Bangkok: Those who live here didn't choose, and those who choose don't live here. Although Bangkok is a popular and constantly watched capital city, beneath its apparent civilization lies deep-rooted structural problems.
According to Thai News Agency, Associate Professor Dr. Prinya Thevanarumitkul of the Faculty of Law, Thammasat University, has illustrated that Bangkok's most difficult challenge is not just managing immediate problems, but administering a city where the unregistered population far exceeds the registered population by more than double.
The biggest problem highlighted by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Prinya is the issue of the registered population in Bangkok. While the number of registered residents is approximately 6 million, in reality, more than 10 million people live there for studying and working. The resulting impact is that the allocation of public utility budgets, such as waste management, water, electricity, and transportation, is calculated based on the registered population, resulting in a budget that is almost half the actual number of people. In contrast, provinces face the opposite problem: a large number of people on the registered population lists receives larger budgets, but the actual residents have moved to Bangkok for work. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Prinya suggests that we need stricter enforcement of the civil registration law to ensure people change their registered addresses to their actual locations. This would improve the connection between local administration and the public, similar to the system used in countries like Germany where ch anges of residence are systematically reported.
Over the past four years, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Prinya believes that Governor Chatchart Sittipunt's "capillary" policies have been effective and proactive, such as addressing the homelessness problem at Baan Imjai (a community-level initiative) or reaching out to community-level issues. However, the next crucial step is to build "main arteries" or implement structural reforms.
One of the key areas that Assoc. Prof. Dr. Prinya wants to see is the significant empowerment of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). Currently, many responsibilities, such as those related to mass transit, overlap with the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Transport, limiting the BMA governor's authority in addressing the problems of the capital city, the nation's central hub.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Prinya cited examples from other countries to compare the development of quality of life. He highlighted that cities like Singapore are cooler due to more green spaces and suggested that Bangkok could become more bicycle-friendly, similar to Amsterdam, by investing in "bicycle expressways."
From a political perspective, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Prinya observed a new trend in the Bangkok elections: the increase in independent candidates, both at the gubernatorial and Bangkok Metropolitan Council (BMA) level. This reflects the public's desire for local politics to move beyond the conflicts between national political parties and to focus on genuinely addressing economic and local issues.
However, freeing Bangkok from its recurring problems requires empowering its residents to participate more in local governance, reducing the centralization of power at the Giant Swing, and decentralizing authority to the district and community levels. If we can address the issue of undocumented residents and build strong "lifelines," Bangkok will truly be a charming, safe, and inclusive city for everyone.