Bangkok governor self-rates 5/10, admits undelivered policies in first year

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt has rated his performance as five out of 10 after completing his first year in office. Despite facing criticism for his lack of achievements, Chadchart, who won the election by a landslide on May 22 last year, said it was a matter of opinion.

During an announcement at City Hall yesterday, Chadchart admitted that he had been unable to deliver on 11 policies and had to suspend other projects deemed impractical. The suspended projects include plans to establish lactation rooms and mobile libraries in communities. Traffic and urban economic management were also among the undelivered policies.

The Bangkok governor also acknowledged issues arising between his team and City Hall officials.

“The officials may have found we’re moving a little too quickly. To address these issues, more technology will be introduced to eliminate working barriers with officials and facilitate public services.

The 57 year old Bangkok governor is also considering expanding online services, such as Traffy Fondue, to assist with license applications. Traffy Fondue, an app developed in 2021, has been used in several cities, including Bangkok, to lodge complaints and resolve problems quickly.

Chadchart remains confident that his work during the remaining three years as governor will exceed public expectations. He emphasised that he assigns equal priority to both community-level projects and large-scale city policies, Bangkok Post reported.

A NIDA poll on June 4 revealed that 75% of respondents were happy with the 17th governor of Bangkok’s performance, with 47% quite happy and 27% very happy. However, 14% said they were quite unhappy, while 10% claimed they were very unhappy.

Chadchart stated that he would not change his current group of top-level executives at City Hall, including the deputy governors he personally selected. He added that he would ensure meritocracy is adopted when considering promotions of officials and that swift action is taken against unfair transfers.

A few weeks ago, Chadchart unveiled his proactive strategy to combat flooding in the city by installing extra water pumps in vulnerable areas. This initiative is part of his ongoing commitment to enhancing community-level projects for the betterment of the residents. Read more HERE.