Bureaucratic reform is planned for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA)’s bureaucratic reform plan calls for the transfer of decision-making power to chiefs of all 50 districts while the governor and all other executives will give policies and assess performances.

Surapol Nitikraipoj (สุรพล นิติไกรพจน์), chairman of the BMA Bureaucratic Reform Committee, said BMA is an unusually large organization and employs more than 90,000 people but no one except the governor has power to do anything.

Mr. Surapol said BMA’s operations have faced problems because everyone has to wait for the governor alone to make decision. Work has not been delegated and no executive could be held responsible when corruption was found, he said.

BMA has issued a lot of new rules and regulations but has not reviewed old rules so many being in force now are in contravention of one another, he said.

Mr. Surapol said he will propose to Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin (อภิรักษ์ โกษะโยธิน) that decision-making power be given to all 50 district chiefs because they know well about problems in areas under their jurisdiction. He will also suggest that the governor and other executives stop acting as chief-executive-officers but only give supervision and evaluate the performances. Some bureaus also may have to be dissolved, he added.

Mr. Surapol said implementation of the reform plan may begin late this year if approved by the governor.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 01 July 2006

I don't know if this is a good idea or not. One possible problem is that many issues can not be resolved by decisions made in one district....traffic for instance and drainage. Some/most/all of Bangkoks traffic problems originate from the layout of the city which was done by alot of little districts independently many years ago....the result is a mish mash of roads and streets that do not function efficiently....etc.