Less than eight months into office and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has decided to reshuffle his cabinet to, in his own words, "put the right man in the right job".
Yet the shake-up, which has already resulted in the loss of one prominent cabinet minister, has caused more than a few raised eyebrows.
Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara made it clear he was upset about losing his deputy prime minister position in the shake-up.
Removing Mr Parnpree's DPM position is indeed unusual as there is no quota problem that made the change inevitable.
His abrupt resignation is an ill omen for a government in dire need of public support. Mr Parnpree is one of the few ministers in the cabinet to have earned praise from government critics. Indeed, most analysts find the PM's reasons for the shake-up unconvincing. Some believe the ruling Pheu Thai Party is suffering from a lack of unity among its leadership.
His rapid replacement by Maris Sangiampongsa, a retired diplomat close to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, as foreign minister may make it look like the dust has settled. But in reality there is a bigger problem involving a new face, Pichit Chuenban, an adviser to Mr Srettha and one of Thaksin's lawyers, who joins the cabinet as the PM's Office minister.
Mr Pichit is no stranger to controversy. In 2008, he, together with his two colleagues, was sentenced to six months in jail for contempt of court when he dropped a box of snacks containing two million baht at the Supreme Court, in what was seen as an attempt at bribery.
Mr Pichit then represented Thaksin and his ex-wife, Khunying Potjaman na Pombejra, in the infamous Ratchadaphisek land purchase case. Thaksin was handed a two-year jail term that year. His misdeeds cost him his lawyer's licence. His attempts to reclaim it have been denied.
Mr Pichit's appointment has angered political activists. Networks of activists on Tuesday petitioned the Election Commission (EC) to look into his eligibility, or lack thereof, and forward the matter to the Constitutional Court.
Submitting the petition were Pichit Chaimongkol, leader of the Network of Students and People Reforming Thailand, and Anond Klingkaew, leader of the People's Centre to Protect the Monarchy.
In their opinion, Mr Pichit is unfit to serve in the cabinet under Section 160 of the charter, which covers the moral and ethical standards of a minister. They have asked the charter court to suspend the minister from duty pending a ruling. At the same time, the activists lashed out at Mr Srettha, saying he should not submit the name of a cabinet minister with a dubious background like Mr Pichit for royal endorsement.
They are preparing to petition the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate the prime minister for failing to properly verify the qualifications of those who will become cabinet ministers. The activists are adamant cabinet ministers must have high moral standards.
When Mr Srettha formed the government last August, many believed Mr Pichit would be in the first cabinet line-up. But fears of public disappointment prompted his withdrawal from the list. With those petitions, Mr Srettha will find just how hard it could be for his new government to perform efficiently. On top of that, the Pichit factor could put his government in political danger.