It was a surprise to many of his friends and family when Boon Rawd Brewery's executive director Chutinant Bhirombhakdi, a third-generation member of the clan responsible for bringing us Singha and Leo beers, announced his decision to run for senator. Then when he won last year, with the eighth-highest vote in Bangkok's senatorial elections, the dream was short-lived - the September 19 coup tore up the constitution and with it the status of all MPs and senators.

Though his hopes were disrupted, Chutinant managed to make the most of the episode, has come out with a book - "Kae Roy Chutinant Bhirombhakdi" ("Tracking Chutinant Bhirombhakdi") - which deals with his experiences.

Chatting at the launch of the book recently, Chutinant explained that the inspiration to take up the pen wasn't a sudden one. "It was more of an accumulation of experiences during my eight months on the campaign trail, experiences I thought were worth sharing."

He writes of how his inspiration to run for office came from his time at the National Defence College (NDC), where his classmates included MPs and senators. "After 20 years with Boon Rawd, I was very business-focused. Being part of the class opened my eyes to the world of politics, bureaucracy and security."

After careful consideration of his capabilities, and the encouragement of friends, Chutinant decided that he too wanted to contribute something to the country.

His fellow board members at Boon Rawd were surprised when he announced his plans, but after some discussion they became supportive.

The time was also right. "Had I run for senator during the financial crisis in 1997, things would have been impossible."

But the big appeal of the role of senator, Chutinant explains, is political independence. "I've never wanted to be associated with a political party - I would much rather represent the private sector," he says, adding that despite his many friends in different political parties, he refused the assistance of connections in his bid for the Senate.

During the eight months of the campaign, he toured several areas of Bangkok to introduce himself to the locals. His wife, Khunying Piyapas Bhirombhakdi (star of the film "The Legend of Suriyothai"), along with his three children, joined him on the hustings.

"Family support has been very important to me. Without their backing, I wouldn't have come this far."

And the hard work paid off when Chutinant was elected senator with an impressive 35,505 votes. He wasn't satisfied, though: "Our goal was 60,000. But coming eighth in Bangkok was a nice surprise."

He attributes his success to four elements: First, being Chutinant: "I've been in business for more than two decades now, so I reckon I'm pretty well known in the business community. My friends at the NDC have also been very helpful."

Second, being a Bhirombhakdi: "Boon Rawd has been with Thais for more than 70 years now. We've run a good, transparent business with a clean record. That's won us a lot of hearts."

Third, his wife: "Khun Ton is a movie star, so her reputation obviously helps."

Last but not least, the tireless efforts of his campaign team - they were out on the streets drumming up support right up to the day of the elections.

One lesson he gained from his time out on the trail was that the majority of Thais either don't understand or don't care much about democracy and politics. Until they do, Chutinant believes, the nation won't be able to take the next step on the path of political development.

"One of the goals in writing this book was to stimulate public interest in politics, and show that it means more than just the mundane duty of casting a ballot every four years." His main targets, he says, are university students and the new generation.

"I want political-science students to have a good image of politics. Otherwise capable people won't want to take part in the governing process."

And Chutinant is putting his money where his mouth is - proceeds from the sales of the book will go towards a scholarship fund for politics students at Thammasat, Chulalongkorn and Ramkhamhaeng universities.

Although his career as a senator was cut short, Chutinant's desire to contribute to society is being fulfilled elsewhere - he's now part of the 100-strong Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA). Once again, he won't be in the post for too long as the CDA has a six-month deadline to meet.

But Chutinant says he will give his all to the task at hand, and will go on contributing to the country for as long as possible.

"I don't care much about having a fixed role or position - it could be anything.

"I'm happy to wait for whatever opportunity comes along."

Sopaporn Kurz

The Nation