BURNING ISSUE
Senior citizens set agenda for next governor
Avudh Panananda
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Bangkok gubernatorial race took a curious turn after an advocacy group for senior citizens wanted to sway the votes to their liking.

In about three days, the elderly will learn at first hand whether they can make an impact on the March 3 balloting outcome.

For the past few weeks, campaign billboards have been sprouting up on main roads, such as Sukhumvit, in the inner city areas. These billboards do not belong to the 25 candidates in the race but to a group called Elderenergy (phalang soong wai).

The billboards call for Bangkok residents to take part in a cyber-vote via Elderenergy Facebook to indicate their preference on the to-do list for the next Bangkok governor.

The Facebook page has shown a lively debate involving more than 9,000 people on a given day.

Elderenergy is being spearheaded by six prominent senior citizens.

The six include former senator Pramote Maiklad, Magsaysay Award winner and pharmacist Krisana Kraisintu, and horticulturalist Rapee Sagarik.

The other three are graft buster Banlu Siripanit, environmental advocate Yongyuth Chanyarak, and Teerarat Chuamnat, an educator for vagrant children.

Their key messages to the next governor include sensible zoning to prevent flooding and clogged waterways, medications for impure thoughts, treating senior citizens as productive forces instead of social burdens, and educating homeless children instead of spawning future criminals.

One way to look at the Elderenergy campaign is that the senior citizens have made a smart move to use the race as their platform to call attention to the idea that society should utilise the collective wisdom of the elders instead of putting them out to pasture.

The campaign's messages have been designed to emphasise a sustainable solution to each civic issue.

The subtext of these messages is a rejection of the populism championed by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and the Pheu Thai Party.

All six campaign leaders are known for their staunch opposition to populist policies. The campaign is reportedly financed by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, an advocacy for sustainable healthcare with big coffers supported by sin taxes.

Although the campaign's billboards do not push for the victory or defeat of a specific candidate, the underlying message is clear - vote against populism.

Of all 25 candidates in the race, Pheu Thai's Pongsapat Pongcharoen is the only one who might have to face the ripple effect of anti-populism sentiment.

When the six campaign leaders organised a meeting with gubernatorial candidates last month at Lumpini Park, Pongsapat was absent without explanation. His Democrat rival MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra received undivided attention for showcasing his policies for senior citizens.

Regardless of the voting outcome, the elders have proved they are still a force to be reckoned with.

Like old foxes, the Elderenergy campaigners remain cunning despite their advancing age. Who else but they could have come up with an unprecedented strategy to highlight sustainability in order to take a swipe at populism, thus pulling the rug from under Pongsapat?

On Sunday, Bangkok voters will cast their ballots. But their voice might shed light on which of the rival camps, anti- and pro-Thaksin, prevails rather than choose the right governor for the job.


-- The Nation 2013-03-01

One would hope three on the list would be clean up the rubbish, cull the stray dogs , install decent traffic lights plus road alignements that actually control traffic flow,actually all three should be embraced by Miss Y for all the country.

They'd get my support.

Why don't the candidates simply say " yes, yes everything, anything you want - promise " as by the time he needs to start lying about not doing it most of the seniors won't be around. OK, OK just a thought

This article is typical Thai tripe. The headline states - "Senior citizens set agenda for next governor." Yet there is not one agenda "point" for seniors discussed in the article. It is just rambling tripe about Thai campaigning. The "key messages" seem like they would be general issues for all citizens, but the last one , "educating homeless children instead of spawning future criminals" is least of all a "senior" issue.

So what are the Thai senior agenda points? Does this elder group really know any agenda points that they are articulating or did the reporter just not pick up on them? Does the Thai senior group care about such things as homeless elders, in home food and meals programs, in home medical care, more vision and dental care included in elder coverage, better hospital coverage? There are tens of millions of elder Thais walking around with no teeth and in failing health. Delivery of medicines and prescriptions, handicapped walkways, smoothed out sidewalks, ambulatory chairs and walkers? What are the issues that they care about?

Maybe big swinging you know what's like the Thai corporates such as CP, Singha, Red Bull, Siam Cement, Thai Air, and all the other big corporate fat cats should stand up and be counted and let us know what they are doing to fund such elder programs. The Thai press should be holding the Thai corporates accountable for some action on this.

Would be nice to see more independent groups like this speaking-up instead of just the major political parties controlling the discussion and making BIG promises.

medications for impure thoughts

Had to laugh at that one, would be a great market for that stuff.

Walk up start for Yingluck's party, with out a doubt her party will rule Bangkok for the first time in about 9 or 10 yrs.

She alone is very popular with the elderley, which was stated in a poll a few months ago.

Won't make any difference what any of the parties say, her party is in like flint.

Walk up start for Yingluck's party, with out a doubt her party will rule Bangkok for the first time in about 9 or 10 yrs.

She alone is very popular with the elderley, which was stated in a poll a few months ago.

Won't make any difference what any of the parties say, her party is in like flint.

She is photogenic, looks sincere and is a perfect tape recorder to repeat the words of the real PM

Why don't the candidates simply say " yes, yes everything, anything you want - promise " as by the time he needs to start lying about not doing it most of the seniors won't be around. OK, OK just a thought

Really? The seniors may not be around, but their legacy of teaching and leading by example will be. The people they have inspired and motivated will take up the torch. Never discount the influence of those old people.

Why don't the candidates simply say " yes, yes everything, anything you want - promise " as by the time he needs to start lying about not doing it most of the seniors won't be around. OK, OK just a thought

Really? The seniors may not be around, but their legacy of teaching and leading by example will be. The people they have inspired and motivated will take up the torch. Never discount the influence of those old people.

Well said....spoken like a true geriatric!

The campaign is reportedly financed by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, an advocacy for sustainable healthcare with big coffers supported by sin taxes.

Say what?

With the speed with which things tend to move in Bangkok and even Thailand, it's not good to be in the 'senior citizens' league already. IMHO