Paiboon spoke during an interview given to a new programme, “PrimeTime” hosted by Nation Multimedia Group Editor-in-Chief Thepchai Yong, set to be telecast tonight on Nation TV.

Although Paiboon admitted public approval of the charter draft in the referendum could be implied as an approval of the NCPO, he said it did not mean the charter draft was not a good one if the public rejected the draft.

“There could be other factors that may cause this draft to be voted down like many good people who do not have the chance to run the country. Is there any guarantee that MPs who win seats are good people?” he said. Paiboon still maintains his strong belief that the NCPO survives because of public support and not because of its iron grip and crackdown on its critics.

“Do you sincerely believe that harsh law can control people? Today if there are millions of protesters coming out, any law or any NCPO orders are meaningless. We issue laws and orders to make it convenient for us to run the country and not to control people, because you cannot control people. The incident before May 22, 2014 is a living testimony. The country had law but gunmen shot at people like crazy,” he said.

Asked what kind of democracy the country would have after the next election [if, as during the administration of former PM General Prem Tinsulanonda, democracy was dubbed ‘half-baked’], Paiboon said he could not give the charter draft any label – but he believed democracy during Prem’s administration was a perfect democracy that was in line with the country’s context.

“Today people hold him [Prem] in high regard for building and re-regulating the country. We hope that the NCPO will follow in his footsteps. General Prem contributed to the country’s development in many ways and subsequent governments should have continued his legacy – but things change after we have full-fledged democracy,” Paiboon said.

When asked if he thought the Prayut government would face stronger public resistance over the government’s crackdown on freedom of expression, Paiboon insisted that only public faith would keep the Prayut government in power.

He said the government must work hard to make the public understand it and the country’s context and situation. “We must make the people understand us. No NCPO order can force the people’s feelings. Charter draft opponents cannot make the public lose faith in the NCPO. No government can survive if it does not have the faith of the people who are being ruled,” he said.

Paiboon has said he would step down if the charter draft did not pass a public referendum.

“The PM asked me three times and I have never changed my conviction,” he added.

“If you do not have faith in what I give you, why should I stay? If you have confidence in me, you must believe me that [the charter] must be this way first. It is like many countries that they believe in their [national] leader and they prosper.”