In his column “From the PM’s Heart”, Prayut said the strategy, political reforms, and the concept of “Pracha Rat”, or “state of the people”, that his government initiated required time to be fully realised and proven.

“This techno-era keeps shortening our patience, yet sustainable development needs time,” the former Army chief wrote.

The premier’s statement appears to be in line with the concept of a five-year transitional period after the general election, reportedly proposed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to “maintain and drive reforms and the national strategy”. The NCPO has proposed that a transitional period be considered for inclusion in the charter draft.

To sustain Pracha Rat and its goals, Prayut continued, there should be an emphasis on judicial assurances, the integrated participation of all sectors of society, the empowerment of state agencies, and continued public support for the national strategy.

The retired general reiterated his claim that current national woes were rooted in past events, including politicians’ actions that turned people “colour-blinded and short-sighted”.

“People were intoxicated by politics,” he wrote. “They belonged to their colour blocs and became colour-blinded …Politicians were also selling a dream. They promoted only what they could do in their terms [in office] and only waited to be elected. That’s not sustainable.”