ROAD TO CITY HALL
READERS BACK KRIANGSAK FOR CITY GOVERNOR
Kriangsak Charoenwongsak is head and shoulders above the other candidates in the Bangkok Post's Governor Election online poll.
As of yesterday, with 68.96% of votes in his favour, Dr Kriangsak (nicknamed Dr DanCanDo) is definitely doing something right to win the support of participants of the Bangkok Post's online poll.
We asked readers to vote on which candidate was best able to "get things done", not only in terms of political acumen, but who readers believe can best cut through red tape and rally civil servants to solve problems and achieve real results for the city.
We divided the key problems of Bangkok into five categories: the environment, traffic, education, the economy and standard of living.
In all categories, according to the voters, Dr DanCanDo is the one who can do it all.
With most polls and experts tipping former governor Apirak Kosayodhin as the clear favourite for the 2008 governor race, our poll results from one week of voting may surprise many.
Pundits agree that Mr Apirak is the most well known and well liked of all the candidates.
However, the former governor himself has confessed that the main obstacle over his past four years in office has been the task of pushing his policies through the political process and red tape, especially with the People Power party in control of government.
However, our poll asks for the candidate who readers believe has the best chance to realise their policies.
Keeping in mind that the differences in the announced policies of each candidate are few, this is the most important aspect to consider.
In compiling the results, we divided the voters into four categories: Bangkok eligible voters; expats in Thailand; Thais who are non-eligible voters; and overseas participants.
THE ENVIRONMENT For the polluted air that we breathe and the crumbling streets that we walk on (when they're not flooded), the Bangkok Post online poll says Dr DanCanDo is the best problem solver, with 53.87% of total votes. In the category of Bangkok eligible voters, 68.78% went for Dr Kriangsak, while Mr Apirak garnered 25.4%.
On the flip side, 55% of expats in Thailand who participated in our survey were in favour of Mr Apirak, as opposed to 22.5% for Dr Kriangsak. Thais who are non-eligible voters gave 56.25% to Mr Apirak and 25% to Dr Kriangsak.
Overseas participants have Mr Apirak the clear winner, at 73.08%, followed by Dr Kriangsak and Vachiraporn Aayooyuen, at 11.54% each.
TRAFFIC
This is the issue Bangkok residents moan and groan about every morning when leaving the comfort of their homes and diving into the chaos that is the streets of Bangkok. Once again, survey participants favoured Dr DanCanDo, at 71.91%.
Bangkok eligible voters overwhelmingly ticked Dr Kriangsak's box to the tune of 82.96%, versus only 11.11 % for Mr Apirak, sending a message to the former governor about his efforts to solve Bangkok's traffic over the past four years.
In a similar pattern to the environment issue, expats in Thailand supported Mr Apirak, at 70%, while giving Dr Kriangsak 20% of the vote.
Thais who are non-eligible voters largely agreed with the eligible voters, with 64.9% going for Dr Kriangsak, 21.43% for Mr Apirak and 14.29% for Chuwit Kamolvisit. Overseas participants gave Dr Kriangsak 33.33% of the vote and Mr Chuwit 22.22%, while Mr Apirak received no votes.
EDUCATION
People have been talking about reform since the invention of the Thai alphabet, but who can actually do something about it? Once again, it's Dr DanCanDo, according to 75.48% of the vote.
Dr Kriangsak received 81.97% from Bangkok eligible voters, while Mr Apirak obtained 13.93%.
In a change of pattern, expats in Thailand awarded Dr Kriangsak 47.83% of their votes, ahead of Mr Apirak's 39.13%.
Non-eligible Thais gave 47.83% to Dr Kriangsak and 39.13% to Mr Apirak.
Overseas participants like Dr Kriangsak at 66.67%, with Lena Jungjanja at 33.3% and no vote for Mr Apirak.
THE ECONOMY
Who is most likely to put money in Bangkok residents' pockets - legally, of course - and within the accepted boundaries of free enterprise?
It's the same song, with Dr DanCanDo pulling in 79.61% of the voters.
There are 84.03% of Bangkok eligible voters supporting Dr Kriangsak, while Mr Apirak received only 10.08%.
It's a relatively close call from the expats in Thailand, giving Dr Kriangsak 47.06% and Mr Apirak 35.29%.
Non-eligible Thais again voted overwhelmingly for Dr Kriangsak, at 85.71%, giving Mr Apirak 14.29%.
Overseas participants favoured Dr Kriangsak, at 77.78%, with Ms Leena and Udom Viboonteppachat claiming 11.11% each, while Mr Apirak received no votes.
STANDARD OF LIVING
Who can give Bangkok residents the quality of life enjoyed in richer countries? Who can improve the living conditions in our slums? You guessed it, Dr DanCanDo, at 75.34%. Bangkok eligible voters continued their love affair with Dr Kriangsak, affording him 83.05% of the vote, with 13.56% going for Mr Apirak.
Expats in Thailand have Mr Apirak winning, at 38.89%, and Dr Kriangsak following behind, at 27.78%.
Non-eligible Thais kept the love with Dr Kriangsak, at 83.33%, and 16.67% supported Mr Apirak.
Overseas participants backed Dr Kriangsak with 50%, followed by Mr Apirak and Vachiraporn at 25% each.
RHYMES & REASONS
Given the responses from Bangkok eligible voters who participated in our poll, the message is clear that, given his performance over the past four years, Mr Apirak has a lot to do in his campaign to win back the confidence of Bankok voters. Meanwhile, Dr Kriangsak, with the appropriate slogan of Dr DanCanDo, appears to have struck a chord with our survey participants.
Surprisingly, former massage parlour tycoon and colourful personality Mr Chuwit, tipped to be Mr Apirak's foremost rival in the election, scored very low in the survey. And conspicuous by his absence is the People Power party candidate, Prapas Chongsa-nguan.
To participate in the survey, log on to http://www.bangkokpost.com and click on: Bangkok Governor VOTE
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