Pairat Suthithamrongsawat, Mayor of
Pattaya:
I feel very disa-ppointed that the 7 MPs from Chonburi did
not join the government faction, because this means they must accept the
existing political situation. Whether this will affect industry and tourism on
the Eastern Seaboard depends on the policies of the new government. Per-sonally,
I feel that this will have an adverse effect on Chonburi. If there were Chonburi
MPs in the government faction they would be able to push for larger budgets to
make Pattaya better than it is at present. A huge amount of money is now needed
to improve Pattaya. But if Pattaya is allocated a ‘standard’ budget it will not
be enough and there will be problems. This will cause hopes of making the
Eastern Seaboard a ‘gate to Southeast-Asia’ to vanish.
This will also affect programs which the city council and the private sector
have submitted to the government. Such projects as the landfill, the U-Tapao
Airport, the international convention centre, the international sports complex
and many others could be delayed depending on the government’s commitment to
them.
Dr. Sansak Ngarmphiches, MP, Chonburi,
District 3:
By its nature, politics always changes. Political parties can
be either government or opposition. The fact that the 7 MPs from Chonburi have
not joined the government faction will have no effect on the development of
Chonburi. This is because the government has allocated budgets for each MP to
develop their constituent areas. The MPs may not receive funds for specific
projects in which they are interested, because they are not members of the
government faction. But as Pattaya is a tourist destination, there should be no
problem in obtaining needed funds.
Every government has a Minister of Tourism and their are offices of the Tourism
Authority of Thailand in every part of the country. Due to this, Pattaya’s
various development programs should be carried out in an efficient manner. The
MPs from Chonburi will do their best for their constituents.
Sophin Thepjug, Head of PBTA, Pattaya:
I am disappointed that the Chonburi MPs did not join with the
government and the Supervisor of Tourism for Pattaya must change. The new
Supervisor will be someone we don’t know. The new government should always be
aware that the people are their responsibility. The government should not engage
in inter-party political ‘games’ as the ones who suffer from this are the
people. The people are now in desperate need of economic aid from the
government. I hope this government is really sincere in wanting to help the
people. They should not ‘play favourites’. The government should not use the
entire national budget to develop one area and leave other areas to suffer. The
government should try and lure tourists here as we have many natural
attractions.
All of Pattaya’s problems which prevent it from being revived as a major tourist
area should be solved. I hope that all of Pattaya’s environmental problems will
be solved within the next two years. It was a real advantage that the Banharn
Silpa-archa government passed the South Pattaya Sea Program, the pier
construction program, and the passing of the beach expansion only two days
before the election. This will improve tourism.
There is still a great need for government funds, in order to improve the
existing problems and make Pattaya a tourist destination as it was before.
Mr. Tawit Chaisawangwong, City Council
Member:
The new government must solve the economic problems of the
people, so they may have a better quality of life. This requires an expert team
of economists in the government to solve this problem. If this does not happen,
the new government will not last and this will add to the public’s miseries.
The fact that the Chonburi MPs did not join the government faction makes them
the opposition by default. I wish the Chonburi 7 had joined the government as
this would have made budget allocation more ‘friendly’. Budget considerations
are crucial to Pattaya as the city needs funds desperately. This must be made
clear to the government. There must be major changes if Pattaya wished to become
a tourist destination. Even though Pattaya creates a great amount of revenue for
the country, it is ignored by the government.
Kanjana Kittiviroj, Business person and
Social Worker:
I’m not really interested in politics. I know that General Chavalit
Yonchaiyuth is the new prime minister and has joined with 6 other parties. The
most encouraging thing is that the Chart Pattana party, headed by General
Chartchai Choonhavan, is part of the government. This should provide extra
stability to this regime. This is because General Chartchai’s government gave
the economy a big boost for a short time. He knows the problems and how to solve
them. This was especially true of the populace’s financial problems, which are
now reaching crisis proportions. I’m very happy that Mr. Amnuay Weerawan might
be managing the economy as he is a qualified economist and has shown his
expertise in past governments. But it is not 100% sure that Amnuay will be the
Minister of Finance as the positions have not been allocated yet.
Whoever is appointed should do their best for the country and for the people,
though. And as a Pattaya native, I hope that the government will give Pattaya
the attention it deserves. Pattaya now needs much assistance in every area to
improve its image and make it a true tourist destination. The Eastern Seaboard
project also needs much more attention than it is getting to be a success.
Mr. Suriyan Ariyawongsophon, Thailand’s
Most Famous Fortune Teller:
“I think that the Chavalit government will be in power for a little
over a year because the public does not yet have full confidence in this
government. This will cause shake-ups in the year 1997. This is because the
influence of the planet Pluto will cause 1997 to be a rather disaster-filled
year. This will be similar to ‘Black May’. These problems will be both domestic
and international. The government must work with utmost caution. That General
Chartchai said that this government will last more than 2 years is a worrying
statement as he may refuse to step down from his position , even if it is the
public’s wish. If this is the case there could be pandemonium and an economic
collapse.”
This is the opinion of many people watching this new
government. There are probably many more people who wish to express their
opinions concerning this government, with the economy being the important issue.
This is no problem as Pattaya Mail will be an open forum for people’s opinions.
Anyone wishing to express their opinions may do so by writing to Pattaya
Mailbag.
Please remember you are responsible for your own opinions and they will not
reflect those of Pattaya Mail.
