The problem is that urban, educated, cosmopolitan candidates, who are
skilled policy experts, are often held in equal contempt by villagers. They are often
regarded as being alien to rural electorates in terms of taste, culture, and outlook,
who “fail to stay close to the voters in both a physical and cultural sense”
(Laothamatas, 208). Veiled contempt for rural-dwellers by sophisticated Bangkok
elites posed no problem under authoritarian regimes. Once democratic elections
tipped the balance in favor of rural areas, however,