Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has urged politicians to stop finding fault with his government, stay calm and tell people what they would do for the public interest instead of just talking about democracy.
With just over a week remaining until a crucial public referendum on a new constitution, Gen Prayut used his weekly Returning Happiness to the People TV programme on Friday night to challenge politicians to do better.
Following the national turmoil that preceded the 2014 coup, he said, his government has been trying to lay the foundation for long-term national development. Politicians should not keep looking for small mistakes during the transitional period but join forces to help prevent past problems from recurring, he said.
"I'll leave it up to the respectable politicians from every party to think aloud on this," he said. "In addition to the word 'democracy' or the 'voice of the public', you should consider the matter of accountability, or what you will do to make sure that these two things have meaning and merit for the people."
Politicians should explain what they would do to improve security, the economy, education, public health, sustainability and national competitiveness, just as he has been doing for the past two years, he said.
People were confident in the work of his government but were not satisfied with the work of politicians, he added.
"I have yet to see you say anything new about what you will do when you come into government. People are listening," Gen Prayut said. "Besides calling for democracy, you won't talk about anything else."
By simply repeating calls for democracy without elaborating on what they would do to help people, politicians were causing confusion among the public and about the Aug 7 referendum, the prime minister said.
He said he was open to criticism from politicians but added that they must not create tense situations, saying he would do his best to maintain stability.