A brillant economis and academician, Puey Ungpakorn is probably best remembered, at least by older Thais, for the important and courageous role he played as a member of the Seri Thai (Free Thai) movement during World War II. He is equally as well known outside our borders both for the economic policies he implemented as governor of the Bank of Thailand and for his social reforms.

This Wednesday marks what would have been his centenary and in addition to the recognition bestowed upon him last year by Unesco for his high ethical standards, several organisations are wishing him a happy 100th birthday by remembering him and his work. They include the Thailand Rural Reconstruction Movement (TRRM) and the Bank of Thailand, both of which follow in his footsteps to this day, and Thammasat University, his alma mater and where he served both as dean and rector, which is hosting a conference featuring the country’s key economic figures

As the governor of the Bank of Thailand for 12 years, Puey laid the foundations for the robust economic growth of the 1960s by liberalising the exchange-rate system, setting up the Budget Bureau and defending the BOT’s independence by fending off attempts at political interference.

While in office, former central bank governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul wrote open letters to Puey, updating his late role model on Thailand’s economic situation and the challenges facing the central bank. Those letters, which also highlight the role of central banking in social development, have now been compiled into a book to mark this auspicious occasion.

“Truth, grace and righteousness are three values easily identified in any study of Puey’s life. A man will always do the right thing if he does not worry about keeping his post. Puey always looked beyond his personal interests,” writes incumbent governor Veerathai Santiprabhob in the book’s foreword.

Starting on Thursday, the BOT will host a month-long exhibition on Puey’s achievements, largely during his tenure as the central bank’s governor. Along with five documentaries, the English version of parts of this exhibition will be shown in Kuala Lumpur on March 14, on the sidelines of a conference to remember the economist’s active role in promoting central bank cooperation in Asia, which led to the creation of the SEACEN Centre – a research centre of Southeast Asian central banks.

Puey’s legacy is also echoed through TRRM, the foundation he established in 1967. The Puey Open Library is now up and running in Chai Nat, the centre of the foundation’s operations, with help from Plan Motive and associated companies.

“The foundation’s activities focus on rural reconstruction work through our youth/student camps,” says TRRM director Siriwan Janekarn, adding that she has taken great pains over the past 27 years to raise public awareness of Puey. To her dismay, much of Thai society, most notably the younger generation, seems unaware of Puey’s achievements.

TRRM was Thailand’s first rural development non-governmental organisation and is now carrying out various rural reconstruction programmes based on Puey’s visions.

Siriwan says that Puey’s rural development mission was heavily inspired by the work of Dr YC James Yen, a Chinese educator and organiser known for his work in mass literacy and rural reconstruction, first in China, then in other countries.

“Dr Yen’s mission statement – ‘Go to the people. Live among them. Learn from them. Plan with them. Work with them. Start with what they know. Build on what they have. Teach by showing, learn by doing’ – struck a chord with Puey,” Siriwan says.”

Although Puey was concerned about the plight of the poor in rural areas, his approach to lifting them out of poverty was not based on development, but “rural reconstruction”.

“Rural reconstruction seeks to identify and promote the good things in the villages and development starts from there. Rural development, on the other hand, assumes everything in the villages is bad, and thus needs development without distinguishing the good things from the bad,” she explains.

TRRM was successful during its first decade but fell into a state of limbo in the late ’70s due to financial constraints and Puey’s exile. However, activities continue and the hope is to reach out to university students and young people and raise awareness of Puey’s life and work in the younger generation. The library opened last December and stocks children’s books and publications about Puey himself. A permanent exhibition dedicated to the economist’s life and work can be found on front lawn.

“In the meantime, we’re also running community development programmes that promote the quality of life of the people and His Majesty the King’s principles of self-sufficiency economics,” she says.

Her mission, though, has run into difficulties.

Most student volunteers are reluctant to join the NGO’s activities feeling that Chai Nat is too near Bangkok and preferring to travel north to help the underprivileged hilltribes in remote areas. What’s more, many students simply cannot identify with Puey. Siriwan remembers asking Thammasat students if they knew who Puey was and was amazed at their reply.

“They said Puey was the nickname of Pridi Banomyong,” she says.

“Though some villagers are aware of our work, it’s really hard to sell Puey’s ideas to young people. But we definitely want to reach out to the new generation. I want to make youngsters aware of Ajaan Puey and show them that Thailand used to have a few good men like him,” she says.

The lack of recognition is all the more surprising given the spectrum of Puey’s achievements and how well these have been documented at home and abroad as well as on the Internet.

Some older alumni no doubt remember how astute yet unassuming Puey proved to be as dean of Thammasat University’s Faculty of Economics in the 1960s and how much integrity and moral courage he displayed as rector in the lead-up to October 6, 1976, that black day in modern Thai history when the campus football ground was turned into a killing field and he was forced to flee into exile.

Awarding Puey the Magsaysay Award in 1965, the Raymon Magsaysay Award Foundation said: “The career of Dr Puey Ungphakorn confirms that a single individual can make significant contributions to the progress of his country, despite a tendency toward official corruption evident in many developing lands. Thailand’s relative prosperity and steady growth matched by stable finances are a measure of his accomplishment.”

A great man indeed.