The Moral Origin of Thailand's Provincial Strongman

Abstract

Scholars uniformly explain the dominance of Thailand's provincial strongmen with reference to unscrupulous instruments of social control (for example, vote buying). The case of Banharn, the unchallenged strongman of Suphanburi, calls for a reappraisal of this explanation. His current domination has a moral origin: a decade before becoming a politician, he had done much for Suphanburi's development and honour, in contradistinction to the unresponsive, negligent and discriminatory central state. These deeds laid a solid foundation for his current legitimate authority. Instead of dismissing Banharn as a dishonest rural boss, we must examine the historical underpinnings of his domination in the context of state– periphery relations.