CPB regression I

King Vajiralongkorn is continuing his cast to the past.

Khaosod reports on the House of Representatives “overwhelmingly approved a resolution Wednesday to rename the Crown Property Bureau to the Crown Property Office…”.

The House could hardly have done anything else as debate on anything related to the monarchy can lead to charges in politicized courts.

The change restores the name used during the period of the absolute monarchy.

Like all legislation regarding the monarchy, this was hush-hush and when presented in parliament it “sailed through three readings in a single day using an expedited process that drew criticism from opposition lawmakers, who questioned the government’s rush to pass the measure despite having no objections to the substance of the bill.”

Opposition leader Nattapong Ruangpanyawut of the People’s Party said his caucus “strongly disagreed with the Cabinet’s decision to fast-track the legislation through a full House committee rather than following normal parliamentary procedures.”

Nattapong observed: “This important law requires thorough consideration…. If it is a bill related to the institution of the head of state, our parliament should consider it meticulously and cautiously to avoid any suspicion or questions among the public.”

The Crown Property Bureau lost some of its previous significance when the king made all crown property his own in 2017. This was a change done more or less secretly by the junta’s government. Debate was impossible.

Nattapong went on to explain that “previous Thai monarchs maintained a clear distinction between personal assets, managed at the king’s discretion, and institutional assets, overseen by the Crown Property Bureau. The 2018 military-era law blurred this separation by placing both categories under royal discretion.”

Interestingly, Khaosod has no idea what the CPB/CPO does, saying only that it “will oversee royal assets” and is forced to use a 20 year old estimate of the value of these assets.

United Thai Nation Party MP Juti Krairiksh was at his scatter-brained best in defending the expedited process. He blathered about “the importance of the monarchy to Thailand’s democratic system.” He crafted the ultra-royalist/ultra-rightist tautology: “Nation, religion, and monarchy are extremely important to a democratic system with the King as head of state…”. Juti then went totally mad when he “argued that royal asset management has consistently benefited Thai citizens…”.

If no one knows how much the king has or how he uses it, this claim is weird. When the line between royal and state funds are deliberately blurred – such as on “royal projects” – Juti’s claim is ludicrous.

Vajiralongkorn has been keen to wind back any post-1932 laws and ideas that he seems to think limit his power. As Khaosod states, this legislation “moves forward as part of efforts to align current institutional names with historical Thai royal traditions while maintaining the management structure established during the military government period.” Neo-feudalism is the result.