Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha seems to be in a good mood recently, exuding the air of a detached ruler who has finally realized it is time for him to leave.
But anyone who believes the government transition will be smooth and civil must be naive at best. Since the government's term expired in late February, the caretaker government has been approving policies -- or trying to approve new high-level officials in ministries and state agencies.
Evidently, such a practice is not against the law. However, political etiquette dictates that a caretaker government should leave its successor to decide on new policies and personnel promotions.
But political etiquette may not quite be Gen Prayut's cup of tea. After all, this is the man who launched himself into power by way of a coup d'etat in 2014.
One glaring example of the disregard, or disdain for, this unwritten rule is the caretaker government's attempts to appoint a new governor for the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), a position that is due to be vacated later this month.
Since April, the cabinet has been attempting to appoint a new governor, and in May, it got its way. A month later, the Election Commission (EC) had to rule the cabinet's approval was invalid.
But that has not stopped the incumbent power from trying to assign new promotions. This week, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam approved the transfer of assistant national police chief, Pol Lt Gen Panurat Lakboonto, as the new secretary-general of the Office of the Narcotics Control Board (ONCB).
Concern is mounting that, as MPs are busy forming a new government and choosing a new prime minister, this caretaker government will appoint a new national police chief, new leaders of the royal armed forces -- the Royal Thai Navy, Royal Thai Air Force and Royal Thai Army -- as well as top positions in departments at the Ministry of Finance.
These appointments rarely attract much attention from society. But the latest bombshell that involves an attempt to leave a policy footprint on the pension payment policy for elderly people has drawn considerable criticism.
Last Friday, the Royal Gazette published a regulation on the universal monthly allowance for elderly people signed by Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paojinda. The gazetted regulation took effect one day later.
The gazetted rules generally define the criteria and process for paying monthly allowances to elderly people. Yet item 6(4) of the new regulation will pose a problem as it states that only elderly people with no income -- or insufficient income to cover their assumed cost of living -- are entitled to receive this monthly allowance from the state.
This clause gives the National Committee on Elderly People the power to decide the criteria for who is eligible. It is estimated that only five million out of 11 million elderly people and retirees will make the cut. The clause contravenes the principle of the Elderly People Act, which stipulates the allowance must be universal and fair.
On Tuesday, the caretaker government defended the policy. Gen Prayut warned the next government about the financial burden the populist allowance would impose.
Getting this allowance right will be an uphill battle, and the next government will need to make drastic tax reforms to finance it. But that is a challenge for it to resolve.