Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Tuesday again called on the Bank of Thailand (BoT) to cut interest rates, saying a 25 basis-point rate cut would help people and not stoke inflation.
Inflation has been negative and below the lower end of the central bank's target range, so even after reducing the key rate from 2.50% to 2.25% there would still be "a lot of room" for cuts, he told reporters.
"If there is a crisis or something happens, it can still be reduced a lot. Why don't we start doing it today?" Mr Srettha, also the finance minister, said.
Despite lower inflation and government pressure on the BoT to ease monetary policy, it is expected to leave its policy rate unchanged at a more than record high of 2.50% on Wednesday, a Reuters poll showed.
BoT Governor Sethaput Suthiwartnarueput recently told Reuters the current policy rate was "broadly neutral" and the economy was not in crisis.
Last week, Pichai Naripthaphan, an advisor to Prime Minister Srettha, urged the central bank to cut interest rates on commercial bank loans to reduce the burden of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
According to a recent survey by the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), many companies are calling on the BoT to better regulate commercial banks' interest rates as increasing financial costs are threatening to slow investment.
Despite political pressure, analysts expect the BoT to refrain from cutting interest rates until the second half of this year, in line with predictions for the US Federal Reserve, saying it is too early to consider monetary easing now.