• 
• 
• 

In fact, Bangkokians have been waiting for the extension of the Skytrain and underground metro lines for years. Only very recently has the Skytrain extended its service across the Chao Phya River to the Thon Buri side of Bangkok, after years of inexplicable delay and in spite of completion of the rail structure. The On Nuj line extending to the Soi Baring area has been proceeding at a snail's pace.

Perhaps the politicians are embracing New Politics so that they are now holding our interest before theirs. They are eager to service us with 4,000 NGV buses on a lease. The cost of this project is very little compared to the wealth of this nation - only Bt64 billion, or slightly less than US$2 billion. But wait a minute: like most Bangkokians, you must be surprised that you don't know very well the many faces of the politicians who want to improve the public transport system for you. You see it in the newspapers and on television, which have been reporting that Sophon Saram, the transport minister, would be ready to die if this NGV bus-leasing deal fails to sail through the Cabinet. Sophon could not understand why the Abhisit Cabinet did not care about Bangkokians at all. Instead of approving this project, the Abhisit Cabinet has sought to delay it by assigning the National Economic and Social Development Board to study whether it would be better for the BMTA to lease the NGV buses or buy them. Sophon could jump off a cliff if the Cabinet deprives Bangkokians of their entitlement to state-of-the-art NGV buses. He understands perfectly well that Bangkokians have been treated miserably enough over the years with the BMTA's rogue buses.

You may be wondering why your MPs in Bangkok, who are mostly Democrats, are not fighting hard to introduce this NGV bus project for us. Why is it that Sophon, the politician from Buri Ram province, has to come to our rescue? And what the hell are the Democrat MPs in Bangkok doing now? Isn't Sophon supposed to care more for the welfare of the people of Buri Ram, who have voted him into office? As Bangkokians who enjoy an elite lifestyle, you do not want to take away the resources that would rather have gone to the Isaan people in Buri Ram, do you?

Then some news reports have informed you that Newin Chidchob has been pushing very hard for this NGV bus-leasing project to sail through the Cabinet. Newin is also from Buri Ram. Although he is not an MP now because he has been barred from politics, he still has a big heart for Bangkokians. He has been pretty upset that the Democrats have failed to live up to the promise of allowing the NGV bus-leasing project to see the light of day. We must inscribe the names of Sophon and Newin in the chronicles of Bangkok as the two guys, who are willing to sacrifice their political future in order to provide the world's best NGV bus service to the capital.

Then you find out that another non-Bangkok politician has also been behind the NGV bus project. He is Suthep Thaugsuban, a deputy prime minister, from southern Nakhon Si Thammarat. Suthep is the black sheep of the Democrat Party. He has been working harder than any Democrat MP from Bangkok to deliver the NGV bus service to the capital. Suthep is ready to sacrifice his base in Nakhon Si Thammarat if only the people of Bangkok can travel around the capital in the NGV buses. The interests of the people of Nakhon Si Thammarat can wait. After all, they are not part of the Bangkok elite.

Now you know the whole story.

Abhisit Vejjajiva, the prime minister, who is a Democrat by blood and a Bangkok elite by birth and vasana, has betrayed us. He has robbed us of a chance to ride the NGV buses by one month. Instead of approving the bus project at Wednesday's Cabinet meeting, he decided to have it delayed for another month. We all know that Abhisit has thrown his support behind this bus project anyway. So by delaying it, even though he wants the bus service for Bangkok, Abhisit would like to punish the people of Bangkok for a full month by letting them suffer with the existing BMTA buses, which spew out black smoke and toxic wastes into the air. Only Korn Chatikavanij, the Democrat MP from Bangkok, understands our situation. He would like to introduce financial innovation for the bus-leasing project by using its future money through securitisation. In the end, the people of Bangkok will jointly own all the NGV buses.

The arithmetic for the leasing of 4,000 NGV buses is very simple: the cost of leasing an NGV bus is Bt3 million. The maintenance cost of each bus is Bt4 million throughout a 10-year leasing period. Overall, it costs Bt7 million to operate one NGV bus for 10 years. But the leasing deal is Bt64 billion, or Bt16 million per unit. If you subtract Bt7 million from Bt16 million, you get Bt9 million - in commission. And when you multiply Bt9 million with the total fleet of 4,000, you'll get a total commission of Bt36 billion.

We, the people of Bangkok, believe that this is a fair deal for all. We will get the new NGV buses. The politicians will get a tip for their sweaty labour.