The English idiom goes "Don't judge a book by its cover" but I'll say "Let's judge candidates running for Bangkok governor by how they put up their posters". It's a mouthful but I think it's a legitimate point to ponder.
It's only fair too since we recently learned that we have 25 candidates who are eyeing the position and their posters have already, and in most cases uglily, sprung up on the streets.
It's a painful fact that Bangkokians don't already have any claims on their sidewalks. They have to brace themselves for many obstacles while trying to navigate a sidewalk (or lack thereof). The sidewalk is often so narrow that only one person can walk on it at any given time and the already limited space is also often occupied by utility poles, stray dogs, occasional motorcycles, loose wires that may catch you by the neck, piles of garbage and more. Heck, sometimes you're better off walking on the road! Not to mention, you'll have to also be mindful of loose bricks, which may cause a sprained ankle or a spray of dirty water if you step on them.
Given this painful "quirk" Bangkokians have to experience on a daily basis, it comes as a surprise and delight to me that, perhaps for the first time, we're talking about how these candidates have put up their posters seriously.
The most meme-able political figure in Thailand, former transport Minister and Bangkok governor candidate No.8, Chadchart Sittipunt, has received praise for slimming down his posters to be about the same width as a utility pole so as to not obstruct pedestrians too much while other candidates have been criticised for obstructing foot traffic with their sizeable posters.
I can't help but wonder if these candidates are so out of touch with the average Bangkokian that they don't see a problem with big posters. Or have they never set foot on a sidewalk?
How can you improve a Bangkokian's life, if you don't understand their daily plights? Such a poster may obscure the vision of people waiting at a bus stop as they can't see what buses are coming. Will these posters put motorists at accident risk as their vision may be compromised by them? Also, if we have such a poster put up at every utility pole, our sidewalk will be turned into an obstacle course; more than it already is.
If you want to garner votes from people, don't you think you need to be thoughtful and sympathetic to them first?
Chadchart has set a good example of rethinking the way to organise a campaign. He vows to minimise the use of posters on the street as he still needs to reach people who don't use social media and has utilised social media outlets to garner votes. His vinyl banners will be upcycled into tote bags or aprons. He also uses electric vehicles during his campaign to reduce his carbon footprint.
Candidate No.7 and former Bangkok senator Rosana Tositrakul is another candidate who is rethinking posters. If elected, she vows to regulate how these posters would be put up so they won't become visual eyesores and will ensure that all candidates will have posters up properly, not just candidates with big wallets. She also said her posters and banners would be made from recycled materials.
It's refreshing to hear that a few candidates have shown forward-thinking attitudes and are thoughtful. Talk about making a first impression, amiright?
