Date Added:
22/9/2009
THE majority of village chiefs on Koh Samui have voted in favour of the municipality becoming a city.
Eighteen of the 32 village chief and chiefs of subdistricts, who met last Feb. 15, voted to approve the changing the status of Koh Samui to a “Thetsaban Nakhon,” while the remaining 14 voted against the proposal.
Earlier Suratthani Gov. Vinai Baupradit directed Koh Samui officials led by Mayor Varakorn Rattanarak to resolve the issue after he had received a petition signed by subdistrict chiefs objecting to the change of status, whose foremost proponent is Varanakorn.
“I think we will become city by early March. We want the Suratthani governor to approve this as soon as possible and send the proposal to the Department Of Provincial Administration,” Varakorn said in an interview with Samui Express.
Varanakorn said Koh Samui was ready to become a city, as he claimed the municipality has passed all the criteria required of it, including the required population. Samui’s official population now is 50,066 within an area of 228.7 square kilometers. This means the population density is 218.95 people per square kilometer.
In terms of income, the revenue from Koh Samui is over Bt10 billion a year is enough to change the island from a municipality to a city, Varakorn said.
The village chief’s and subdistrict chiefs’ objection has emanated from the fact that they would lose their positions, which would be abolished under a city setup.
The chiefs argued that as a city, Koh Samui would be more difficult to manage with the abolition of the position of subdistrict chief, resulting in the deterioration of basic services to residents, especially those in far-flung areas. They claimed they could solve the problems of residents at the community level better than the municipal ir city officials.
One of the subdistrict chiefs, Jaroen Jantra, of Bophut, who is also the head of the Subdistrict and Village Chiefs Association of Koh Samui, said, however, that his group had nothing to do with the letter sent to the provincial governor.
“If some people do not agree with the plan to change ths status of Koh Samui, I think it is really a pity. The new status would help a lot in terms of financial and manpower support to develop the island,” he said.
Besides Koh Samui passing all three requirements to become a city, it's residents also overwhelmingly approved cityhood for the resort island in a referendum.
The mayor has sent the proposal for change of status to the governor, who has to approve it. The approval has, however, hit a snag resulting from the objection of the village and subdistrict chiefs, who are directly under the Office of the Governor. If Samui becomes a city, they will lose their jobs within a year.
An exasperated Mayor Varakorn threatened to disclose the names of those behind the opposition to the change of status, saying that if the plan to change the status fails, “I will disclose all information about those who do not want to bring good things for the island.”
In reply to claims that the present municipality status offers more efficient basic services, the mayor said that under a city setup, “we will have a community board with representatives from nine areas in lieu of the chief of village and chiefs of subdistricts. These community committees will take charge of the problems of people and provide services better than the old system.”
Varakorn also said he believed that the objection of some people had something to do with their business advantage, which they stand to lose if the village and subdistrict chiefs’ positions are abolished.—With a report from Chat Anupan |
