Wiroj warns that no Bangkok governor completes two terms due to the end of political deference, risking extortion and threats. Suphanat exposes a scheme locking the TOR to demand kickbacks, using the Heart Box project as hostage, resulting in the rejection of the dust-free classroom project.
On 20 June 2026, the People's Party held the “City Cares Policy Fest” at the Future Building. Mr. Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn, deputy leader of the People's Party, revealed that a council member's duties include three main tasks:
1. To monitor and assess the joys, sufferings, and problems of residents in their district, report these to the Bangkok governor or administration, and follow up on whether the administration has resolved the issues.
2. Budget matters.
3. Enacting city laws known as “ordinances.”
Mr. Suphanat Meenachainan, MP for Bangkok from the People's Party, spoke about budget amendments. Normally, the Bangkok council may view some budgets as inappropriate and cut them. The governor then reallocates these funds to other projects, as even if a project is cut, the governor still has money to propose for other projects for further council consideration.
Mr. Ariyathat Yodchaikiat, People's Party candidate for Bangkok Noi district council member, added that most budget manipulation involves document-heavy project proposals. They tend to purchase equipment such as 55-inch digital TVs costing about 150,000 baht each, which teachers can use for lessons. Those reviewing budgets are a group of council members familiar with contractors. Some may wonder why the governor agrees; one reason is the governor has flagship projects they want to push each year, and council members recognize the importance of these projects, using them as leverage. Council members often set targets for budget cuts even before seeing the project details.
Wiroj also mentioned the earthquake sensor project, valued at 9 million baht, regarded as a 'Heart Box' by a former governor. Some council members threatened to cut its budget, despite options to reduce costs.
“Usually, second-term Bangkok governors face council members who no longer show deference. In the first term, council members hope to align with the governor to secure a second term. But no governor in Thailand has completed a third term. The current term sees the most extortion threats as political deference ends,” Wiroj said.
Suphanat continued, describing the budget cut of the dust-free classroom project, which was entirely removed by the Bangkok council. This project intended to install air conditioners and air purifiers in BMA classrooms. The problem was that the air conditioners had the same BTU size for all rooms, despite varying room sizes. Normally, a study should determine the appropriate BTU per room, and budgets approved accordingly. Instead, the council cut the entire project. A group of council members knew this was a flagship project for the governor and used it as leverage to make a show of power. Ultimately, the governor was left powerless. Therefore, they seek reasonable scrutiny and appropriate project reductions.
Regarding the TOR locking scheme, civil servants should write specifications, but in reality, contractor networks aligned with council members do this. They then find rival companies to submit bids, creating a bidding contest. Sometimes these are subsidiaries or affiliates registered at the same address but with different directors, bidding against each other.
Suphanat gave the example of a jogging track project that included horseback riding or cycling training programs, which typical tracks do not have. Only one company offered this program, part of the TOR locking scheme. He proposed budget reform using Machine Readable technology—AI to help read documents since council members previously had to review tens of thousands of pages within a 6 billion baht budget. AI would also detect corruption, verify procurement details, compare market prices of equipment, and implement an E-Catalog for government reference pricing.
Ariyathat noted that council members mainly ask to avoid issues affecting themselves since their names appear on budget documents. Notably, when corruption is uncovered, no politicians' names appear, only the governor and officials are blamed. Recently, People's Party council members have used a committee mechanism to review project documents before meetings, and they have proposed live-streaming extraordinary budget sessions to increase transparency in the Bangkok council.
Wiroj added that council members are like the guardians of the Bangkok governor's wallet. If incompetent or self-interested people get those positions, the governor's work suffers. Bangkok residents often focus solely on the governor, but good council members greatly influence the governor's work. He affirmed that People's Party council members will reflect citizens' issues to the governor.
“We will work constructively and straightforwardly to ensure projects align with public needs, regardless of the contractors involved. Budgets will be transparent and auditable. Ordinances will safeguard citizens' well-being, giving officials legal backing so no governor or BMA official can act improperly,” he concluded.