'When will you come home?" a mother asks her on the phone. A teenage daughter, now a university student, is busy completing her assignment. She is about to go on a field trip to historic places ranging from temples to museums to collect information for her report.
Meanwhile, her mother goes out to sell orchids in front of an old temple. When she gets home, she makes khanom tan (toddy palm cake), which is what her daughter buys from a street vendor in an alternate scene. Later, she returns home and hugs her mother, culminating in the discovery of "Thainess".
This is the problematic gist of the final episode of the remade patriotic song, Bankoetmueangnon (Homeland). It presents four versions, each of which was released week by week last month. The original song by the Suntharaphon band won a patriotic song competition in 1945.
It should be understood that the song is the legacy of the nation-building programme under the government of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram (1938-1944), who was influenced by fascist states like Japan, Germany, and Italy.
In 1939, the government issued ratthaniyom (state edicts) to remake society for progress and to strengthen the country. It changed the country's name from Siam to Thailand. It assimilated Thais and non-Thais into its community. It also set up rituals for national symbols, like an anthem and flag.
However, many points can be made about the remake. First, the notion of exceptionalism is problematic. The song asks Thais to take pride in our "vast uncolonised land". In the second half of the century, imperial forces occupied all but one country in mainland Southeast Asia. Siam escaped colonial rule because it became a buffer between Britain and France.
In fact, Siam adopted a semi-colonial compromise. It accepted foreigners and their culture. When land grabbing intensified, it hired British surveyor James McCarthy to map its border. Following the Paknam Incident in 1893, it retained sovereignty but lost many peripheral states.
Insularity has undermined democratic values and human rights. That is why we still have the Thai-style democracy. In 2018, Prayut Chan-o-cha established Thainiyom democracy. His predecessor Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat said "Western democracy does not fit our society because since 1932 it has caused many problems in parliament, political parties, and elections".
Second, the song reinforces racial superiority. It posits that Thais not only "descended from the civilised clan", but also "possessed great power in Burapha [Asia]". Luang Wichit Wathakan, who headed the Department of Fine Arts, played a crucial role in promoting nationalism.
He defined many national characteristics, including martial skills, which gives itself dominant power in Suwannaphum (the golden peninsula). Other races were subsumed under its boundary. He also launched campaigns for the return of territories, especially parts of Cambodia and Laos.
After 1932, the Khana Ratsadon planned to reclaim territories the country lost to colonial powers under treaties in the 1900s. Authorities published maps that showed imagined boundaries and desires for being an empire itself. In 1941, Phibul grabbed parts of French Cambodia. In 1942, the army seized territory in Burma's Shan States. The military strongman dreamed of building Asia with Japan, but eventually switched sides when it began to lose.
Racial hierarchy still finds an echo in the relationship with migrant workers. Though they propel our economy, they suffer from hostility, exploitation, and discrimination.
Third, the song inculcates values like unity because our ancestors "sacrificed blood and flesh" for the country. We should protect the "national flag" that symbolises the three pillars of the nation.
Wichit wrote heroic plays about kings and ordinary people who dedicated their lives to the country. While King Naresuan and King Taksin protected the country from Burma, ordinary women fought Burmese invaders. Italian sculptor Corrado Feroci, known as Silpa Bhirasri, also depicted Bang Rajan villagers who fought the Burmese.
The song romanticises the bygone past to counter the emergence of popular nationalism, characterised by liberty, equality, and fraternity. The release date coincided with two major events, namely Oct 6, 1976 and Oct 14, 1973. People discussed the role of right-wing campaigns and demanded an investigation of those who massacred students at Thammasat University on Oct 6, 1976. Meanwhile, protesters have been taking to the streets for over a year.
It is a different homeland that lies not in the past, but in the future. It can bring hope and fear, depending on what makes you feel at home.
Watch the MV: youtube.com/watch?v=9ecmLO8RTIk
Thana Boonlert is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.
