Read Pridi's idea: Insights on the importance of having guarantees for citizens' complete happiness
The article examines Pridi Banomyong's economic ideas in the "Outline of Economic Plan", which includes the notion of ensuring the complete happiness of citizens to address life's uncertainties.
If we look back in the history of Thai politics, the idea of mitigating the uncertainties of life was reflected in a significant piece of writing that embodies Pridi Banomyong's economic ideas, which is called the "Outline of Economic Plan". One of its components is the guarantee of the complete happiness of citizens.
The origin of guaranteeing complete happiness of citizens
To understand the concept of guaranteeing complete happiness for the people, one must consider the context of Siam at that time. The majority of Siamese people worked in agriculture, especially as farmers, while another common occupation was serving in government positions. Both of these professions were affected by the economic situation in Siam at the time.
Siam during the period of 1929-1932 was affected by the global economic slowdown caused by World War I. Siam became part of the global economy after signing the Bowring Treaty in 1855. However, the global economic downturn led to a shift in the country's economy from a self-sufficient one to an export-oriented economy.
The economy of Siam at that time was tied to the Western world's economy, especially the United Kingdom, which was an important trading partner of Siam at the time.
When the economy of Europe fell due to the war, it affected the prices of rice, teak, rubber, and other export goods of Siam, causing them to decline and not sell at a good price in foreign markets. This resulted in a decrease in Siam's income. This situation was a cause for the Siamese government to decide to cut expenses in order to balance the budget in the year 1930, by reducing the salaries of civil servants and cutting the military budget.
For farmers, it can be said that it is the most physically demanding profession, but with the lowest returns. According to a survey by Carle C. Zimmerman, although most Siamese people were farmers, they did not own the land they worked on and instead rented it from landlords. The proportion of land rented by farmers was around 50% of the country's agricultural land at that time, especially for farmers in the Chao Phraya Delta region (which is now part of Pathum Thani province).
Most farmers are tenants, with nearly 85% of the land being owned by companies that developed and excavated canals to farm the land during that time. Agricultural practices then focused more on relying on nature rather than developing technological knowledge for farming. Cultivation was done in a traditional manner, which means farmers had to invest a lot of money but only received small yields compared to the labor invested. The capital invested usually came from loans, and after each harvest, farmers had to pay off various expenses, such as loan interest, land rent, buffalo tax, crop tax, and royal taxes. These were expenses that reduced the income of Thai farmers.
In the view of Pridi, the aforementioned situation is considered part of the fundamental flaws of the economy. Pridi has explained the concept of fundamental flaws in several of his writings, such as "The Draft Economic Plan" and "The Real Face of Society".
The aforementioned economic uncertainty is actually a natural part of life's uncertainty, both in terms of economic status and social relationships, which are interrelated. This is because one person's ability to earn a living depends on their physical abilities, and when a person's physical abilities decline due to age or disability, their ability to work also decreases.
The nature of wealth is the same as well. When you fall ill, your wealth must be spent, and when you fall ill, the wealth you can acquire decreases. Therefore, wealth cannot guarantee true stability. The economic instability does not only affect the poor but also the middle class and the wealthy. Everyone can experience the economic instability.
The principle of guaranteeing complete happiness of citizens
The solution to the problem of the economy's unfairness, from Pridi's perspective, is to ensure complete happiness for the citizens through social insurance (Assurance Sociale), with the state playing a role in the economy. This is achieved by providing guarantees for citizens from birth until death, regardless of whether they are children, sick, disabled, or elderly and unable to work. This way, citizens will have access to food, blankets, and housing, which are essential factors for survival.
The principle of ensuring the complete happiness of citizens proposed by Pridi was included in the economic development plan. In order to implement such an assurance, the government must be the one to carry out the operation, because no private sector can do it. Even if a private sector could do it, the cost of insurance premiums would be too expensive for all citizens to receive such assurance.
Therefore, according to Pridi's perspective, when providing complete happiness insurance for citizens, the government could find alternatives to insurance premiums. For example, paying insurance premiums through government employment, or indirectly through taxation of a small amount per day that citizens would not feel the burden of insurance premiums.
In terms of implementing the complete happiness insurance, it would be carried out through the law on the complete happiness insurance of citizens, which would provide everyone with a status equivalent to "government officials" in order to have the right to receive a certain salary according to their age and ability. This salary entitlement is separate from the salary that would be received for government positions.
The idea of providing money to every citizen will help to solve the economic status of citizens from the previously problematic economic status. By providing citizens with sufficient income for their livelihood, even though the concept of providing complete happiness and security to citizens may not be exactly the same as the new welfare state. The determination to improve the quality of life and stability of citizens should be a noble goal and continue to be upheld.