Bangkok Post Kriengsak Niratpattanasai Column.

Byline: Kriengsak Niratpattanasai

Nov. 9--One night, I was leaving the office with a British colleague. When we reached the lobby, his driver walked up to him and grasped his briefcase. "I've told him several times to stop doing this," my colleague smiled. "Why is he still serving me? Would you be able to tell him for me?"

On another occasion, a visitor from Belgium told me a similar tale. He had hired a van with a Thai driver to visit the Eastern Seaboard. When they stopped for lunch, he asked the driver to join him at his table. The driver declined, which surprised the foreigner.

I was reminded of my own experience many years ago when I managed a large retail store. Early in my tenure, I went down to have breakfast in the canteen with all the staff in order to get acquainted. One day, I saw my driver sitting there with his khao kaeng (curry on top of rice). I bought my khao kaeng and went to sit next to him. Suddenly he appeared uncomfortable. From then on, I stopped sitting next to him.

The above stories reflect the persistence of class values in Thai society. In the old days, we had a system called sak di na (social ranking). There were classes in society such as: chue pra wong (royal blood-related) karach chakarn (civil service officer), samun chon / prai (ordinary people), and that (slave). Each class was entitled to a certain amount of land.

When King Rama V abolished sak di na, it was a surprisingly peaceful transition. However, the fundamental belief in hierarchy remains. Most drivers still call their employers chao nai (boss). Even the boss in an office is called chao nai by some white-collar staff.

The implications are not only in words but in behaviour as well. The look nong (subordinate) has to engage in more kreng jai, hai kiat (consideration, respect), rak sa nah (face saving) to the nai than to people at the same level. The subordinate will thus try to avoid suggestions, disagreeing or making the boss angry or disappointed.