입헌군주제하에서의 태국국왕의 카리스마와 정치적 역할 - 푸미폰(Bhumibol Adulyadej) 국왕을 중심으로

Abstract

In the modern constitutional monarchy, King is a merely national symbol without political power. As examples, we can consider the Queen and the Emperor in England and Japan respectively. But the present monarch in Thailand, King Bhumibol Adulyadej has political roles in his kingdom. We analyze reasons why his political role is possible in the Thai modern constitutional monarchy.

Actually we analyze two factors which are related to his personal character and secondly, political domestic situation. The first one is his charismatic character. His charismatic character includes a capability to be Dhammaraja for the welfare of the governed and make them believe that he can overcome the national crisis. But the charismatic character does not provide the necessary condition for his political role.

As the second factor, we can consider Thai political situation. This situational factor includes a decrease in the legitimacy of old traditional patterns of authority and the existence of relatively underdeveloped rational-legal political institutions. Since 1932 coup shifting absolute monarchism to constitutional monarchism, Thai participatory political institutions such as political parties and parliaments have not been institutionalized. Under these circumstances the King has taken political roles as a legitimizer strengthening the weak polity.

Moreover, Thai Principles(king, nation, religion) and Royal Development Projects made the routinization of his charisma. As far as Thai Principles and Royal Development Projects are available, his charisma will continue but his political role will be reduced according to the rational-legal political institutions development