Self-Sufficiency and Self-Reliance: Nationalist Reaction to Globalist Imposition

Abstract

This paper makes an attempt to compare and contrast Julius Nyerere's philosophy and doctrine of Self-reliance and King Bhumibol's philosophy of Sufficiency Economy. Tanzania and Thailand are undoubtedly very different countries and societies. Yet, inserted as they are, in the global system of world capitalism, (or globalisation as it is fashionably called these days), there are remarkable similarities. The thesis of this paper is indeed that both were, at different periods and in different socio-economic contexts, reactions to globalist imposition of neo- liberal policies. The paper does not aim to give any elaborate introduction or analysis of self-reliance or sufficiency economy. Its aim is simply to raise some issues for discussion. In section one and two, I give a very skeleton background to Nyerere's philosophy of self-reliance and the way it was translated into policy. I do not do the same for the concept of sufficiency economy on the assumption that the participants of this conference (except me perhaps!) are familiar with it. In the last section, the paper draws out some comparisons and also raises a question on the validity of these philosophies, in particular their political practice, as providing a possible alternative framework to globalist capitalism.