Capital’s governor race gives the nation pause for thought

As Bangkok residents ready for a May 22 poll to elect the city’s next governor, many people in other provinces say they too want to elect their own governors, according to an opinion survey by the National Institute of Development Administration, or Nida Poll.

The poll was conducted May 2-4 by telephone among 1,316 people in provinces outside the capital.

Currently, the head of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is the only popularly elected provincial governor in the country, with governors in every other province appointed by the Interior Ministry.

Asked whether all provincial governors should be elected, the replies were as follows:

33.9% said an elected governor can better respond to the needs of the people;

20.1% said all governors should be elected;

19.1% said the candidates are selling dreams which may fail to materialise;

13% were interested in the policies outlined by the candidates;

8.5% said appointed governors are also capable of performing their duties;

8.3% said the Bangkok governor election helps strengthen democracy;

7.6% said they envy Bangkok people who can elect their own governor;

6.9% were afraid elected governors in other provinces might represent groups of influential people;

5% said since other provinces already have elected provincial administration organisation (PAO) chairmen, gubernatorial elections are not necessary; and

1.7% said that in other provinces, electing governors might cause division in society.

Asked whether elections of governors should first be held in four or five major provinces as a trial, the replies were: 55.5% strongly agreed;

28.8% were in moderate agreement; 8.7% totally disagreed;

6.3% were in moderate disagreement; 0.4% had no comment.

Asked whether they are ready to hold elections for governors immediately, 47.8% said yes, definitely; 28.8% said yes, probably; 11.2% said no, not at all; 10.5% said probably not;

1.5% had no comment. Of respondents, 28.6% were in central Thailand, 19.7% the North, 36.7% the Northeast and 14.8% the South.

Meanwhile, a campaign to encourage voting spanning 50 Bangkok districts starts today.