Governor CEO experiment “a success’

PHUKET TOWN: After five months, the experiment of having a governor CEO run Phuket has proved to be a success, says Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Interior, Yongyuth Wichaidith. Speaking at the opening of the new Patong Municipality Office yesterday, K. Yongyuth said the appointment of Governor CEO Pongpayome Vasaputi has led to issues being dealt with faster than under the conventional system. “In the past, with management by government officers in Phuket, it seemed as though there was no [local] control,” K. Yongyuth said. “Every decision had to go to the government in Bangkok.” He said the governor CEO experiment had given Phuket more independence and more decision-making power so that problems were solved faster and more effectively. “The governor CEO has the power to move government officers if they don’t do their jobs properly, and has direct authority to make decisions, instead of having to wait on every decision from Bangkok,” he said. Next month, halfway through the experiment, the Rajabhat Phuket Institute will seek the opinions of people in Phuket, including government department heads and leaders of villages, in a questionnaire that the Governor CEO will not see. This assessment will be sent to the Ministry of Interior and, after 12 months, a decision will be made on whether to introduce governor CEOs in provinces other than the five that currently have them.