Panich Vikitsreth recently resigned as Bangkok’s Deputy Governor, but strong rumors that he may be the Democrat Party’s candidate for the top job show his continued commitment to the city.

I’m a very determined person. I do my best at work but I’m not a workaholic. I choose to work appropriate hours and I certainly don’t work 24 hours a day.

I don’t believe that you can work 24/7. We all need rest to nourish our creative side. Towork effectively you need to use your brain more than your physical strength.

It’s my objective to give something back to society, to as many people as possible.
Politics allows me to work with the people. I have already achieved a lot in the private sector. Politics is a new challenge.

I like the philosophy of my party. I admire the party’s leader and it’s great to work with people who share the same political ideology.

I never draw castles in the sky. I already understood the negative side of politics before I  decided to get involved and become a politician.

Many people complain to me about the BMA (Bangkok Metropolitan Administration), but I can say that I was glad to work there.

Mistakes happen. You cannot be right about everything and you cannot be right all the time. It’s better to make a mistake trying to do something than do nothing at all. The key is to make as few mistakes as possible.

It’s very hard for a government officer to try and buy the best products
for the people. If you want a quality product, you have to pay a high price. When you pay a lot of money for a product, people think it’s because you are making money from the deal. If you work in the private sector, it’s easy. You know that if you buy the best, it might be expensive but you will end up saving money in the long term.

Bangkok still has many things it can improve.
In particular it needs to develop into an organized modern city, but within a Thai context. So, you don’t have to get rid of all the street vendors, because this is our way of life. Instead of pushing them away, we need to organize them better. I feel we are all very fortunate to live in Bangkok as it has many positive aspects. It has an amazing potential for development but we all need to agree on the right way forward.

If I could ask anything from the people? I would ask them to elect the Democrat Party again. This kind of work needs continuity. I’m not talking about an individual, but about the team who need the time to continue the good work they have already begun.

I want people to understand the city’s problems. You need to understand that there are potential problems everywhere and even the tiniest thing can have negative effect.s For example, when you drop litter on the street it can clog up the drains and when it rains the streets flood. I always tell my children to pick up litter off the street.

It’s a pity that more Bangkokians don’t take their children to parks. This is one of the things that the BMA should encourage. My dream is to see a central park situated close to the Chaophraya River.

I’m a father who teaches my children how to live peacefully with others. They can study what they want, but they have to be a good person. I’m always telling my son this, but I’m too afraid to lecture my daughter! If you can’t get along with other people you will always have problems in your working life.

I tell my son you have to be a gentleman, and not just because he is a man. It’s because,
in the future, he will have to work with other people and support his family.

Time is a serious thing to me. I’m a punctual guy. If I am late, I feel guilty.