The pending cabinet reshuffle is the last chance for the regime to prove whether it can gain further public support, political experts say.
As Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has remained tight-lipped about his new cabinet shake-up, more political pundits continue to express their views over who should be included.
Suriyasai Katasila, deputy dean of Rangsit University's Social Innovation College and former coordinator for the People's Alliance for Democracy, yesterday described the reshuffle as the last chance for the military regime to prove before the end of its tenure that the past four years weren't fruitless.
Changing cabinet ministers would not be enough, he said.
The Prayut-led government should try a paradigm shift in its approach to fixing the country's problems, especially the work of preparing the nation for a new government as required under the new constitution.
The PM tends to meddle in the affairs of ministries, which slows progress, Mr Suriyasai said.
Progress in reforming the country before the new general election, for instance, remains unclear although many committees have been set up.
More importantly, he said, the government would never succeed in implementing these tasks without securing partnership with organisations other than state agencies and their bureaucrats.
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Ong-art Klampaibul, deputy Democrat Party leader, said the government should adjust its policy, not just tweak cabinet, particularly the policy to improve the country's economy at grass-roots level.
The government has to accept that past economic stimulus measures have not yielded sufficient benefits at grassroots level, Mr Ong-art said.
The so-called "shop for the nation" tax benefit campaign, for instance, doesn't help improve the grassroots economy as low-income people do not benefit from this tax deduction programme, he said.
Among the critical issues facing the grassroots people is the low price of agricultural products, he said, adding that not only are the prices of rubber low, but also the prices of rice, palm oil and many more.
Without significant improvement in these prices, the grassroots economy will never pick up, he said.
Noppadon Pattama, former foreign minister and current key figure of the Pheu Thai Party, meanwhile, said three priorities of the military regime now are to alleviate economic hardship, foster national reconciliation and restore democracy.
In the first priority, the government should realise that low-income people, the largest portion of the population, are still struggling to cope with low farm product prices, he said.
As for national reconciliation, he said, the government's seemingly good start in building national reconciliation has now been overshadowed by growing conflicts in the society.
And regarding the priority of restoring democracy to the country, he said, the government should begin improving the political atmosphere so voters feel encouraged, free and ready to exercise their rights through political parties.
