September 14, 2022: What do the 2011 flood catastrophe and this year’s mini crisis in Bangkok’s suburbs have in common? The answer: A Bangkok governor and government authorities in opposing political camps who are accusing each other of being responsible.
Opposition MPs, government MPs, pro-government activists, anti-government activists, supporters of the Bangkok governor, his critics, his detractors and so-called academics and experts on both sides are making it a spectacular political blame game.
This is what opponents of the government are saying: “With rains like this, there’s nothing even God can do, let alone a governor.” “Check out the accumulation of city planning messes. The flooding is eventual.” “The governor has done his best, but is facing slow action by the government.” “The budget doesn’t match the immensity of Bangkok’s problems.”
This is what the other side is saying: “So much for ‘I have studied Bangkok issues inside and out for years’/” “It rained like this every year.” “Playing the ‘conspiracy’ card is an admission that it’s bad.” “What about blaming a man instead of calling equipment old and deeming weather forecast unreliable?”
To be fair to Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, he did try to distant himself from the Pheu Thai Party during his election campaign. But past connections and current cutthroat political rivalry immediately sucked him right into the ideological standoff since he won the landslide election. And there is no way back now. The best he can do is praying that it won’t get worse and that Lat Krabang is just a bad luck or bad blip.