It has been reported that the Siamese king, Pinklao Chakri, have significantly reform the royal Council, and fill the cabinet with prominent pro-modernization and reformist new members.
This governmental cabinet change seems to have been spurred by the recent promises of Pinklao Chakri, -the so-called Modernizer King- and they are mostly focused on economic reforms to solve the current unproductive economy of Siam.
Pinklao Chakri, the Modernizer King, has promised a significant modernization of Siamese economy. Pinklao Chakri seems to have been motivated by the awful condition of Siamese serfs and by the current massive arrival of new Sikh people into the lands, which requires several economic reforms to acomodate them.
The promised reform package consist of the next following measures:
1- The abolishment of Serfdom and the creation of a new system of Tenant Farmers, as the main concern of the king Pinklao Chakri and as a key part of the reform program. It is considered to be also needed to better integrate the new arrived Sikh refugees into the Siamese fatherland.
2- The passing of new Protectionist laws, to improve the economy and protect Siamese farmers and industrialists like Yod Chakri.
3- The end of the Traditionalist economic system after 1860, and the embrace of a new Interventionist economic system, as a key component for the transformation and the modernization of the economy and to start an early state-sponsored industrialization of the Siamese nation.
The series of modernizing and interventionist economic reforms have caused some level of tension with the previous landowner elite class, with the positions as it follows:
Pinklao Chakri, King: Openly supporting of the modernizing reforms.
Rangsit Praya Siri , Chancellor: Main opponent of the reforms within the cabinet due to being a slaver Landowner.
Isariyalongkorn Chakri , Leader of the Opposition: Somewhat opposed to the reforms if no concessions towards a Theravada theocracy are offered. Seems to be more worried about the Sikhs newcomers than about the reforms.
Piyararangsit Praya Siri , Head of the Armed Forces: Quite favourable to the modernizing reforms, despite being a Landowner, due to his own modernizer convictions. His position as Head of the Armed Forces should prevent a coup.
Sirivongse Hutasingha, Minister of Foreign Affairs: He's one of the main cabinet supporters of the reform as an open modernizer.
Chao Silpikul, Minister of National Affairs: He's an abolitionist and, as an active member of the Modernization movement, he's one of the main leading voices (agitator) behind the economic reforms. He also wants to get rid of slavery, but he understands that the Chancellor Rangsit Praya Siri , is too opposed to it, so he plans to slowly subvert him.
Yod Chakri , Minister of Modernization and Economical Affairs: He is the main proponent of the reforms, as he wants to develop a new Interventionist economical system in order to industrialize the Siamese fatherland.
Sirivongse Praya Siri, Prominent Citizen: A minor supporter of the economic reforms that uses his platform to rally the people behind them.
If we were to try to predict the future, the future of this package of ambitious modernizing and interventionist economic reforms seems quite challenging and the chances to pass are a gamble, but only time will tell.
