Dear Governor Aswin,
Hope this letter finds you well. It's been quite a while since you disappeared from the public eye and people started asking about you. We Bangkokians really miss seeing you commanding water-shooting operations to combat city haze, which earned front-page treatment from the media.
I've been told that you are on leave somewhere in Europe. Is it London? What a nice and timely escape! Everybody knows the air in Europe, despite the freezing conditions at the moment, is so fresh and clean.
Sirinya Wattanasukchai is a columnist, Bangkok Post.
Unlike Bangkok, Europe, a developed region, does not have the privilege of an exemption from WHO guidelines regarding PM2.5 limits.
Yet don't be annoyed if you hear some Bangkokians complain about your trip.
Perhaps you may want to defend yourself, and argue the smog would not disappear even if you were still here (which is true. In fact, the haze has become worse since you took office in 2016).
You must remember that (in)famous line from a former Bangkok governor who responded to those who criticised him for never carrying out flood inspections? If this episode has slipped from your memory, I can assure you that your predecessor's office was then flooded with s#!
Or you may feel the urge to tell disgruntled people right to their face that you have the right to take a holiday.
But please don't be too harsh with them. You have to know that you have followed in the footsteps of Barack Obama who in 2016 went for a round of golf while people in Louisiana were battling hard against the aftermath of a hurricane.
The former president of the United States learnt his lesson the hard way.
Lest you forget, I should remind you that in times of crisis, people always expect their leaders to remain with them, even though deep inside they fully know how helpless those leaders can be.
Being with them means at least you can share their plight. It's a good way to show them how much you care, and such a gesture, although the problem still exists, can calm them.
You may think I'm expecting too much. But as a leader, though you were not elected, you cannot really complain.
Anyway, let me take this chance to update you on what you may have missed while you were away on your trip.
While you were away, there was a serious talk over whether Bangkok, with its air pollution crisis, should be declared a pollution control zone.
The idea drew mixed reactions, but it was a pity we could not hear your opinion in your capacity as Bangkok governor. You were supposed to be the one to give the most meaningful input about this. What a pity!
I guess you are back at work this week. When you emerged from the airport, you likely saw that things looked pretty much the same as when you left.
The sky was laced with toxic smog, and many people were wearing masks to protect themselves.
By the way, street cleaners (the ones you sweetly called "angels" as their work keeps the city clean) are still roaming the streets, mostly without masks.
I talked to them and found out that many were unaware about the dangers of PM2.5 and some of those who did know cannot afford masks.
I hold out little hope that you came up with some ideas from the trip, which should have given you the chance to see for yourself how smart cities are managed and can avoid man-made smog.
I know you would like to say that City Hall alone cannot put an end to such a long-running and complicated problem like haze.
Indeed it requires cooperation from other state agencies including transport, and town planning.
Such cooperation can be better forged in a system with competent leaders with good judgement.
One qualification for good leadership is the ability to know, at the very least, where and when you should be.
