On the Battlefield of 1932: Memory and today’s proxy war

Story:

After three years of backbreaking work, Thai comic artist Tanis Werasakwong, better known by his pen name “Sa-ard”, has launched a new graphic novel, The Siamese Ghostwriter, that pits a female journalist in a power struggle between the old order and the new. While telling the story of the ordinary woman in the throes of political change, Tanis fuses the past’s undying spirit with the Ratsadon Movement.

“When I started out as a comic artist, I was very passionate and self-absorbed, as evidenced by titles that sound very lonely. It dawns on me that what I am doing is related to other people,” he said in an interview with the Nation in Chonburi. “The Siamese Ghostwriter shows that I am not only an artist who wants to express something inside, but also a communicator and part of a very long history”.

Released in February, his fourteenth graphic novel draws on his journalism background. Growing up as an avid reader, he contributed cartoons to magazines in high school. While studying print journalism at university, he started to publish comic books. He graduated in 2014, when the military coup toppled the civilian government and shut down media, but continues to draw cartoons. His new comic is a collaboration with friends.

“We wanted to be part of the pro-democracy movement, but the amount of work delayed our original plan to finish it in 2020. It took three years. But on completion, the wave of protests had already died down,” he said.

“Some said my work is propaganda, but as a creator I have a political agenda. First, my team shares the view that it should not ideologically tickle us. Second, it is about Nipa, not 1932 per se, but more or less it is political because it challenges history”.

Drawing inspiration from Art Spiegelman’s Maus that tells the chilling story of his father during the Holocaust, The Siamese Ghostwriter follows the life of Nipa, a newspaper proofreader in the 1930s, a time when Siam bore the brunt of economic depression. A tip-off about a lawyer allegedly, in connection with communism, leads her to spy for the Khana Ratsadon. As Nipa becomes entangled in the game of power, the twists and turns become a test of her courage and integrity.

“Nipa is the main protagonist because the journalist was in a better position to observe the revolutionaries and the government. An outsider is better able to tell the story than can the Khana Ratsadon, which had good and bad sides. In those days, newspapers were boldly critical of absolutism. Besides, her status in the male-dominated press adds more layers to the story. My research found women already worked in print journalism,” he said.

When it comes to the title, he said it refers to Nipa’s job, but implies Seni Saowaphong’s Pheesart (Ghosts), which comes to mind when he thinks of Prayut Chan-o-cha. “I may not defeat you in this life, but my work will haunt you,” he said. “A long-term goal can give us hope. I knew that protesters would lose, though some said, culturally speaking, they won. But I can turn my work into a ghost”.

In Contemporary Thai Politics, Assoc Prof Pandit Chanrochanakit, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science, explained that there are broadly two views of the Siamese Revolution. One is that it was premature because democracy was a new concept at the time and society was not ready for it. The other is that it was too late. Meanwhile, some argue that it was a rivalry between tradition and Western thought.

When asked his view, Tanis disagreed with the idea that the Khana Ratsadon was too rushed. Regardless of the group, he said, others would have instigated it because Siam’s absolutism could no longer hold its power at the centre. Nevertheless, the elite-led Khana Ratsadon failed to establish democracy from the bottom up. He argued that democracy needs more work because it just gained traction in 2020.

“1932 is a work in progress”, he said. “It takes a century to see change. It has been only over 90 years since 1932. Let’s wait and see next century”.

Despite challenges, there are two things that keep him going. “As a comic artist, I am committed to my job because I want to do it as long as possible. As a citizen, I want to contribute to society. While working at home, I catch myself feeling guilty of being unable to help political prisoners. But I realise that I can draw comics. It is the best thing I can do. Like Nipa, I can do something with my pen”.

Dawn of revolution

Tanis is not alone in retelling the Siamese Revolution. After three years of hard work, producer Wivat Jirotgul premiered his animation, 2475 Dawn of Revolution, in March. He said the lack of information about the historical event in textbooks led his team to conduct primary-source research to produce the animation. It is told from the king’s point of view in cartoon form.

“Nobody sees fit to represent the monarchy on screen. As far as I know, Thawiphop features King Rama V only in walking motion, but nobody dares to depict the institution from the reign of King Rama VII onwards. That is why we create a cartoon character that imitates King Rama VII,” he said in a written interview with the Nation. “Another reason is that, during Covid-19, we were unable to shoot outside. When we got new evidence, it was easier to edit than to reshoot”.

2475 Dawn of Revolution tells the story of three students going to the library to do their assignment on the constitution. They meet an old librarian and debate with him about the Siamese Revolution. He gives a different account of the historical event, starting from Siam’s prosperity, colonisation, and modernisation to the outline of preliminary draft, the revolution, the post-1932 rivalry between old and new factions, and the king’s abdication.

When asked about being branded a conservative, Wivat doubted the possibility of placing an individual on the political spectrum. He said, however, even if his work is labelled as conservative, he takes into account evidence from all sides, including liberals. He thinks each group was trying to find a good solution to the country’s woes. Even the royal institution thought that the country needed a change.

“It should have had a happy ending. But why did conspirators usurp power from one another? That is what I want to present,” he said.

When asked whether the revolution was premature, he said Siam had been on course for democracy. It might have materialised earlier because King Rama VII had prepared to promulgate the constitution on April 6, 1932, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Rattanakosin Kingdom, but his idea was met with resistance because of the economic crisis. On the other hand, the Khana Ratsadon held the view that economic crisis necessitated political change.

“But let bygones be bygones. We should decide the way forward for democracy,” he said. “All sides should have a rational discussion rather than spread lies or slander without evidence. We are trapping ourselves in an echo chamber. Democracy should involve listening to each other to find a way out”.

Ideological battle

“1932 is becoming a battlefield of memory following the pro-democracy movement in 2020. Its profound impact on a new generation who believes in democracy and social progress provokes reaction from those who resist change,” said Asst Prof Sarunyou Thepsongkraow, history lecturer at Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Social Sciences, in an interview with the Nation.

He said that a major difference lies in their storytelling. In The Siamese Ghostwriter, Tanis depicts the Siamese Revolution in terms of social change according to post-1977 evidence that is more diverse. Meanwhile, 2475 Dawn of Revolution shows that it was precipitated by certain groups and society was not ready for it.

Asst Prof Sarunyou gave an overview of how the historiography of the Khana Ratsadon has evolved in a different political context. At the peak of its power, there was a tide of support for the group and criticism of the monarchy. Following a coup in 1947, the age of dictatorship saw attacks on the group and praise for the monarchy. However, the Communist Party of Thailand rejected both of them because 1932 did failed to bring about structural change. But the decade of 1977-87 saw compromise.

A turning point came after the coup of 2006, when support for the group and criticism of the monarchy retook the stage. Red-shirt protesters compared their situation to the conflict between the group and the monarchy. After 2014, the resurgence of conservative forces has brought back struggle, along with the state-led erasure of the Khana Ratsadon from public facilities, such as the disappearance of its plaque.

Asst Prof Sarunyou said “the battlefield of memory is an unfair game between people and those who have power,” as evidenced by the use of lese majeste and other charges against different views. He expressed concern that the conservative side is pushing for its version of history in compulsory education in response to the Ratsadon Movement.

Meanwhile, Asst Prof Phermsak Chariamphan, a lecturer at Ramkhamhaeng University’s Faculty of Political Science, told the Nation that the graphic novel and animation are becoming a proxy war between supporters of each ideological camp. In fact, they just tell the stories from different angles: microhistory and mainstream history. In other words, the graphic novel is about an individual, while the animation is about a key figure.

“I think they are complementary. Don’t dismiss either of them because of your perception of its political stance. If there is distortion, just treat it on a case-by-case basis. It is good to see a debate,” he said. “But I am concerned about the interpretation of history for political gain rather than for education. It involves devaluing opponents and fabricating, overinterpreting, or abridging evidence in favour of one’s own political movement”.

Asst Prof Phermsak said an audience should be aware of the multiple perspectives of historical interpretation and their inability to grasp the full truth. When asked about the current conflict, he said people are becoming more of political fans. “It is only when we realise that all groups are spreading propaganda that we are set free. For me, democracy and other concepts do not exist. Such awareness can enable us to design our own model,” he said.

Thana Boonlert