Pheu Thai Party reviews one-year performance, addressing overdue Bangkok transit fees

Thailand’s Pheu Thai party passed satisfactory judgment on its Bangkok councillors’ performance following a one year tenure, despite a less than stellar display in the General Election held on May 14 last year.

The party members, celebrating the anniversary of their councillors’ induction into office, were determined in expressing the successful implementation of several campaign promises. Pheu Thai managed to glean the majority of seats on election day in the 50 districts, claiming 21 in total, Bangkok Post reported.

The councillor and governor elections bore significant weight, as they were the first since the 2014 coup of May 22, which led to the removal of the then Pheu Thai-led government. Initially, the success in the councillor polls indicated a strong chance of further victory for Pheu Thai in subsequent national elections.

Nevertheless, fortunes reversed in the general elections when Pheu Thai was relegated to a solitary seat based in the capital, Bangkok. The Move Forward Party (MFP) secured the remainder.

On the anniversary of their induction, Phuangphet Chunlaiad, Pheu Thai’s chief elections supervisor for Bangkok, reflected upon the past year, expressing satisfaction at the party’s ability to alleviate and resolve resident concerns. Chunlaiad maintains confidence in the potential for rapid alleviation of city issues via effective coordination with relevant ministries provided by the emerging government, founded upon a Pheu Thai coalition.

Pheu Thai’s proposed actions include the establishment of a specialised committee to assess the 50 billion baht overdue fee owed by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to the Bangkok Mass Transit System Plc (BTSC), an issue arising from the Green Line project.

Min Buri district councillor for the Pheu Thai party, Wirat Meenchainunt, asserted that councillors have executed their obligations by the Public Administration of Bangkok Metropolis Act 1985, with the city council’s 12 dedicated teams overseeing the progression of work at City Hall.

According to Meenchainunt, the councillors have achieved significant progress regarding the party’s five fundamental campaign promises. However, the task of reducing electric train fares continues to stall due to an ongoing legal dispute.

Viput Srivaurai, a Pheu Thai representative for the Bang Rak district, shared the party’s plans to establish a development fund worth 200,000 baht for each community, approximately reaching 50 hospitals across 50 districts. The initiative is geared towards the promotion of “soft power” to augment Bangkok’s economic value and has thus far engaged around 2,000 communities.