
on to especially for dinner .His eating ritual indicated another was another outstanding
characteristic of this man as could be seen from the choices of restaurants where he dined
with his close friends and his cooking techniques. M.R. Kukrit also created his very own
recipes such as green curry with brandy, horse mussel soup, porridge with anchovy fermented
fish, and porridge with jam and red curry with smoked dry fish eaten with thai vermicelli.

M.R. Kukrit’s cooking skills allowed him to write articles about his recipes especially
his “Khun Chai’s chili paste. The recipes were then compiled into a cooking book especially
his “Khun Chai’s chili paste”. While M.R. Kukrit was still alive, Ban Suan Plu never lost the
lacked for visits from his close friends and pupils who dropped by for a talk or advices. Not
only would they gain learn new knowledge and receive advices but they had their stomachs
filled as well. Moreover, the cooking techniques from the master also helped many pupils to
have discover the charm of cooking, to “cook when they miss the master” or to turn the
recipes into cooking books and gain achieve their own success.

[caption on pg.63]
“The belief that political parties lead to democracy is wrong. It is like saying that trees
create soil. Because, in truth, we cannot grow a tree on rock expecting soil would come
up. Thus, planting a tree in the ground where there is no soil is a useless act.”
From Kukrit’s critique

Around the house

The last legacies that are still in existence and reflect M.R. Kukrit best are the
five Thai houses in Soi Suan Plu. Today, the houses became are the ‘Home of an Important
person’ or a heritage museum under the care of M.L. Rongrit Pramoj, the oldest son of M.R.
Kukrit Pramoj.
In 1936, M.R. Kukrit Pramoj married M.R. Pakpring Thongyai and had two
children together namely M.L. Rongrit Pramoj and M.L. Visumitra Rust. Although M.R.
Kukrit and his wife got divorced in 1943, the friendship remained the same. The two friends
always visited each other so the children still had good bonds with their father. M.L. Rongrit
recalls mentioned about what was his impression towards of M.R. Kukrit “Father was a
generous man and always taught us to be unselfish. He was a man filled with love and
kindness for all beings. Once, while father was sitting in the garden in Chiang Mai, a snake
slithered in and coiled itself near him. Father told the snake ‘Can you move away from here
and go somewhere else? If I accidentally step on you, you will bite me. Then, I will have to
whack you and that Karma will be on me.’ So, the snake slithered away.” Around hundred
and fifty dogs which M.L. Rongrit has adopted would be are an obvious result of his father’s
teaching.

M.R. Kukrit’s kindness towards animals was obviously shown through the presence
of dogs mainly for dogs as can be seen in many of his articles. However, his generosity also
extended to other animals including cats, fish, birds, swans or even bears and horses. M.R.
Kukrit wrote “At my house, I have eight dogs of various breeds and more to come. I have too
many cats to name them all. Apart from those, I also have more than hundred birds and all
kinds of fish in six ponds. It is like I live in Dusit Zoo.”

The owner and the “residents” lived happily in the spacious area of the house. The
group of Thai houses consists of five wooden stilt houses in different sizes which were
connected by balconies. The main house was called “Ruan Khun Ya” (Grandma’s home).
M.R. Kukrit explained about the origin of this name “One day, a tricycle driver came by the
house and said that an old plump lady had called a tricycle to gethim from “The Giant
Swing” to the house. He added that when they arrived here, the lady didn’t pay the pay him
and vanished into the house. After seeing that, the driver asked the previous owner of the
house in “The Giant Swing” area. The owner said that this lady used to own the house. Her
spirit might still hold onto the house since she was really fond of it. Thus, my father ritually
invited the lady’s spirit into the house and named the place, which was named“Ban Khun Ya”
or “Grandma’s house”.

The front building which will be seen first when entering the property is a huge Thai-
style pavilion, inspired by the grand pavilion before the main hall of Bawonniwet Vihara
Temple. This place is used as a reception hall, a stage for musical performances, a treasury
for precious works of art, and an area to conduct a ritualized form of dance meant to pay
respect to the teachers of Thai performing arts. Some of these pieces are valuable for the
elaborate skills of experienced craftsmen, such as Khon masks, others are valuable for the
auspicious stories behind them. For example, the Khon Pra Pi Rap mask or master of the
giant mask was used in the sacred ceremony to indoctrinate the art of Khon conducted by the
King Rama IX. The ancient Tripitaka cabinet with gilded black lacquer was crafted by
Thawan Duchanee, the National Thai Artist in visual arts. The sculptures of Guanyin, The
Goddess of Mercy and Guan Yu, The God of War, souvenirs from the former Chinese leader
Deng Xiaopingwere preserved in a Chinese-roofed house next to the pavilion.

Meantime as M.R. Kukrit enjoyed his retirement, his health started to decline. In
1982, he underwent a surgery to remove the calcium accumulated on his spinal cord in the
United States. Four years later, doctors diagnosed him with debilitating diseases: heart
disease, diabetes, emphysema, cholecystitis and bladder stones. In On 31 March 1995, he was
sent to the ICU department of Samitivej Hospital for the deterioration of internal organs
system sanatomy system and died a natural death on 9 October 1995 at the age of 84 years
(with 5 months and 20 days.)

The beginning of the year 2011, sixteen years after its owner passed away, 'Suan Plu
Residence' still remains stunning. The house is still embraced by the greenness of trees,
withstanding the surrounding concrete jungle. The Thai-style pavilion at the front is still
opens for people to come and visit. Aligned on a platform display case are the priceless and
memorable meaningful Khon masks, still well preserved in spite of even without the
existence of the legendary owner.

The pavilion was used to welcome guests and conduct the dance ritual of paying
homage to Khon teachers as appears in its old photographs, but the true purpose of this
building according to M.R. Rongrith, "It was meant to be his catafalque. If you noticed, the
floor around the center is elevated for this reason. He demanded the builders building
constructors to measure the size of the royal-given urn to make sure it would fit. He also gave
an equivocal remark on this idea to his admirers that 'When I die, put my urn here, and
around there (the space under a Thai house), you may have some drinks and tears as
companions would have. Keep the body for around 3 years, have feasts on my death once a
week... and have me cremated whenever they get bored with these.' However, the King
granted him a funeral at Benchamabophit Temple at last."

"It's not like he looked forward all the way to the end of his life, he managed to use
the pavilion for many beneficial occasions: Khon and drama practices, Khon dance rituals,
musical drama, the ritual of offering sacrifices to deities and ancestors on Chinese New Year,
and guest reception...", M.R. Rongrit Pramoj explained. These are evident clear affirmations
of deep understanding and thoughtful preparation of death the owner of this pavilion has and
are also the indication for a learned man who mastered the thorough concept of life. The
timeless legacy that what M.R. Kukrit passed on to people of later generations through this
pavilion is neither the wooden materials nor the invaluable art works inside, but the
significance of life worth living. Lives can could be diverse in quality and texture, but to live
to the fullest and make the most out of it is what matters.

Regardless of the legacy he is was, created and left for later generations, it is
undeniably hard to define an artist like M.R. Kukrit Pramoj. No other could give a better
picture of his personality than Master Thongsuk Thonglim, the Khon teacher who had been
on stage with M.R. Kukrit. When people asked him what kind of person M.R. Kukrit was, he
answered "He could be like many characters in Khon's most popular play, ‘The Glory of
Rama’ or ‘Ramakien’. Sometimes he was like Rama, the prince, sometimes Sita, the pure and
loyal lady, sometimes Hanuman, the monkey general, sometimes Ravana, the ten-faced
demon king, or in other words, he was the whole show."

Translated by
Apinya Sattayanond 554 02420 22
Maneekan Viratham Poonsawat 554 01842 22
Pakamol Chontanawat 554 01779 22
Arinta Wanichpongpan 554 02597 22