What some guys will do for votes

You know it’s election time when the markets are full of roaming herds of smiling, entourage-bulging politicians and you can’t see if any cars are coming at street corners because of all the campaign billboards. And your Twitter is full of the candidates’ feelgood promises. 

But surely these guys can offer something a bit different from the usual dross of a Bangkok gubernatorial election. 

Yes indeed. In this corner we have Pongsapat Pongcharoen, wearing No 9 for the Pheu Thai Party, suddenly leaping into the smelly end of a city garbage truck in Chinatown. It was a clever “ready to work” photo op, though a heck of a surprise, not just for the amused onlookers and the garbage men but for his own cheering squad too. “We must have a word with him not to overdo it like that,” a senior party member mumbled before declining to be quoted by name.

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And in the opposite corner in the “Bangkok’s got talent” sweepstakes is MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra, waving the Democrat Party flag. He’s a fussy eater, but to earn a second term as governor he’s willing to eat anything offered, and even be hand-fed by a street vendor. 

If you’re keeping score, put down eight points for heroism for Pongsapat and six for Sukhumbhand.

Sukhumbhand has been making the rounds with top party guns like Korn Chatikavanij, but on Silom Road last week people wanted to know where the hell Abhisit Vejjajiva was. So it looks like the party leader might have to break out the comfy walking shoes too.

Pongsapat, of course, had no less than Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra out mingling with the rabble in Lumpini Park on Saturday. They were swarmed by folks keen to pose with the premier for a picture. A report on the social media had one senior citizen telling Yingluck to attend more parliamentary meetings so she could see more of her on TV. 

Well, certainly Yingluck will be on TV a lot more while the Bangkok campaign continues.