Everything about Suharit Siamwalla screams “over the top.” He comes across as an uncanny mix of overconfident socialite, overdressed MD, oversexed DJ/musician, and now an over-excited independent candidate for Governor of Bangkok. But Coconuts Bangkok spent a day with Suharit and dug into his softer side, discovering along the way his love affair with Bangkok, experience-based policies, belief in honesty, opposition to campaign billboards, and sensitivity to trolls.
The Living Wizard of Bangkok
On a sunny Thursday afternoon, Suharit Siamwalla, aka “Electronic Wizard” – a nickname derived from his two-decade-long devotion to electronic music – came into view from the Bang Rak Intersection. It was his fourth day of campaigning in the final month before the election for the new ruler of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) on March 3.
Clad in orange, accompanied by a serene-looking staff and equipped with a megaphone and a handful of No.17-stamped cards, Suharit proceeded along the hectic Silom Road towards Sala Daeng Intersection. He offered an apt Thai wai and a diplomatically wide smile to people from all walks of life – from senior bankers, salesmen, food cart owners and motorcycle taxi drivers to Patpong “ladies” and roadside vendors of hardcore porn.
At first glance, I failed to notice him coming down the street. Suharit’s a whole lot less recognizable when he sheds his standard “uniform.” The Suharit I am familiar with is the mad Wizard who wears black lipstick, funny-looking glasses, bizarre hats, bob wigs and dazzling metallic-silver space-age tops – often all at the same time. He enjoys identifying himself by the oxymoron “the oldest youngster.”
I bet many of you share my most “unforgettable impression” of Suharit – the moment where he’s pleasurably surrounded by boobs on the beach in the music video for his latest single “Love Lies Bleeding,” off the album Jarabee. He debuted his first Happy Hardcore Electronic-inspired album – Suharit – in 1997, followed by Digital Punk in 2002 and Gay in 2008. The nearly-four-minute-long NSFW film was released on his YouTube official channel two months before he announced his candidacy for governorship of Bangkok.
“Many call me an indie candidate, the Electronic Wizard or a DJ,” the 46-year-old said in his first campaign speech on Feb. 1. “But that is only 10% of my life. Like everyone, I have a job to manage, children to take care of and many other typical troubles to resolve on a daily basis.”
Suharit was referring to his main lines of work as a father of three and the Managing Director of DHA Siamwalla Ltd, a multibillion-baht stationery and office supplies company headquartered on Surawong Road in Bang Rak district.
It was only 30 degrees Celsius and not quite summer yet in Bangkok, but with direct sunlight and scorching vapor molecules rising from the street, Suharit was sweating easily while walking around Silom. While wiping off his face with his hand, the hairy candidate fingered his prominent nose. Suharit’s distinct physical features are due in part to his Indian heritage. Just like his father and grandfather, Suharit was born with an obligation to ensure the continued prosperity of the firm his great-grandfather Dilawer Husain Abdulali Siamwalla established in 1907 after emigrating to Thailand from Baroda, now known as Vadodara, in the Northwestern Indian state of Gujarat.
Once the lead singer for noted ‘90s Britpop band Crub, Suharit passed up his chance at stardom in favor of pursuing his familial vocation. Pushing his music career aside, he took up the mantle of Siamwalla’s fourth-generation successor. But the Wizard still remains a part of Suharit, as demonstrated by the four albums he has released in the past 12 years.
Thursday’s rally ran faster than scheduled. Suharit reached Lumpini Park at approximately at 4:30pm, or one and a half hours earlier than he had planned. I tracked him through the crosswalk across Rama IV Road and overheard a conversation between two middle-aged passersby, who were leaving the park after a jog.
“Is he Su….something?” asked the first man.
“Yes, the one with the million-step campaign,” replied his friend.
“I don’t think he’ll win,” the first man said. “What is he thinking about? Is it a hi-so thing?”
An interesting question. What is Suharit thinking about?
A Million Steps
On Aug. 23, 2012, Suharit posted 13 bullet points on his Facebook wall, describing his qualifications as a potential gubernatorial candidate. “I personally believe that people who are over 40 years old should bring about change to the society,” one of his points read.
Two days later, Suharit returned with a nod.
“My best policy is to search for what your real needs are,” he said to his online proponents. “I will discuss the practicality of your needs with experts so there will be no single policy that can’t be carried out. Let’s start now!”
Despite his speedy intentions, it took Suharit six months to begin his campaign in earnest. This fact should come as no surprise to many Thai political junkies, as it is common knowledge that independent candidates are always at a huge disadvantage, compared to those fielded by nationally-acclaimed parties.
“When you have to fight with big political parties, with all the conflict happening now, you have to be crazy enough to come out,” said Suharit, who was well aware of his disadvantageous position. “It is not an easy job to do.”
Suharit cited Bangkok’s slim voter turnout as indicative of the public’s desire for a new, exciting candidate.
“The majority doesn’t believe in politics anymore, according to my research,” said Suharit. “They don’t believe that going out [and voting] would mean anything, which is totally wrong.”
To correct that mentality and maximize his popularity, Suharit rolled out his “Virus of Bravery” campaign, which encourages voters to trust in upcoming changes he would bring to the city. He’s also undertaking a “Million-Step Walking” campaign, aimed at securing 1,000,000 votes while also investigating Bangkok’s street level problems. According to Suharit’s research, 47% of Bangkok’s eligible population does not vote in gubernatorial elections. He argues that if even half of that apathetic 47% were to come out in favor of his candidacy, he would secure more than 1,000,000 votes.
“It is more about small promises than big policies,” Suharit explained. “If I am elected, I would come back to fix problems along the footpaths I discovered during the walk.”
Blister Barrier and A Dozen Policies
Four-thirty in the afternoon is the best time for Lumpini Park goers. At that time, the park is not overcrowded, as the 5pm traffic nightmare has yet to take full effect. But for a gubernatorial candidate, 4:30pm is a terrible time for a stroll amongst the arbor.
This Thursday, during that deadly 4:30pm doldrums, Suharit settled onto a bench and took a few deep breaths, instinctively knowing that there would be no short speech given at the end of the rally today as previously planned. He stood up and limped into the running lane, allowing Thai TV crews to shoot extra footage for their newsreels.
Only two-tenths of the way into his million-step political pilgrimage, Suharit was already beset by blisters and pinching shoes. Still, his hobble didn’t prevent him from advancing.
The candidate is running on a platform of 12 main policies, or “A Dozen Policies” as he frequently and proudly refers to them. Two of them are aimed at resolving chronic traffic congestion issues. He claims that one of the two would not cost a satang.
“I propose that we first change” – and here Suharit aggressively pointed both thumbs to his chest. “That’s a lifetime change. You need leadership.”
For more short-term, concrete targets, he favors “a nice network of public transportation, starting right at the first step out of your home.”
“Nobody could solve any traffic problems if they are not solving the network,” Suharit says. “I often find that it is easier to go by public transportation than my car.”
Suharit’s ideal Bangkok transportation network starts with bus route reform. Unlike his fellow candidates, who proffer free buses and more electrical train lines to voters, he suggests that buses stop running along that BTS and MRT lines, opting instead to simply provide short-distance commutes down the sois, or network-spanning connections between suburban residents and the main train networks.
“To convince people to leave their cars at home, we need to give them a selection of alternatives first,” he said.
Suharit also wants to put crowdsourcing and technology to good use. His plan is to urge drivers to take snapshots of traffic problems and send them to the BMA. The BMA will geo-tag each photo with red dots on the traffic map to prioritize their attention and implement regular follow-ups.
The Honest Indie Godfather
“I will not delete all my Facebook photos so that you can learn about me before making your decision,” reads another of Suharit’s Aug. 23 bullet points. “I believe that my odd dressing has nothing to do with my brainpower. I have both good and bad history and I am an ordinary man who doesn’t do things right all the time. I have good will and if I can’t do it with honesty, I won’t do it.”
Honesty has been a major part in his campaign from the get-go and was mentioned several times during our interview. “I believe in honesty,” Suharit said. “I can find fun but I choose not to. I really want to be a Bangkok governor.”
One part of Suharit’s honesty takes the form of opposition to traditional media hype and promotion.
“I rejected opportunities to go chop chicken, fry Pa Tong Go (dough sticks), drive a hot bus, or pick up garbage,” Suharit stated in his first campaign speech. These declarations were followed by massive laughter and applause. Both major candidates – Pheu Thai’s Pongsapat Pongcharoen and the Democrat’s Sukhumbhand Paribatra – have engaged in such media-friendly activities.
Suharit also opposes hanging his banners on lampposts, reasoning that as an eligible voter in past elections, he never took these advertisements into consideration. “I want a green city, a very nice city to look at. And then I have my own signs on the roadside?”
These reasons are part of why Suharit has won titanic support from new-gen hipsters, who have christened him “the Indie Godfather.” This groundswell of admiration has turned into a ton of free online promotion for Suharit. Browsing through Suharit’s Facebook page, I stumbled upon a large number of professionally produced graphics, photos and even video clips of him rallying. I doubt the Democrat and Pheu Thai candidates have earned a similar outpouring of ultra-hip enthusiasm.
Suharit ranks social media as the most important tool in his campaign. Chief among its virtues, at least to Suharit’s thinking, is that it’s cheap. The candidate was earlier quoted as insisting that he would rather spend THB30 million on his kids’ education than on campaign publicity. At least in this regard, he’s putting his money where his mouth is: So far, his campaign costs have totaled less than THB1 million.
Despite claiming having less than half as many Facebook fans as the leading candidates, Suharit has gained plenty of online momentum. He responds to almost every tweet or Facebook comment in which he is mentioned, even those put forth by online trolls.
I asked him about this confrontational tendency during our interview.
“Some comments are really…” Here Suharit paused, trying to find the right word. “Oh my God, I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t get used to some of very bad comments. Right now, I have to live with it. But sometimes, it really hurts.”
This sensitivity to online bullies surprised me. With Suharit’s character, I thought he would pay the criticism no mind.
As our interview was concluding, I asked Suharit to describe himself using three adjectives, to which he replied, “Su, Ha, and Rit.” So far as I can ascertain, “Su,” “Ha” and “Rit” are not adjectives.
It is widely acknowledged that Suharit’s chances of winning are slim. Some assume that he does not have any chance at all. However, I would not rule out the possibility of the Wizard pulling off this last bit of magic.
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