When the embattled deputy prime minister, Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, told a group of military affairs reporters at the Ministry of Defence last Wednesday that he was ready to resign "if the people do not want me", I was hesitant to welcome his move or shower him with praise for acting as a role model for our politicians and public figures about what they should do when caught in the middle of a scandal.
One of the reasons was the remark he made on the same occasion which I assume was meant to remind us to look at his past record of contributions to the country and not just focus on the scandal involving his "borrowed" expensive wristwatches from "a friend who has already died" and other friends.
The retired general and a key member of the National Council for Peace and Order said that, in his 50 years of serving the country in the military, he had not done anything damaging to the military establishment or the country. He added his presence in the government was to help the country.
Veera Prateepchaikul is a former editor, Bangkok Post.
I looked myself in the mirror the other day and asked my reflection what bad things I had done to my motherland over my past 40 plus years working as a journalist?
As a good Thai citizen, I have paid personal income taxes throughout those years and never burdened the state to come to my rescue.
Like me, millions of my Thai compatriots would not remind others to look at their past record and would just feel grateful to be good law-abiding citizens.
Gen Prawit should come up with details of his contribution to the country or his achievements during his decades-long service in the military so we will all know what he's done and, perhaps, can let go of his wristwatch scandal.
Frankly, I know nothing about his achievements, except for the huge military spending during his tenure as defence minister, including the 30 billion baht-plus submarine deal with China.
Can that be counted as an achievement?
The offer to step down under the condition "if the people do not want me" made me wonder how Gen Prawit would know the people do not want him.
And also how the people could convey a message to him that he has overstayed and it is about time he leave under the present circumstances when free expression is restricted, opinion surveys censored and public gatherings banned.
Meanwhile, his cheerleaders were allowed to show up to support him uninterrupted by the police or military while his opponents were quickly hauled away by police as was the case on Friday when four individuals, wearing masks depicting the face of Gen Prawit, called for his resignation.
Just four people gathering in public and not five which would constitute an offence of illegal public gathering!
The more paranoia the police and the military react to as people merely express their views over the wristwatch scandal and against the delayed election, the greater the damage to the credibility and popularity of the government led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
No need to mention the credibility of Gen Prawit because it is already beyond salvaging.
I just don't believe the embattled deputy prime minister will step down in the foreseeable future despite the increasing pressure and online opinion surveys which all gave him a thumbs-down.
Perhaps he wants to hang on to witness the fruit of the government's latest gimmick called the Thai Niyom Yangyuen project, or Sustainable Thainess project, which is due to kick off after a big meeting at Government House this Friday of governors and chief district officers from throughout the country.
The meeting will be chaired by the prime minister in his capacity as the head of the 61-member Thai Niyom Yangyuen Committee.
The project is an ambitious multi-dimensional and multi-pronged undertaking involving thousands of government and local officials to reach out to grassroots people throughout the country to find out their wants and problems so the government can direct assistance to them.
At the same time, the officials spread the government's gospel about Thai Niyom democracy, the sufficiency philosophy, peaceful co-existence and awareness of rights and duties of good citizens to the grassroots people.
I am not surprised this massive project is being criticised by parties as a campaign to curry favour with grassroots people prior to the election.
Sending out thousands of officials out to meet people in 70,000 villages to find out their needs and problems speaks volumes about this government, which after three and a half years in office, still has no idea what the people want.
A case of ultimate incompetency?
Then the next step.
When the government has information about the problems and needs of the people from their officials, how can it solve all those problems and needs?
How many years it will take --or will the problems ever be solved?
There is no need to send out thousands of people just to find out information which in fact is already there, gathering dust in various government agencies.
And there is no need to throw away taxpayers' money, estimated at about two billion baht just for this information-gathering and gospel dissemination exercise.
The Thai Niyom Yangyuen committee secretary, Interior Minister Anupong Paojinda, said the other day that most of the 2 billion baht would go on food.
In other words, people participating in briefings about the project need to be treated with a meal estimated at 50 baht each or they may not show up.
I couldn't agree more with the criticism that this latest gimmick is nothing but a last-minute attempt to shore up the government's declining popularity, with the hope that it will be able to stay on for another term in the guise of an elected government.