Forty-one percent of people believe that it is now time to have new political parties and new politicians for the betterment of the country, according to the result of an opinion poll conducted by Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll.
The poll was carried out between Nov 15-18 on 1,043 people who were asked to answer six questions posed by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to the Thai people.
To the first question on whether they think the country needs new political parties and new politicians, 41.33% of the respondents said "yes"; 21.48% said the new generation should produce new ideas for the country's development and improvement; 14.84% said it is unnecessary to have new political parties and politicians as long as the old ones are good and not corrupt; 11.56% said the old political system should be abolished to make way for new faces, and 10.79% said old-fashioned politicians always quarrel, causing damage to the country.
To the second question on whether the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) has the right to support a political party, 34.91% said the NCPO should stay impartial; 31.94% thought the NCPO can support any political party; 21.70% said the NCPO has the right to do so, but should not interfere in politics; 6.83% said in doing so the NCPO may be seen as holding double standards, and 4.62% said it could lead to further division.
To the question on whether the current government's actions over the past three years have yielded any positive developments for the country, 30.99% said "yes", but only minor ones; 22.52% said the NCPO were good during the first two years but have done very little since; 19.32% thought they have been effective in only some respects; 14.77% said the economy and people's livelihoods are not getting any better, and 12.40% said the country is at peace and free from protests.
To the fourth question on past elected governments can be compared to the current administration, 53.83% said they are not comparable as the situations are different; 25.34% said they saw nothing wrong with making such a comparison; 9.23% said past shortcomings should be taken as lessons to make corrections; 6.67% said the country wants an elected government, and 4.84% said each government has its own work style.
In responding to the fifth question on whether past governments and democratic politics had clearly produced good governance and continued development, a majority - 64.26% - said "no"; only 17.82% said "yes"; 9.37% were of the opinion that Thai politics have been plagued by the patronage system; 4.74% said corruption is deep-rooted in Thai society, and 3.81% said all past governments had both good and bad points.
To the sixth question on why political parties and politicians have continued to criticise and discredit the NCPO and the government, 30.11% said they were pursuing power and their own interests; 26.64% said it is because politicians have been unfairly treated; 20.67% said the government has been inefficient; 11.35% wanted to see an election as soon as possible; and 11.23% said it is because the government is not accountable for its actions.