After Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting, Government Spokesman Lt-General Sansern Kaewkamnerd said that Prawit, who chaired the meeting, had ordered ministers to work in accordance with Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s instructions and as they had pledged to the PM.

“There has been mudslinging, distortion and distribution of false information to discredit government officials. We admit that some [things that are said] are true, but others are not,” Sansern said.

The deputy PM also told ministers to explain and update their work to the public, he added.

Anupong said 19,580 people came out and responded freely and were not persuaded as had been alleged by Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva.

“We don’t have a policy to direct people to reply to the questions. Anyone doing this would be guilty,” Anupong said.

The government is discussing whether local elections will be held ahead of the national election and legal amendments have been raised.

Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam said he would discuss the matter with concerned parties, including the Constitution Drafting Commission, which is drafting the organic laws.

Meechai said the election cannot take place within one or two months as the related laws need to be amended first.

He said the Election Commission can still go ahead with its work in organising the elections in local areas.

Local elections are normally supervised by the EC, although under the new law there will no longer be provincial ECs.

Political parties, he said, could support their candidates, but it is up to the National Council for Peace and Order to decide when to lift the ban on political gatherings.

On the first day that questions were being accepted yesterday, only four people turned up at the Service Centre across from Government House in Bangkok to respond to the questions.

All four gave similar responses, saying that politics should involve new politicians and political parties, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) had a right to support a political party and the NCPO’s work should be credited for the country’s bright future prospects.

However, a food vendor said the government should focus on tackling economic issues to “return happiness” to the people.

“I don’t think I will take part in this. It won’t matter anyway,” Nyaya Kuamsap said. “I’d prefer the government take care of people’s well-being. For instance, they should take care of the prices of agricultural products. Then people could be happy.”

A tuk-tuk driver, Sakchai Kritsanasukon, also said the questions did not really help people who had to work, adding that participating would be a waste of time.

“We don’t have time to do this. We have work to do,” he said. “The government should hold an election to allow the people to choose their own leader.”

The reactions came as Damrongtham Complaint Centres and district offices across the country yesterday opened for people who want to respond to the six questions concerning politics and the next election.

While some people indicated that participating would be inconvenient, others showed enthusiasm to participate in politics.

For instance, Sunanta Chiranbamrung, 70, from Phasi Charoen district, registered to answer the questions.

“I believe that these questions were tossed out by the PM for people who have a limited understanding of politics to give them some alternatives. ,” she said. “If General Prayut contests in an election, I will choose him.”

Another food vendor, Pichiy Hongto, who works at near the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, also said he would register and express his thoughts. He wanted new faces to run the country who could possibly bring new ideas that would move the country forward, he said.

“I still believe in the PM’s capability to run this country,” he added.

In Chiang Mai, Songkhla and Yala, some people showed up at Damrongtham Complaint Centres to respond to the questions.

The public can also still answer the four questions posed by Prayut at the end of May in addition to the six new ones.

In order to officially respond, people have to provide personal information such as their ID card numbers, names, addresses, telephone numbers, occupations and education levels.

Former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday that such formalities would bar some people from expressing their thoughts, which was in addition to the fact that the questions were leading. “Will people who think differently have the guts to answer these questions? If they really do express their minds, they could be taken for attitude-adjustment sessions,” Abhisit said.

He added that if local elections are allowed, candidates will be asked not to criticise the junta or otherwise stir up conflict.

The comment came after his fellow deputy PM, Wissanu Krea-ngam, said last week that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) was considering allowing local elections at various levels.

Wissanu said the military junta had discussed the matter with Interior Ministry officials and it was possible that the ban on political gatherings would be lifted to facilitate the elections.

The NCPO ban prohibits political parties from holding meetings. Calls for the ban to be eased increased after Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha announced that a national election might be held in 2019.

Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda said the Interior Ministry is preparing the amendment of laws related to elections.

Any policy matters would be up to the NCPO to decide, he said, apparently alluding to the lifting of the ban on political gatherings. Anupong did not confirm whether the legal amendments would touch upon changes to the qualifications of candidates for the tambon and municipal elections.

National Legislative Assembly president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai also said that the NLA would bring the issue of local elections to its whip meeting this week.

The NLA has assigned the local administration committee to study related laws to see which would have to be amended to pave the way for elections. The elections, he said, would not affect preparation of the organic laws, with just three last bills to be deliberated ahead of the national election.

As to when the ban on political gatherings would be lifted, he said that would be up to the NCPO.

Prawit, meanwhile, said the a Cabinet reshuffle would probably take place very soon.

But Prawit said he has not discussed the matter with Prayut , nor proposed any names to him, as the matter is for the PM to decide. Personally, he believes that Prayut will listen to feedback from polls in making his decision.

Prawit rejected the notion that he is among those burdening the government, saying people can say whatever they wish, but he did not take it seriously.

The reshuffle, if takes place, would be the fifth of the Prayut government amid a growing call for changes in the economic and agriculture portfolios.

On the first day that questions were being accepted yesterday, only four people turned up at the Service Centre across from Government House in Bangkok to respond to the questions.

All four gave similar responses, saying that poliฌtics should involve new politicians and political parties, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) had a right to support a political party and the NCPO’s work should be credited for the counฌtry’s bright future prospects.

However, a food vendor said the government should focus on tackling economic issues to “return happiness” to the people.

“I don’t think I will take part in this. It won’t matฌter anyway,” Nyaya Kuamsap said. “I’d prefer the government take care of people’s wellbeing. For instance, they should take care of the prices of agriฌcultural products. Then people could be happy.”

A tuktuk driver, Sakchai Kritsanasukon, also said the questions did not really help people who had to work, adding that participating would be a waste of time.

“We don’t have time to do this. We have work to do,” he said. “The government should hold an elecฌtion to allow the people to choose their own leader.”

The reactions came as Damrongtham Complaint Centres and district offices across the country yesterday opened for people who want to respond to the six questions concerning politics and the next election.

While some people indicated that participating would be inconvenient, others showed enthusiasm to participate in politics.

For instance, Sunanta Chiranbamrung, 70, from Phasi Charoen district, registered to answer the questions.

“I believe that these questions were tossed out by the PM for people who have a limited underฌstanding of politics to give them some alternatives. ,” she said. “If General Prayut contests in an elecฌtion, I will choose him.”

Another food vendor, Pichiy Hongto, who works at  near the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, also said he would register and express his thoughts. He wanted new faces to run the country who could possibly bring new ideas that would move the country forward, he said.

“I still believe in the PM’s capability to run this country,” he added.

In Chiang Mai, Songkhla and Yala, some people showed up at Damrongtham Complaint Centres to respond to the questions.

The public can also still answer the four quesฌtions posed by Prayut at the end of May in addition to the six new ones.

In order to officially respond, people have to provide personal information such as their ID card numbers, names, addresses, telephone numbers, occupations and education levels.

Former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesฌterday that such formalities would bar some peoฌple from expressing their thoughts, which was in addition to the fact that the questions were leadฌing. “Will people who think differently have the guts to answer these questions? If they really do express their minds, they could be taken for attiฌtudeadjustment sessions,” Abhisit said.

“I would not make any comment about this. You have to see the questions for yourself and think about it,” he said, responding to election commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn’s comment that the PM’s latest questions could be construed as being suggestive.

Anupong said the six questions had already been dispatched to centres around the Kingdom for citizens to answer, and the overall results would soon be derived.

People could answer the questions at Damrongtham Complaint Centres and district offices across the country, the minister said, adding that the government was now open for comments via these channels and had not yet set a closing date for public participation.

Regarding the four questions that Prayut had posed earlier this year about an election and politics, Anupong said the Interior Ministry had already submitted the results to the PM, who had not yet passed down any orders.

Any policy matters would be up to the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to decide, he said, apparently alluding to the lifting of the ban on political gatherings.

Anupong did not confirm whether the legal amendments would touch upon changes to the qualifications of candidates for the tambon and municipal elections.

Local elections are seen by political observers as a test of the water by the NCPO before a national election is held.

Calls for the junta’s ban on political gatherings to be lifted are growing, with the measure still in place nationwide.

But Prawit said he has not discussed the matter with Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, nor proposed any names to him, as the matter is for the PM to decide.

Personally, he believes that Prayut will listen to feedback from polls in making his decision.

Prawit rejected the notion that he is among those burdening the government, saying people can say whatever they wish, but he did not take it seriously.

The reshuffle, if takes place, would be the fifth of the Prayut government amid a growing call for changes in the economic and agriculture portfolios.

The NLA has assigned the local administration committee to study related laws to see which would have to be amended to pave the way for elections.

The elections, he said, would not affect preparation of the organic laws, with just three last bills to be deliberated ahead of the national election.

As to when the ban on political gatherings would be lifted, he said that would be up to the National Council for Peace and Order.