Bhichai starts from the bottom up

Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Some say the choices you make determine how you will live the rest of your life. But sometimes the choices are already made up for you and there is nothing you can do but go on the best you can.

Bhichai Rattakul had fate make the choices for him. Born in Bangkok in 1926, the former deputy prime minister's greatest desire was to become a farmer and raise cattle.

"I like nature, I like to live in the countryside more than the city, that had always been my intention since I was a young kid. It did not materialize, instead of a quiet life, I have had all these years a very busy life. So contrasting," he told The Jakarta Post during a recent visit to the country as president of Rotary International.

Bhichai's twist of fate came when he was between 17 and 18 years old, when his father's illness forced him to take responsibility for the family's welfare.

"If something had happened to my father, what would have happened to my brothers and sisters? I have eight of them, so I changed my lifestyle at once," he said, adding that it was a long time before his father recovered enough to return to work.

To make ends meet, Bhichai entered the business world working as a clerk at a pharmaceutical company, and later as the manager of a logging company.

"During those years I played a very important role in helping my family. At one time, I was able to send my brothers and sisters to England, seven of them at once," Bhichai, who won numerous medals for track and field, football, basketball, hockey and swimming as a boy, said.

Bhichai was no stranger to hard work thanks to his father, who instilled in him a love of honest labor and the results of hard work since he was small.

"My father taught me this: don't forget that each single dollar is hard earned money. When you use it, use it wisely. So you must be honest so that every single dollar you earn is clean money. And the higher you get up there, the higher ranking you are, the more humble you must be," Bhichai said soberly.

As a fourth-generation Chinese in Bangkok, Bhichai's father -- in Bhichai's words a very strict father -- wanted him to learn the Chinese language and culture, so he was sent to Hong Kong to learn Chinese and at the same time, English.

The first time was when Bhichai was only six years old, but the immigration officers denied him entry because of his young age. When Bhichai turned 10, he returned to Hong Kong.

"I had no family in Hong Kong. I went to boarding school. I was alone. I think my father loved me very much, that's why he wanted me to be tough," he said.

Bhichai first joined Rotary International in 1958 as a charter member of the Rotary Club of Donburi, Thailand's second Rotary Club and the first to conduct business in Thai.

In his own words, Bhichai described the Rotary as "a place where leading business professionals meet to get to know each other and through that togetherness do something good for the community, and the country where they live.

"Therefore it starts among the members -- good friendship, good fellowship -- in the club, and from there they proceed to do something good for the community and from there, internationally," he explained.

With Rotary International, Bhichai has served as district governor, trustee of the Rotary Foundation, and the director and chairman of the Executive Committee of Rotary International.

Only six months into what was to be 44 years of Rotarian dedication, Bhichai was invited by a fellow Rotarian to join the Democratic Party.

Bhichai recalled that his interest in becoming a politician was sparked during his work with the logging company, watching the hardship of the poor people in the provinces but being able to do little to help.

"That's when I decided I must become a politician. I wanted to help them, because (as a logger) I couldn't do anything. If I was a politician I could help them," he recalled.

As a politician, Bhichai stood for election 10 times and only failed once because people accused him of being a communist.

"I was branded a communist by the military, and therefore the people thought I was a communist. I lost by about 2,000 votes," he said, explaining that at the time there was no need for him to defend himself in front of the people, believing that time would eventually bring out the truth.

One of the reasons for the accusation was Bhichai's determination and campaign to rid the country of military dictatorship.

"My goal was to get the people to stand up, not to be suppressed by the military all the time. Go up to the ballot box, vote for me and I will be able to get rid of military dictatorship," he said, admitting that at the time he failed and only many years later students succeeded in ridding the country of military dictatorship.

As a politician, Bhichai served as a member of parliament for nine terms since 1969, leader of the Democrat Party, served his country as foreign minister, deputy prime minister, speaker of the House of Representatives and president of the Parliament.

Bhichai is also the Thailand goodwill representative for international cooperation for the United Nations.

After such an accomplished career, Bhichai's one regret is that he never had the chance to study further, especially his favorite subject, agriculture.

Bhichai only finished his secondary education, but his lifetime dedication has earned him an honorary doctorate degree in political science from the University of Ramkhamhaeng in Bangkok and the Kensington University, California.

Being the first Thai to become president of Rotary International for the 2002-2003 period -- and the second from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) -- Bhichai said it meant he had to work harder.

"I'm not only representing Thailand, but I represent specifically Asians. So although I represent the Rotary world, I can't avoid being a Thai, I can't avoid being an Asian, therefore I try to portray the right image of the people of Asia."