Water has been part of my life since I was born. I grew up among plantations on the Thonburi side of Bangkok. I helped my parents take care of our plants and traveled the canals by boat.

Going to school was the hardest thing about my childhood. I walked four kilometers each morning to catch a bus to school and did the same in the evening.

My parents’ encouragement kept me moving forward. They always told me to study, so I wouldn’t have to work hard like them. 

I love math and science so I wanted to study engineering. I chose to study Irrigation Engineering at Kasetsart University instead of attending Chulalongkorn. People said I was a fool, but the truth is I had already paid my tuition and dorm fees to Kasetsart before Chulalongkorn announced their results. My parents weren’t rich so I didn’t want to waste their money. 

Staying in a dorm can really shape your life, for better or worse. You have the freedom to do anything. I picked up smoking from my time there. I finally kicked the habit when I was 28 after listening to a famous monk preach about how stupid it is to harm oneself by smoking.

Working for my country is always an honor. I realized this when I decided to become a public servant whether it was the best thing for my career or not. 

A public servant’s low salary is no excuse for corruption. When you choose to work as a public servant, it’s your duty to serve the country, not exploit your motherland. 

I thought I would work in the jungle forever after I got a job with the Royal Irrigation Department in 1968. They sent me into the deep jungle to build Kaeng Krachan Dam. One day, they recalled me to go study in the US through a scholarship from the Anandamahidol Foundation. I came back to follow HM the King’s work more closely. 

“Impossible” isn’t in the King’s dictionary. If he planned to visit the deepest village in the mountains to help people, he would. He spent seven months a year in rural areas to carry out royal projects. 

Consider all aspects of every decision. Working with the King for decades taught me this philosophy. He always told us, “My words aren’t a royal command, they’re ideas, so think carefully so that they may really benefit people.” That always made me think twice! 

I didn’t want to be an old man who just stays home and takes care of his grandchildren when I retired. So I resigned from my last post as the director of the Royal Irrigation Department to run for a seat in the senate in 2000.

Old people still have the power to contribute to society. It’s just a matter of encouraging them and others to embrace their experience. That’s why I joined the Elder Energy group (www.facebook.com/elderenergy).

I work seven days a week, almost every week, at the age of 73. I don’t play golf or surf the internet all that much. I enjoy nothing more than working in the field with people who still ask my help. To be honest, it’s pretty annoying to be told that my friends are on the course playing golf whenever I need to talk to them. 

Bangkok’s governor candidates are all talk. I don’t see any policies that set big goals to be realized in future decades.

Bangkok is so dirty now. Back 10 or 20 years ago, it wasn’t as messy as this. There are vendors and waste everywhere. Some people say it’s part of our charm, but I ask, “Is this really how you want your city?”

Bangkok’s road drainage system is outdated. It was built decades ago and Bangkok is sinking every year. Sukhumvit and Petchburi roads have sunk more than 1.80 meters since the drainage system was put in place. 

I want the next Bangkok governor to pay more attention to our canals as they play a huge role in flood relief. Start by resettling the nearby poor people and modifying the banks to ensure the canals are clean and flow smoothly. 

Bangkok’s problems can’t wait any longer. If we don’t start fixing them now, it doesn’t bear thinking about how bad it will be in 10 years’ time. We need long-term plans in place that don’t simply end with a change of governors. 

I’m afraid that the government’s ongoing floodway project will end up being worse than Hopewell. The budget is too low and the bidding companies only have rough plans.

I dream of improving communities’ capacity for protecting themselves from floods. The government can’t save everyone, so people must take their own precautions.

Hurry to do things you want to do. The King is my inspiration for volunteering for my country. He’s worked until he’s frail, while I still have energy to do things for my country. I always remind myself that I don’t have much time left, so I better hurry.

Success isn’t achieved by chasing money. Complete your task to the best of your ability, then you will be a successful person.