Airt Pongsak Defends Bangkok's Budget Under 'Governor Aswin,' Claims Surplus of 76 Billion Baht, Not 94 Million
Former Bangkok official Pongsak Kwanmeung disputes claims the city was left with only 94 million baht, asserting the previous administration under Governor Aswin actually left a 76 billion baht surplus despite heavy pandemic relief costs an
May 6, 2026 – Pongsak Kwanmeung, spokesperson for the Democratic Party and former Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) spokesman during Lieutenant General Aswin Kwanmeung's tenure as governor, posted on Facebook to clarify Bangkok's budget situation. He stated that Bangkok's budget operated at a surplus every year, and efforts to pay down BTS debt left behind approximately 76 billion baht, not 94 million.
Recent discussions about Bangkok's financial status have referenced the period when Lieutenant General Aswin served as governor. Without criticizing current administrators, Pongsak sought to clarify the facts in fairness to Lieutenant General Aswin, who committed to supporting the work without criticism or obstruction.
1. Budget Surplus: Bangkok maintained surpluses across multiple fiscal years: 2017 (+54.06 billion), 2018 (+141.93 billion), 2019 (+81.34 billion), 2020 (+45.86 billion), 2021 (+45.51 billion), 2022 (+109.52 billion).
Year-end budget surpluses are normal accounting occurrences resulting from revenue exceeding targets or projects bidding below estimates. However, during 2019-2022, Bangkok faced the COVID-19 crisis. The government provided emergency assistance by reducing land and property taxes by 90% for two consecutive years, costing Bangkok 10,000-14,000 million baht annually in lost revenue. Despite mounting expenditures for healthcare, pandemic relief, and citizen support, the administration managed the crisis through strict fiscal discipline.
2. BTS Debt: Current officials note that even after allocating funds for BTS debt repayment, Bangkok maintained a surplus exceeding 5 billion baht. Lieutenant General Aswin attempted multiple approaches to resolve this pre-existing debt:
2.1 – Requested Bangkok Council approval to use accumulated reserves for debt repayment, but faced rejection due to council concerns about debt burden and municipal bankruptcy.
2.2 – Submitted borrowing legislation to the council to transfer assets and settle debt, successfully resolving the Mochit-Khuekhot portion.
2.3 – Sought central government subsidies for remaining debt, citing the government's original construction of the infrastructure, but was not approved.
2.4 – The government attempted Section 44 negotiations with private sectors, which ultimately yielded no agreement.
3. The 94 Million Baht Narrative: This represents the most unfair characterization. Repeatedly claiming that the previous administration left only 94 million baht ignores the actual transfer of approximately 76 billion baht in accumulated reserves (allocated for civil service pensions, emergency reserves, and resources for new leadership). The new administration and council subsequently approved using 76 billion baht for system maintenance costs (over 23 billion baht) and operational expenses (over 40 billion baht), reducing remaining BTS debt to approximately 50,000-60,000 million baht. Current accumulated reserves are projected at billions of baht.
Ultimately, whether financial management yields a "surplus," "balanced," or "deficit" budget each carries different advantages and disadvantages. What matters most is responsible stewardship.
