A majority of people see the debate without a vote in a special parliamentary session on Oct 26-27 to seek a solution to the political crisis as a futile, saying Thai politics will remain unchanged and conflicts will continue, according to an opinion survey by the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University, or Suan Dusit Poll.
The poll was conducted online on Oct 28-30 on 1,035 people throughout the country following the parliamentary debate.
Asked to give their views on the debate, with the respondents allowed to give more than one answer, the responses varied as follows:
41.94% said it was only a government ploy to buy time which was unlikely to lead to any change;
39.00% said the prime minister would not resign;
32.32% said it was a political game;
31.93% thought it was an attempt to find a way out;
28.49% were of the opinion that MPs and senators should join hands to find a concrete solution to the problem.
Asked to select "positive" outcomes from the debate, 57.20% said all parties had shown their attitudes more clearly; 43.93% said they were given a chance to voice their opinions; and 36.52% said the government had shown its stance in the conflict.
On "negative" results from the debate, 54.40% said the conflict would remain unchanged; 34.78% believed the conflict would escalate, and 10.82% said the conflict would continue, but less vigorously.
Asked what effect the debate would have on the Thai political situation, 51.69% believed it would remain the same; 35.36% thought it would get worse; and only 12.95% believed it would improve.
Asso Prof Rungpop Khongritchan, of the Suan Dusit Rajabhat University's school of law and politics, said the debate produced no concrete results, indicating that the Thai parliamentary system could not be relied upon in times of political crisis.