TUL PINKAEW SUPAWADEE SUSANPOOLTHONG

A quick glance at Bangkok's election-night red and blue map, one might be mistaken that the Thai Rak Thai party had swept all the 37 constituency seats, but a closer look reveals a patch of blue clustered around the centre.

Democrat party's Phra Nakhon candidate Jermmard Junglerdsiri, Sathon candidate M.L. Apimongkol Sonakul, Yanawa candidate Korn Chatikavanij, and Bangkok Noi candidate Ong-art Klampaiboon beat all odds to clinch parliamentary seats yesterday.

Chart Thai candidate for Don Muang Janista Liewchalermwong also benefitted from the disqualification of the Thai Rak Thai candidate there.

Her TRT rival Karun Hosakul was disqualified for presenting a false university graduation certificate.

The achievement is still a far cry from the nine seats the Democrats won in Bangkok four years ago.

Before the elections, Suan Dusit Rajabhat University's poll had predicted that only one Democrat, Ong-art Klampaiboon, would make the cut.

``Mr Korn's success over Thai Rak Thai's celebrity turned politician, Danuporn ``Brook'' Punnakan, lies in his personality, credentials and the fact that he chose to compete in a constituency that suited him most,'' said Charoen Kantawong, a former Democrat Yanawa MP.

Despite being a new face in the political arena, Korn, 40, is an experienced financier. The former country manager of JP Morgan (Thailand), who is an Oxford University graduate, turned his back on a monthly salary of more than one million baht for politics.

Being a financierhas put Korn in good stead with the bankers and business people who occupy the district, said Mr Charoen.

``The area was also seen as a Democrat stronghold and if Mr Korn were to compete in a different, more rural and not so urban district, he might have not made it,'' he said.

The Bang Rak-Samphanthawong-Sathon constituency, another business district, also saw another Democrat qualify with flying colours.

The 26-year-old M.L. Apimongkol, son of former central bank governor M.R. Chatumongkol, has expertise in the energy field, as he was an energy policy and planning analyst at the Ministry of Energy. The Oxford University engineering graduate is widely known for his motor racing skills and has received many motor racing trophies.

``When I take up my position in the House, I will immediately propose the idea of teaching Chinese in schools as a second language, bring in private firms to sponsor social family events in slums and restructure tax collection,'' said M.L. Apimongkol.

``The millions of voters that balloted for Thai Rak Thai did not mean the end of the world for the rest.

``At least this election has given the Democrats a chance to rethink our strategy,'' he said.

The Democrats also dislodged Thai Rak Thai from another of its strongholds, Bangkok's old town-business district of Phra Nakhon.

``Being a two-time Bangkok councillor for the constituency gave me an advantage and helped me overcome Thai Rak Thai's Siri Wonagbukerd,'' said Jermmard Junglerdsiri. ``I believe the projects I had initiated, including the Mobile Hospital, After School Computer and English courses and my sheer passion to meet the people helped me to victory,'' she said.

Party spokesman and the Democrat party's only past winner, Mr Ong-art, said the secret to his success was that he had no canvasser.

``I had canvassers before, but I later realised that if I did my own talking, my own campaigning I would be more in touch with the people and only then would they be convinced and come out to vote for me,'' he said.

Mr Ong-art said Thai Rak Thai's Jakrapob Penkair was not his only competitor but the whole party was and to beat that kind of power and that kind of funding, he had to work thrice as hard but it was worth it.

Chart Thai recorded its only other success in Bangkok almost two decades ago when Col Prachak Swangchit waved the party flag for one term.

Twenty years later, Ms Janista has managed to regain a Bangkok constituency seat for the party under highly publicised circumstances.