People should push to restructure the city administration as the governor lacks power to cope with city problems, a seminar was told.

Academics who gathered for a round-table seminar on a reformed Bangkok said city hall lacked the power to deal with problems concerning public utilities while Bangkok people were not given a chance to voice their opinion.

Wanchai Meechart, a political science lecturer at Chulalongkorn University, said things would not improve if candidates continued to see the governorship as a mere stepping stone towards national-level politics.

''Whoever is Bangkok governor must dare to challenge state power. At present the Bangkok governor is like a housekeeper of a large Chinese family, because he has no power to do anything. The power to solve many problems in Bangkok rests in the hands of other agencies.

''That is to say, most of the power is still with the central government,'' he said.

Mr Wanchai said the BMA aims to make the city look beautiful, but not lively.

Bangkok residents should play a part in solving the city's problems. The governor must dare to defy government policies, while the government must be broadminded enough to believe that people in communities were able to take care of themselves.

Surichai Wankaew, chairman of the Campaign for Popular Democracy, said Bangkok folk appeared to be in the dark about city problems.