Bangkok gubernatorial candidates pledge to tackle corruption, but will they?
Tackling corruption has been promised by many Bangkok gubernatorial candidates during their campaigns ahead of the voting this Sunday. Thai anti-corruption experts feel, however, that making such promises is not enough.
What candidates have promised
Many gubernatorial candidates have vowed to tackle corruption and increase the administration’s transparency by disclosing city hall’s data, while incorporating the use of AI and digital platforms to detect irregularities in the procurement process and budget approvals.
Former Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt’s pledges to tackle corruption include disclosing all city data that are “AI-compatible,” as well as linking the BMA’s project information with budget data to enable public scrutiny. His policy website also mentions the revision of templates for the terms of reference (TOR), to prevent bid tailoring.
People’s party candidate, Chaiwat Sathawornwichit, has openly campaigned for the use of AI in detecting irregularities throughout the budget and procurement processes, from specifications, budgeting and drafting TOR, to bidding and project approval.
Democrat party candidate, Anucha Burapachaisri pledged to improve transparency by disclosing public procurement and concession data, using online platforms and databases. He will also empower the public to monitor such spending through the Thailand Government Watch (Song Rat) platform.
These candidates all agreed, during a recent pre-election debate at Thai PBS, that corruption should be addressed before anything else, otherwise it will be difficult for the local administration to fix other day-to-day issues, from traffic and flooding to pollution.
How to translate into action
Still, tackling corruption remains complicated. It can vary from corruption in large public procurement projects, bribes and evading law enforcement, to the misuse of public resources.
While the gubernatorial candidates have vowed to combat corruption and promote transparency, taking serious action would make a significant difference.
Mana Nimitmongkol, President of the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT) feels that pledges to tackle corruption are mostly deliverable, but their serious implementation remains lacking.
“The biggest reason these policies fail is that they are never fully implemented,” Mana said.
“Bangkok governors are elected with a public mandate, but the question remains over whether they are willing to use that authority. When they take office, they are stuck with the regulations of various ministries and agencies. Governors should, however, study these issues carefully and work to coordinate with those agencies."
The ACT President also pointed out that resistance from officials and bureaucratic structures is often the greatest challenge.
Despite that, he insists that the Bangkok governor has the authority to push for policies and initiate guidelines to ensure transparency within the administration.
On this, he credited Chadchart’s implementation of the ‘Traffy Fondue’ platform, which has increased public participation in solving the city’s persistent problems. Nonetheless, he hopes that the new local administration will continue disclosing the city's data to allow public scrutiny, especially over the BMA’s performance.
“By openly sharing information with the public, people can judge for themselves whether the problems stem from the governor and the City Hall, or from civil servants and other agencies that affect the daily lives of Bangkok residents,” he said.
Meanwhile, Tippatrai Saelawong, a senior researcher from the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), notes that these gubernatorial candidates have vowed to use open data, to allow public scrutiny, and AI to detect corruption, showing some commitment to moving towards a more transparent government.
“In fact, an online platform was set up for people to report corruption [during Chadchart’s term]. The information may not always be entirely accurate, as there are still some duplicate complaints, but it marks a new model of public administration, where complaints can be submitted online and are visible to the public,” Tippatrai commented.
While he believes that such policies can be deliverable, corruption within procurement processes still needs attention from the next Bangkok Governor.
What has been done to date?
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, under Chadchart Sittipunt’s leadership, launched a total of 90,228 projects between the fiscal years of 2023 and 2026, worth a combined 111 billion baht.
The procurement data for these, however, raises questions about efficiency.
The TDRI observed that 90% of the projects were awarded at prices less than 1% below the reference price. It questions whether city hall sets the reference prices too low, prioritising cost over quality, or is failing to promote competition and negotiate better deals.
Also, 93% of the projects were procured through non-competitive methods, meaning they have specified contractors, instead of allowing open and competitive bidding. The TDRI also found that most of the contractors are state enterprises or companies that are supported by the government, which prevents the private sector from taking part.
“Corruption or the lack of transparency in the administration is not only about the problem itself, the money, nor the budget,” Tippatrai explains, adding that corruption affects people’s quality of life, access to quality public services and public safety.
The TDRI researcher hopes, however, that the next governor and council members will put anti-corruption high on the agenda, continue to prioritise the disclosure of data, reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and allow public participation in scrutinising projects, which he believes should be one of the core values of the local administration.
“So, I believe that transparency in budgets, issuing permits and allowing public participation in scrutinising the administration should be fundamental values that the Bangkok governor and the administration keep at the core of their work,” he concluded.