Sakoltee Phattiyakul, 41, deputy Bangkok Governor has been known as a "young blood" of Thailand's political landscape.
The former Democrat Party MP made his mark five years ago by becoming a key leader of the anti-Yingluck Shinawatra government People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC).
That means he has a connection with the Democrat Party, the PDRC, and the military regime. In merely a week after he was seen visiting and meeting Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak at Government House on April 3, he was appointed as new deputy Bangkok governor.
The move has raised questions over whether he was assigned to lead or whether the move was a plan to prepare for the next general election in Bangkok.
He shocked political pundits -- perhaps his own party earlier this year when he accepted a request by "someone" in the government to help work at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
His background suggests Mr Sakoltee is more than an up-and-coming politician.
He is the eldest son of Winai Patthiyakul, a former permanent secretary for defence and a former secretary-general for the now-defunct Council of National Security (CNS), but he insisted his father has nothing to do with his getting the job.
Putting his political affiliations to one side, Mr Sakoltee has been busy at City Hall. Almost every week, he has been seen visiting local communities, inspecting streets and recently, even negotiating with street vendors who ply their trade on Khao San Road.
The Bangkok Post spoke to him about the nature of his duties and where he sees his future in politics.
What organisations under the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) are you assigned to direct by Bangkok governor Pol Gen Aswin Kwanmuang?
I am assigned to oversee the City Law Enforcement Department, the Traffic and Transport Department, the Office of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, the Legal and Litigation Office, the Social Development Department and all other sections dealing with law enforcement, community development and social welfare in the 50 districts that make up the city of Bangkok.
Plus, I am also responsible for supervising seven district offices in particular, namely Bang Sue, Chatuchak, Lak Si, Don Muang, Sai Mai, Lat Phrao and Bang Khen.
Since April 10, the day you got the job, what has been done so far and what is being planned?
I've started out with the city's pavement regulation project, in which we aim to make Bangkok's pavements free of motorcycle drivers, street vendors, and illegal advertising materials and signs.
The first in a series of jobs to accomplish under this project is to better regulate street vendors occupying the pavements in front of CentralPlaza in Ladprao. City Hall has previously received a huge number of complaints from pedestrians over the untidy and dirty pavements in this area.
And after I had talks with the State Railway of Thailand (SRT), which owns the land where the department stores are located and had ordered a ban on vendors in the area, I provided a solution by allocating a nearby area for the vendors to move to.
More work in pavement regulation will be done in all of the 50 districts to ensure no street vendors return to occupy a pavement after being told to move.
I'm also supervising the BMA's dealings of public areas which are allowed to be used by street vendors on a condition that they ensure tidiness and hygiene. On Aug 1, we started with the area outside Wat Hua Lamphong, Talat Lao (close to Klong Toey market) and Khao San Road.
In the case of the Khao San Road, the pavements are occupied day and night by about 230 stalls. We plan to cancel all trade activities previously allowed on the pavements around the clock. However, certain space on the road surface will be allowed to be used by those stalls from 6pm until midnight. We will negotiate the matter with street vendors in the area.
Similar regulations will be enforced in more areas such as the pavements near the Happy Land Market in Bang Kapi district and the Bang Khae area. Talks will be conducted between the BMA and the affected vendors over the pavement regulation plan. Space in a nearby zone will be provided for them to move to, which could be a privately owned space offered at a bargain rate of rent.
I have to admit that several alternative places found for street vendors to shift to have failed to attract shoppers as the previous locations. So, to deal with this new problem, City Hall is trying to find better alternatives in terms of location.
This part may involve negotiations with private owners of the alternative locations to lower their rental rates for the vendors. We have sympathy for them (the vendors) especially during this time of economic downturn. But we also want them to understand that they have been obstructing pedestrians and causing difficulties for many years.
Other areas of my work include supervising law enforcement against motorcyclists taking pavements as their commuting routes. I have emphasised to municipal officials in all 50 district offices to ensure that there won't be a single motorcycle seen on the pavements of the 115 roads designated as motorcycle-free zones.
Stringent enforcement of the laws banning motorcycles on pavements is being implemented, especially during the rush hours. The fine rates range from 300 baht to 5,000 baht.
So far more than 2,000 offenders have been fined and more than 500,000 baht in fines have been collected. More than 10,000 illegal advertising materials placed on the pavements and roadside areas have also been removed.
Some municipal officials are known for demanding bribes from street vendors. What do you to fix this problem?
I've stressed to all municipal officials that they will have to strictly enforce the laws against street vendors illegally occupying the city's pavements. Otherwise, they themselves will face a disciplinary probe. Any of them suspected of corruption will promptly face a transfer while an investigation takes place to prove their alleged misconduct.
I am also trying to improve the bad reputation of municipal officials with a range of goodwill activities such as a campaign aimed at promoting the safety of people who commute through isolated alleys by offering pooled rides in a car driven by a municipal official.
The service will be made available free of charge early in the mornings and late at night. The BMA will run a public campaign to promote this service.
In addition, a number of municipal officials are already serving as assistants to the traffic police to ensure smooth traffic flow on roads in front of schools. This campaign is called the "School Safety Zone". They are working to help improve traffic flow by assisting students to cross the road safely.
Moreover, a number of municipal officials will be assigned to do security patrol in local communities on a bicycle. While engaged in this task, they will get to know people in these communities which will subsequently improve the likelihood of receiving tip-offs about criminal activities or general complaints about what should be done to make communities better places to live.
Any other areas in which work has been achieved so far?
In disaster prevention and mitigation, we are now in the process of bringing out fire trucks and boats procured previously for 6.7 million baht. They were left unused for a long time pending a legal case. They will need to be repaired before they can function properly but once that happens, they will be dispatched to 47 fire stations across the city.
I've already visited some of the fire stations to observe the working conditions. Most of the fire stations are run-down from years of use without adequate maintenance work being done. Station officers take turns working and staying on the premise around the clock even though more than half of the fire stations do not have sufficient rooms to accommodate all staff members. They don't even have enough mattresses for everyone.
At this point, I have instructed the executives of the Office of Disaster and Prevention and Mitigation to at least find enough mattresses and pillows for their staff who are working on standby around the clock and ready to react to any situation at a moment's notice.
I also asked the head of each fire station to conduct a survey on the condition of its equipment. If any piece is broken, the office should inform of the need for prompt repair. Before they are able to help others, we need to equip them properly to do their job.
As for the Traffic and Transport Department, I've made my policy clear with officials that all CCTV cameras installed around town should function and that more cameras should be installed in areas which have a high rate of crime.
As for the persistent problem of the BTS Skytrain operation, I've already discussed with the BTS operator over its extensive delays caused by signalling malfunctions. They promised to get the problem resolved before year end. They have promised that the problem will be resolved after they install filters on each of its trains and stations.
I am also making sure that the construction of the Green Line electric rail route's extension (Bearing-Samut Prakan) is sped up so this route will be ready and open to the public by the end of this year as originally planned. The Mo Chit-Saphan Mai-Khu Khot extension will follow suit in 2020.
There is another electric line project that I intend to push for while I still hold this office. It's the first phase of the Grey Line from Vacharapol Road to Sukhumvit 55 (Thong Lor). And the reason for this is that there has yet to be any rail system to help commuters navigate this zone of the city quickly and efficiently.
Each day, the number of commuters arriving into downtown Bangkok from the Vacharapol suburban area is estimated to be around 400,000. So, a monorail appears to be an ideal option for these commuters to mitigate traffic congestion on this route. This project is estimated to require a budget of about 20 billion baht and I'm going to make it happen while I'm still in office. This monorail route could later possibly be extended all the way to the Rama III area.
What is your core work principle at the BMA?
I have been a politician for 10 years, and want to maintain my proactive work style. I like to go out in the field and see matters with my own eyes to uncover what the real problems in each area are. And in my opinion, the problems facing Bangkok residents are mostly routine things, so BMA executives don't really need to make it complicated when planning their work.
They are only required to do routine jobs such as keeping the city clean and tidy, resolving the notorious traffic problem, thinking about measures to effectively encourage commuters to decrease travelling by car in the city, dealing with sudden flash floods, and handling rubbish swiftly.
Although these jobs aren't complicated, a great attention to detail is required in order to execute them effectively. That explains why these executives have to pay more attention to their jobs and subordinates.
So, how did you get this job? Was it your father who lobbied for you to get it? And what are your plans in politics?
My father didn't ask anyone to help me secure this job. A senior figure in the government recommended that I take this job. And I don't' have any conflict with my political party, the Democrat Party, although I used to work for the PDRC. I still think the PDRC and the Democrat Party share the same origin.
My future in politics? Well, I plan to do this job for now, which is a community-based one, until the end of Pol Gen Aswin's tenure. As for the new general election, I will definitely enter the race. Anyway, I will have to get my community-based work completed before that. I will never leave it only halfway complete for politics for sure.
