Election campaigns held by Bangkok governor candidates have intensified and many policies designed to improve the living conditions of Bangkok residents have been floated to attract voters.
However, one crucial issue that is rarely mentioned among candidates is anti-corruption policy. The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) manages a huge budget each year. The budget for the fiscal year 2022, which began last October, is 79.85 billion baht, allocated to 50 districts and BMA departments.
The Election Commission (EC) is set to cap election campaign expenses for each candidate at 49 million baht despite the fact that the salary of the Bangkok governor is much less than that.
The salary of the Bangkok governor is 113,560 baht per month or about 1.36 million baht per year. For the entire four-year term, the person elected governor will earn a total of 5.45 million baht from salary. It would not cover the expenditure for the election campaigns of several candidates.
It is interesting that of the total 79.85-billion-baht budget, 14.42 billion baht, or about 18%, is allocated as the central budget which is managed by the Bangkok governor.
The governor also has to oversee the rest of the budget allocated to Bangkok districts and other offices under the supervision of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council. New members of the city council will also be elected on May 22, the same day as the Bangkok governor election.
Since the BMA and its governor are involved directly in a multi-billion-baht budget, policies concerning transparent use of the budget and anti-corruption are crucial.
Unfortunately, most candidates talk mainly about spending the money to develop infrastructure projects and improve the welfare of Bangkok residents. They do not say how they will use the money transparently and how to prevent corruption.
The secretary-general of the Anti-Corruption Organization of Thailand (ACT), Mana Nimitmongkol, said he was disappointed that so few candidates dare to say how to solve corruption in Bangkok.
He said corruption in Bangkok follows the same pattern as that in other local administration organisations. Corruption in Bangkok could derive from land and property leases to private sector and concessions for various projects. Bangkok authorities also grant licences for many activities, which could also be affected by corruption.
He said the graft that takes place in Bangkok also includes extortion from traders, vendors and business operators, bribes from business operators in exchange for permits and lower tax payments, corruption in various concessions and procurements, and malpractice in allowing illegal projects in exchange for various benefits.
It would be interesting to know how much corruption in the city sets back the economy.
For the first time in nine years, Bangkokians will vote for a new city governor at the May 22 election.
Voters should do their homework and carefully consider the campaigns of various candidates and avoid voting for those who are only building castles in the air.
An ideal candidate must be able to make decisions without fear or favour, and run City Hall independently of the influence of vested interests.
He or she must also have a clear policy on anti-corruption and transparent budget spending. It is not too late for candidates to set out their stance on this important area.
