Prayut said he expected that soliciting people’s opinion would “get people to participate in steering the country faithfully in addition to the opinions of politicians, academics or polls that only represent the the thoughts of a certain number of people”.

The comments reiterated remarks he made on his 50-minute weekly television programme “Returning Happiness to the People in the Country” on Friday.

Government Spokesperson Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd quoted Prayut as asking people to respond to the following queries: Will the next election result in a government with good governance? If not, what should be done? Would elections alone without considering the country’s future involving strategies and reforms be acceptable? Should politicians with inappropriate behaviour be allowed to run in elections? If so, who should come to fix serious problems, and how?

People are invited to submit their opinions to Damrongtham Centre provincial branches across the country, Sansern said.

“The prime minister also wishes to remind fellow Thai people to have their own dignity,” the spokesperson said. “We can do so by expressing creative opinions and not letting anyone lead, manipulate or give fake hopes like in elections of the past.

“For this government alone, please believe that we’ll speed up to solve remaining problems and go on with the reform roadmap to the election as designated,” he added.