กรุงเทพฯ เมืองสวรรค์ตามแนวพระราชดำริ 18 A Royally-Initiated Path Towards a Heavenly Bangkok 19 พระบาทสมเด็จพระจุลจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัวทรงสืบสานพระราชปณิธานนี้ ของสมเด็จพระบรมราชชนกให้ปรากฏผลยิ่งขึ้น ด้วยการปฏิรูปประเทศแทบทุกด้าน ให้เป็นแบบสมัยใหม่อย่างที่ไม่เคยปรากฏในยุคใดมาก่อน ทั้งทางด้านกายภาพคือ การคมนาคมขนส่ง การจัดวางผังเมือง อาคารบ้านเรือน รวมทั้งระบบสาธารณูปโภค และยังครอบคลุมไปถึงการปรับเปลี่ยนรูปแบบการดำรงชีวิต ซึ่งเปลี่ยนจากการผลิต เพื่อยังชีพ มาสู่การผลิตเพื่อส่งสินค้าออกอย่างเป็นระบบ เหนือสิ่งอื่นใดคือ การปรับเปลี่ยนวัฒนธรรมการดำเนินชีวิต ทั้งการกิน การอยู่ การละเล่น การแต่งกาย ให้เป็นแบบสมัยใหม่ตามอย่างอารยธรรมของชาติตะวันตกมากยิ่งขึ้น การปรับปรุงและปฏิรูปประเทศในทุกด้านที่ได้ดำเนินมาเป็นเวลากว่า ๖ ทศวรรษตลอดรัชสมัยพระบาทสมเด็จพระจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัวสืบเนื่องมาจนถึง รัชสมัยพระบาทสมเด็จพระจุลจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว ไม่เพียงแต่จะทำให้กรุงเทพฯ ก้าวสู่ความทันสมัยในฐานะเมือง “ศิวิไลซ์” ทำนองเดียวกับมหานครอื่นๆ ในประเทศ ทางตะวันตกเท่านั้น หากแต่ยังกลายเป็นศูนย์กลางการค้าในภูมิภาคเอเชียตะวันออก เฉียงใต้ที่ดึงดูดให้มหาอำนาจทั่วโลกต่างมุ่งหมายเข้ามาติดต่อค้าขายอย่างมากด้วย เหนือสิ่งอื่นใดคือ การประกาศถึงความเป็นชาติที่มีเอกราชและอธิปไตยที่ดำรงอยู่ มาจนถึงทุกวันนี้ ทั้งหมดนี้ล้วนสะท้อนให้เห็นถึงพระปรีชาสามารถอันเกิดจากพระราช ปณิธานอันยิ่งใหญ่ของพระมหากษัตริย์ไทยทั้งสองพระองค์ที่ได้ทรงบันดาลให้ กรุงเทพมหานครในฐานะราชธานีแห่งอาณาจักรสยามได้สู่ความเป็น “เมืองสวรรค์” ที่ดำรงอยู่อย่างสง่างามในประชาคมโลก สมดังพระราชปณิธานของพระบาทสมเด็จ พระจุลจอมเกล้าเจ้าอยู่หัว เมื่อครั้งมีพระราชดำรัสตอบประชาชนชาวสยาม ณ พระที่นั่งสุทไธสวรรยปราสาท เมื่อวันที่ ๕ มกราคม ร.ศ. ๑๑๖ (พ.ศ. ๒๔๔๐) ตอนหนึ่งว่า “...เราตั้งในอธิษฐานว่า เราจะกระทำการจนเต็มกำลังอย่างที่สุดที่จะให้ กรุงสยามเป็นประเทศอันหนึ่งซึ่งมีอิสรภาพและความเจริญ...” Throughout the 65 years of comprehensive national reform carried out during the reigns of Kings Rama IV and Rama V Bangkok developed into a “civilized” city on a par with any Western metropolis. The city also became a major trading center of Southeast Asia and attracted superpowers from all corners of the world to engage in trade contact and exchange. Moreover, these reforms were designed as a declaration of Thailand’s independence and autonomy to the world; a message whose impact is present to this very day. All of these reforms reflect the administrative skill and resolute determination of both Kings in transforming Bangkok’s status as the capital city of Thailand into a “heaven on earth” city that could stand tall in the international arena. King Rama V’s wish, expressed in his speech to the people of Siam at Sutthaisawan Throne Hall on 5 January of the 116 th Rattanakosin Era (1897 A.D.), had been fulfilled. An excerpt from this speech reads: “...I pledge to exert my full ability to make Siam a free and developed country...”
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Transcript
กรุงเทพฯ เมืองสวรรค์ตามแนวพระราชดำริ18 A Royally-Initiated Path Towards a Heavenly Bangkok 19
Throughout the 65 years of comprehensive nationalreform carried out during the reigns of Kings Rama IV andRamaVBangkokdevelopedintoa“civilized”cityonaparwithanyWesternmetropolis.Thecityalsobecameamajortradingcenter of Southeast Asia and attracted superpowers fromall corners of theworld to engage in trade contact andexchange. Moreover, these reforms were designed asa declaration of Thailand’s independence and autonomytotheworld;amessagewhoseimpactispresenttothisveryday.
All of these reforms reflect theadministrative skill and resolutedetermination of both Kings intransforming Bangkok’s status as thecapital city of Thailand into a “heavenonearth”citythatcouldstandtallintheinternationalarena.KingRamaV’swish,expressed in his speech to the peopleofSiamatSutthaisawanThroneHallon5Januaryofthe116thRattanakosinEra(1897 A.D.), had been fulfilled.Anexcerptfromthisspeechreads: “...I pledge to exert my full ability to make Siam a free and developed country...”
กรุงเทพฯ เมืองสวรรค์ตามแนวพระราชดำริ20 A Royally-Initiated Path Towards a Heavenly Bangkok 21
เมืองสวรรค์เทียมสากล The Account of Becoming a Heaven on Earth City
If Thailand’s “civilization” that tookshapeduring the reigns of KingsRamaIVandRamaV led toBangkokphysicaltransformation into amodern city, theprogressive ideas andworld view thatemerged during the reigns of KingsRamaVI, RamaVII andRamaVIIIwerecontributary factors in Bangkok’stransformation into a city ofmodernspiritandvision. During the reign of King Rama VI,theemergingtrendtowardsdemocracyin theWestern world spread to theEastern nations. This ideology becameespecially popular among the elite andthe new generation of Western-educated intellectuals who boldlyexpressedtheirpoliticalideasmoreand
moreopenly.
King Rama VI prepared guidelines for the systematicunderstanding of self-governance among the public.Hiseffortswereevidentintheestablishmentof“DusitThani”,amodel town that experimentedwith local administration,in1918. DuringthereignofKingRamaVII,theinclinationtowardsdemocratic government became clear with the King’sreduction of thePrivyCouncil to a reasonable size and theholdingofparliamentarymeetings.Theregulationsforthesemeetingswerealsousedas the startingpoint for apoliticalreform. KingRamaVIIpresentedthefirstconstitutiontotheThaipeopleon24June1932,grantingthemthefreedomofselfgovernanceunder a constitutionalmonarchy. From thenon,Bangkok became a heavenly city of democratic rule,whichbecame stronger in the reign of King Rama VIII.AsaconstitutionalmonarchKingRamaVIIIwasabletoforma close relationshipwith his subjectswhilst remaining their
It is during the present reign that Bangkok has becomeamodernmetropoliswith progressive development in allaspects aswell as an internationally recognized center ofgrowthinSoutheastAsia. Aboveall,BangkokhasachievedthestatusofalivablecityaccordingtoWorldHealthOrganization(WHO)standards interms of its appropriate environment, ecological system,community strength andbasic standardof living. It is a citywith diverse economic systems, cultural heritageconnectivity,freedomofinformation,popularparticipationinthe health-related decision-making process, harmoniousurban development and adequate public health services.Bangkokresidentsliveinagoodhealthenvironment. In addition, Bangkok is expected to be a regionaltransportationhubfromwheredevelopment inallaspects isdelivered,ahubforpublichealthservicesaswellasaneco-friendlyindustrialcitybasedonresearchanddevelopment. Such developments have been realized throughHisMajestyKingBhumibolAdulyadej’s unwaveringeffort tocontinue the desire of his predecessors tomake Bangkoktrulyaheavenonearthcityineveryaspect.
กรุงเทพฯ เมืองสวรรค์ตามแนวพระราชดำริ22 A Royally-Initiated Path Towards a Heavenly Bangkok 23
Itcanbesaidthat,throughoutits200yearsofexistenceasthecapitaloftheRattanakosinkingdom,Bangkokhasbeenunder the benevolent rule of the Chakrimonarchs, fromRama I to RamaVIII. Thesemonarchswere determined tosafeguard thenationagainst all harmaswell as topromotepeace,stabilityandprosperityfortheThaipeople.Overtime,Bangkok, under the influence of both internal and externalfactors, has been forced to undergo a process of constantlearning, compliance, adjustment and transformation toaccommodate the changing political, economic and socialcontextsofeachperiod.Theresult isBangkokas it istoday,aheavenlycityofspectacularbeauty.
Sinceascendingthethroneon9 June 1946,when hewas only19 years of age, until his 84thbirthday in2011,HisMajestyhasbeennotonlyamonarchbutalsothe“might”whichstrengthensandrendersprosperitytohiskingdom.He truly lives up to the name“might of the earth” given to him
byKingRamaVII.
“...In truth your name is 'Bhumibol', which means 'the might of the earth'. I want you to be with the earth’s soil. When I think about what my mother said,
I think that my mother perhaps was teaching me with a goal in her mind. She wanted me to be down to earth and to work for the people...”
25
His Majesty the King’s royal speech. (unofficial translation)
กรุงเทพฯ เมืองสวรรค์ตามแนวพระราชดำริ26 A Royally-Initiated Path Towards a Heavenly Bangkok 27
ทรงเป็นมิ่งขวัญของแผ่นดิน The King who is Cherished by the Kingdom
HisMajestyhasbeencherishedandrespectedbytheThaikingdom. Following his birth on 5 December 1927 atCambridgeHospital (later renamedMountAuburnHospital),Cambridge,Massachusetts, United States, hewas lovinglybrought up by the PrincessMotherwho taught him to beindependent, thrifty, down to earth,mentally andphysicallydisciplined,rational,considerate,selflessandhardworkingforthegoodofthecountry. Above all, the Princess Mother adopted the PrinceFather’s parenting advice as a guideline on bringing up herthreechildren,especiallywhen itcametoone’smoralsenseand awareness of responsibility. As the Princess Sisterrecounts in her book “From Little Princes to Young Kings”:“…teaching the children to be honest, which meant telling only the truth … Every piece of advice came from father [the Prince Father] who was strictly determined to develop our country and do good things for our country. To do so, first of all one must be a good person. Mother did not use many words. She only said one must be a good person…”
Themoral seeds planted by the PrincessMother grewbeautifullywithin theminds of her daughter and sons andyielded fruits through their actions. This is the moralfoundationwhich has strengthened all the royals and set agoodexamplefortheirpeople.WhenHisMajestyenteredthemonkhood, he not only declared his Buddhist faith but alsoshowedhisgoodintentionofmaintainingandpreservingtheBuddhistreligion. His Majesty showed love and respect towards thePrincessMotherbyobeyingand followingher teachings.HetookgoodcareofthePrincessMotherinhealthandsickness.Whilewalkingsidebyside,HisMajestyalwayssupportedthePrincessMother himself.Hewould say, “You don’t need to do this… This is my mother… We will be the one to hold and support her.”Apartfromthis,HisMajestyfrequentlywenttovisitandjoinedthePrincessMotherformeals.Whenshefellill, HisMajesty alwayswent to visit thePrincessMother inSirirajHospital.Hepushedherwheelchairbyhimselfandsaid.“This is my mother… Why would we have need of others to wheel her wheelchair?... We will be the one to do it…” HisMajesty‘sadherencetomoralrighteousnesshassetagoodexample tohis ownchildren and tohis people. This isreflectedinhisspeeches.
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ทรงเป็นขวัญกำลังใจไทยทั่วหล้า The King who Raises the Kingdom’s Spirit
HisMajesty’saccessiontothethronenotonlyraisedthespirit of the people at a timewhen theywere in need ofspiritual uplifting but also led the kingdom to stability afterWorldWar II. HisMajesty recounts in hismemoir “When IdepartedfromSiamforSwitzerland,”arecordofhis journeyon19August1946: “...While we were in the car, we could hear someone crying out, ‘Don’t forsake your people’. We wanted to tell that person, ‘If the people do not forsake me, how can I forsake them?’ but the car was going so fast that we had already passed by…”
HisMajestyknew inhisheart thathewas “thehope”ofThaipeople soheestablishedhis lifeanewsoas tobebestequippedtohelpthepeople.HedidthisbydecidingtoreadLawandPoliticalScience,insteadofScience,attheUniversityofLausanne,Switzerland. ThisdecisionwasmadebyHisMajestysoastobeabletohelpdevelophiskingdomtothefullest. From that time on,HisMajesty devoted himself to hispeople’swell-being.He has raised the “spirits” of the Thaipeopleandshelteredthemwithancientprinciplesofkingshipsuchas“Dasavidha-Rajadhamma”ortheTenKingshipVirtues,“Chakravadivatra” or the TwelveVirtues for the Kingdom’sandthePeople’sProtectionand“Raja-Sangahavatthu”ortheFourVirtuesfortheMaintenanceofthePeople’sWell-being.Adheringtothesevirtues,HisMajestyhasliveduptotherealmeaningof“Dhamma-Raja”,theKingofVirtues. His Majesty has used his knowledge of literature,engineering, law and political science as well as theknowledgehehasaccumulatedfromself-learningtodevelophis kingdom.He studiesproblemsand their root causes andtries to findways of alleviating the people’smisery andimprovingtheirqualityoflife.
กรุงเทพฯ เมืองสวรรค์ตามแนวพระราชดำริ28 A Royally-Initiated Path Towards a Heavenly Bangkok 2929
ทรงเป็นพระมหากษัตริย์นักพัฒนา The King who is a True Developer
HisMajestyisaplanner,aninventor,an experimenter and a researcher.Aboveall,heisadeveloperwhohastheintentionofimprovingthekingdomandthe people’s welfare. Ever since hisascension to the throne, HisMajestyhas constantly traveled to visit hispeople all over the country in order toalleviate theirmisery and bring themhappiness;indeed,thereisasayingthat“there is no place in Thailand thatHisMajestyhasnotvisited.”
Fortwodecades,betweentheyears1969-1991,HisMajesty has traveled9,400 times to all areas of Thailandcoveringatotalof326,500kilometers.Itcantrulybesaidthatheisoneofthemosttraveledmonarchsintheworld. Everywhere His Majesty goes,especially in rural areas, the people’shappiness andwell-being are greatlyimproved.Hehashelpedthepeoplebyproviding themwith life’s necessitiesand healthcare facilities. Above all,His Majesty has set a guideline forpeople’sself-sufficiencywithaplanforsustainable development in terms oftheirprofessionandtheirwayoflife.
กรุงเทพฯ เมืองสวรรค์ตามแนวพระราชดำริ30 A Royally-Initiated Path Towards a Heavenly Bangkok 3131
HisMajesty’sdeterminationto improvetheThaipeople’swell-beinghas led to thedevelopmentofmore than4,634royal projects nationwide. The royal projects coverwaterresourcedevelopmentprojects, agricultural projects, naturalresources development projects, sustainable livelihoodprojects, communications projects, socialwelfare projectsandhealthcareprojects.Theseroyalprojectsnotonlyaimatdevelopingpeople’sfarmingandplantationmanagementskillsandtheirwaterandsoilresourcesmanagementskillsforself-sufficiency but they also aim to unite communities in thepursuitofstabilityandfutureimprovement. The royal projects have been devised on the basis ofnumerous studies, research projects and experimentsconducted byHisMajesty himself. Parts of theChitraladaRoyal Residencewere adapted into an experimental groundtocarryoutThe Royal Chitralada Projects,establishedin1960. The projects, still in operation to this day, aim atsolvingtheproblemoffamine.
Apart from agricultural projects,HisMajesty founded aRoyal Development Study Center, located near royalworkingstationsnationwide.Eachcenterfunctionsasa“livingnatural museum” of regional career resources. Mostimportantly, the center functions as amodel for centralizedmanagement. It representsacollaborationhubbetween thegovernmentsectorandtheOfficeoftheRoyalDevelopmentProjectsBoard,TheChaipattana Foundation andother royalfoundations. It aimsat improving thepeople’s livelihoodandqualityoflife. Between1979and1983,theRoyalDevelopmentStudyCenter branched out to 6 locations. The center not onlycarriesoutpilotprojectswhichaimatprovidingassistancetopeople in areas beyondgovernmental assistancebut it alsostands as anevidenceofHisMajesty’s intention to “inspire“his people to be self-sufficient and lead a stable andsustainablelife.
กรุงเทพฯ เมืองสวรรค์ตามแนวพระราชดำริ32 A Royally-Initiated Path Towards a Heavenly Bangkok 3333
ทรงเป็นนักปรัชญาแห่งความพอเพียง The King and His “Self-Sufficiency” Philosophy
Eversincehewasachild,HisMajestyhaslivedaccordingto a“self-sufficiency” philosophy,whichmeans living amodestandwell-balancedlife. HisMajesty has set a perfect living example of thesufficiency economy philosophy, a philosophybasedonknowledgeandmoralsthatleadtosustainabilityandstabilityin life. In 1974, theOffice of the National Economic andSocialDevelopmentBoardadoptedthesufficiencyeconomyphilosophy and applied it togetherwith the EighthNationalEconomic andSocialDevelopmentPlan. Ever since then thesufficiency economyphilosophy has been incorporated intolong-termdevelopmentplans.IthasbeenappliedtoallareasinThaisociety.
People, communities, educationinstitutions and thegovernment sectorhave applied the sufficiency economyphilosophy and have promoted “self-sufficiency” awareness. Communitiescan strengthen themselves by beingself-sufficient and independent andbeing ready to improve agriculturalareas for the people’s collectivelivelihood.Theprivateandgovernmentsectors have been able to raise socialawareness and overcome crises byadopting the sufficiency economyphilosophyandaimingforsustainability. It can be said that the sufficiencyeconomy philosophy, which is a giftfrom His Majesty to his people,functions as a guide or compass notonly for research and developmentorganizations at all levels but also instrengthening the nation’s economic,social, andenvironmentaldevelopment.The application of this philosophy hasalsoextended itselftothe internationalplatform leading nations out ofworldwidecrises.
กรุงเทพฯ เมืองสวรรค์ตามแนวพระราชดำริ34 A Royally-Initiated Path Towards a Heavenly Bangkok 3535
ทรงเป็นศูนย์รวมใจไทยทั้งชาติ The King who Unites the Thai Nation
HisMajestyhasbeen thepreserverof a democratic political systemwhichplaces the monarch as the nation’sleaderandpillarwithauthority intermsof legislation, administration andjurisdiction according to the kingdomof Thailand’s constitution. He hasestablished stability for the kingdomaswellasupliftingthepeople’sspirits. HisMajesty has relentlessly beenthenation’sunitingpillar,urgingpeopleand organizations in Thailand to uniteandcollaborate inovercomingcrises, indevelopingruralareasandinprotectingthenation’ssovereignty.
HisMajesty has also united thepeople in termsof theirfaithbyprojectinghimselfasthepatronofallreligionsinthekingdom:Buddhism,Christianity,Hinduism,IslamandSikhism.Because HisMajesty believes that each religion teachespeople tobegoodand todogood for the society,Thailandhas been able tomaintain its status as a peaceful religioushubuptothisday. HisMajesty has united his people in times of crisis.To help his kingdom overcome natural disasters, he hasdevoted his radio program to the cause of setting up aninformation center, invitingpeople todonateprovisions andessentials to victims. As well as this, His Majesty hasestablished many foundations that provide relief andassistance to victims. One notable foundation is TheRajaprachanukrohFoundation. HisMajesty,withhis loveandconcernforthebenefitofthepeople,hasalwaysbeenakingwhohasunited theThaination.