With mere days to go before polling day, incumbent former Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt appeared confident, spending more time telling people at Muang Thai Phatra Fresh Market in Bangkok’s Huai Khwang district on Thursday to simply not to forget to come out and vote. Chadchart did not even bother to explicitly ask people to vote for him, Number 9, most of the time, leaving that matter to his dozen-strong campaign team to handle.
After giving an interview to a dozen or so reporters, including Khaosod English, at a designated spot inside the market, the former Bangkok governor, who is the clear front-runner in Sunday’s gubernatorial election, simply waited as people took turns taking selfies with him. He even asked this Khaosod English reporter whether he would like to take a selfie with him too, but the offer was politely declined in order to maintain our paper’s impartiality.
A member of his team told Khaosod English that they remain cautious and want to ensure Bangkokians do not assume the battle is already won and fail to turn out to vote on 28 June. Chadchart told the press at the market that it is essential to support the 55,000 small businesses in Bangkok, rather than just big corporations.
Another noticeable aspect of the day, however, was that the so-called “Chadchart fever” of his first campaign four years ago was no longer detectable. After four years, that intense enthusiasm has largely dissipated, as Chadchart has come under a barrage of criticism from other candidates. The criticisms range from a failure to solve the PM2.5 micro-dust particle problem that blankets Bangkok for a few months every year, to allowing corruption among Bangkok City Hall officials to occur under his watch.
One female reporter asked how he was handling all the “mud-slinging” directed at him. Chadchart said it was only to be expected after four years in power, but that he was alright. As for earnest criticisms, Chadchart said he accepts them.
When Khaosod English asked what he considered a failure during his first term, Chadchart replied:
“It’s not a failure but something unfinished — graft and corruption. We will continue to do more.”
Chadchart turned defensive, adding that an anti-corruption group had given his administration a score of eight out of 10, and promised he would do more if re-elected.
What about the homeless people left to sleep rough, mostly in older parts of Bangkok such as along the footpaths of Ratchadamnoen Avenue, I asked.
Chadchart said the number has been reduced from 1,600 to 1,200, and that 30 people have been retrained for jobs. A centre to care for them called Baan Im Jai has been established, with six more planned for different parts of Bangkok.
“Right now we have limited authority to bring them in,” he said, adding that closer coordination with other agencies and new laws are required.
So what more can Bangkokians expect if he is re-elected?
“If you trust me, if you believe in our plans,” he said, noting that his administration has 250 distinct plans.
“What you will see in the future is Bangkok with a better quality of life and better productivity. So this is the important thing for the city.”
