Imagination is more important than knowledge, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Albert Einstein famously once said. The Bangkok gubernatorial election, expected to be held early next year but has not been officially scheduled, looks set to be a fascinating contest of imagination.
What is an ideal Bangkok in each candidate's imagination?
Will it gel with what Bangkok voters have in mind -- the same people who have not been to the polls since 2013 and have suffered their fair share of flooding, air pollution, traffic jams, messy electrical wires and other inconveniences of life?
Can Bangkok become another Tokyo -- tidy, quietly efficient and well-connected with crisscrossing transportation lines?
Or should it be the same old City of Angels, with its heritage and remnants of the past coexisting with modern facilities?
Imagination usually runs wild with campaign promises. The point, however, is which one is more believable considering where we are now.
Three candidates have thrown their names in the hat so far.
These are former Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt who runs as an independent candidate, former rector of King Mongkut Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL) Suchatvee Suwansawat under the Democrat Party's banner, and former Bangkok senator Rosana Tositrakul campaigning as the "real" independent.
Incumbent Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang has not officially declared his candidacy. However, it has been widely speculated that he will definitely enter the race as his supporting group titled "Raks Krungthep", has been active on the campaign trail.
Among the four, former transport minister Mr Chadchart is leading the field by a wide margin. He is tipped as the favourite among all opinion polls, more than doubling the popularity score of the next candidate in most surveys. For political pundits, Mr Chadchart could do nothing and still win the next gubernatorial election at this rate.
Still, it is undeniable that the entry of the Democrat Party's candidate Mr Suchatvee has ignited the previously sleepy race.
Thanks to their common backgrounds in engineering and as graduates of the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Mr Chadchart and Mr Suchatvee have become constantly compared.
To an extent, the Bangkok governor election is seen as a two-horse race between them.
The latest survey by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, for example, showed that more than 56% of participants would choose Mr Chadchart while 29% would opt for Mr Suchatvee.
Despite an initial buzz, the former rector seems to have hit the bump early after boasting about his being the only "direct disciple" of Albert Einstein in Thailand because he studied under Prof Herbert Einstein at MIT whom he assumed is related to the late iconic physicist. The gaffe became much ridiculed after some quick searches showed that the professor was not related to the Nobel prize winner.
To his credit, Mr Suchatvee quickly responded to the alleged mistake saying the association was a common understanding among the professor's students and assuring that he would verify the information.
When it comes to their visions, which theoretically should be the deciding factor for the election, Mr Chadchart and Mr Suchatvee seem to harbour different imaginations.
While Mr Chadchart, who unveiled his candidacy in November, seems to focus on areas and communities in visits to the city's nooks and crannies to bring to light their problems and potential, Mr Suchatvee appears keener on conjuring up a big, impressive picture.
Mr Chadchart has campaigned to make Bangkok a liveable city for all. Mr Suchatvee, meanwhile, emphasised the slogan of "Change Bangkok, Yes We Can".
So far the campaign promises made by both candidates cover necessary areas including flood control, PM2.5 pollution, traffic jams and education. Both candidates have also promised to advance high technology -- big data, AI and communications -- to ensure that the city's problems are handled quickly and effectively.
Overall, however, Mr Chadchart seems to highlight the need to pay attention to what he called "small vessels" as much as megaprojects. Mr Suchatvee appears keener to favour big dreams where Bangkok will become like Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, New York or London.
Which vision will capture Bangkok people's imagination?
At present, the ruling party Palang Pracharath is yet to field its candidate and that seems to be the thing holding back the city governor election at the moment. But the race is getting more exciting each day and it seems that voters can't wait to choose the next governor.
Atiya Achakulwisut is a Bangkok Post columnist.
