Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha insisted Thursday he will do everything in his power to ensure the coup he staged was not in vain.
Speaking during a lunch with reporters at Government House, Gen Prayut said he risked his life by engineering the coup to restore peace and order in the country.
His efforts will not go to waste, he said.
It is the government's duty to maintain stability in the country in preparation for the next election, which is expected early next year, according to the National Council for Peace and Order's roadmap, Gen Prayut said. This assumes no referendum is held on the charter, which could push the election out to September next year.
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Gen Prayut stressed, however, that the direction the country is heading depends on people having the freedom to exercise their rights.
"Today it is difficult for the government to make sure people are on the same page. But we have to learn to live together," the prime minister said.
He said demonstrations are permissible, as long as they are peaceful. But if they cause unrest, the law must be strictly enforced.
Gen Prayut said during the 2010 political protests, many security troops were shot, killed and injured, unlike in the 2013-2014 mass protest where casualties were few.
"I have never ordered my subordinates to murder people and they definitely did not do it," the prime minister said, referring to the 2010 protests.
"However, I have never held that against the demonstrators and we have to learn how to prevent violence in the future," the premier said.
As for national reform, Gen Prayut said he is open to suggestions on the draft charter issue because he cannot force people to agree on every aspect of it.
"In the past, we always focused on parties' policies rather than the country's overall strategy. But today, the government has to consider where the country will be in the next 20 years," he said.
People should not only wait for assistance from the government, they should learn to stand on their feet, he said.
Gen Prayut said he knows he might be the object of a political vendetta when he is no longer the head of the country, but insisted he knows how to "dismount the tiger safely".
"There is a way to do it. Or one can always kill the tiger first," he said.
Responding to a rumour about a cabinet reshuffle in which Bank of Thailand governor Prasarn Trairatvorakul would be appointed to replace Deputy Prime Minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula, Gen Prayut said the decision belongs to the cabinet.
The strengths and flaws of the ministers will be discussed by the cabinet before a final decision is made, he said.
The prime minister also said that to solve the country's problems efficiently, teamwork is necessary. The country's development requires cooperation from the government and the public sector.
Meanwhile, acting government spokesman Gen Wilat Arunsri has introduced a new government spokesman team, comprising Maj Gen Sansern Kaewkamnerd and Maj Gen Weerachon Sukontapatipak as first and second deputy spokesmen respectively.
The overhaul is not a sign the NCPO will prolong its hold on power, he said.
