POSTSCRIPT
And now, a good hand for the losers
- Published: 10 Mar 2013 at 00.00
- Newspaper section: News
It seems only fair to pay tribute to the 24 candidates that didn't quite make it at last week's Big Mango election. Lest we forget, for months these people acted above and beyond the call of duty in the name of democracy, sweating their way around Bangkok's steamy streets, sporting those fixed grins so beloved by politicians.
They were seen wobbling about on bikes, falling down holes in the pavement, blubbering over terrified babies, kissing bewildered grandmas, being chased by stray hounds, clearing up smelly rubbish, eating dodgy market food, treading in all sorts of unmentionable muck and, of course, making promises they couldn't keep. Speaking of which, it seems we won't be getting the 4,900 toilets that had been pledged for all of Bangkok's bus stops. In retrospect, maybe we should be thankful for that.
Some candidates even turned to embarrassing attempts at choreography to seduce the electorate, dancing the ramwong in the slums, the absurd Gangnam Style in the malls and a ludicrous Harlem Shake on the internet. One courageous fellow even swam across the Chao Phraya River, which I suppose is better than falling in it, a most unpleasant fate which befell an unfortunate candidate in the previous election.
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