Government House reporters have agreed not to give year-end nicknames to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his cabinet members, saying this would help restore peace in the country.
The journalists on Monday released a statement saying they will skip the tag-giving custom as the government came to power by unusual means and not through elections under the democratic process.
The press explained that they will not give nicknames for the cabinet in three cases. First, where the interim government remains in power after a House dissolution or the government's working period is less than a year after a political change; second, where the government is formed by seizing power or via a coup; and last, when the political situation is uncertain.
The press body also stated that they did not want the year-end nicknames to be used by ill-intentioned people as political tools to attack their opponents.
It has been a press tradition for more than 20 years to give nicknames to the government and key ministers at the end of each year to reflect how the cabinet members worked throughout the year.
But in some years the press suspended the practice, including during the interim government led by Surayud Chulanont formed after the 2006 coup, and the governments of Samak Sundaravej and Somchai Wongsawat, because of political turmoil.
The press also avoided tagging the Abhisit Vejjajiva cabinet as a result of the swift change in political factions. The last government without a year-end sobriquet was the Yingluck Shinawatra cabinet as the House of Representatives was dissolved.
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