Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha says the six questions he posed to the public this week were intended to give them a basis for thinking about the issues and not to make enemies of politicians.
"I, as the prime minister and head of the NCPO (National Council for Peace and Order), do not have any political intentions with this," he said during his nationally televised weekly address on Friday night.
"Nor do I wish to create contention with honourable politicians who have contributed to the country. I merely wish to create understanding and encourage people to think about the issues."
In his address, the prime minister also urged political parties to reform themselves as they start to prepare for elections that he said earlier would be held in November next year.
All parties had to admit that problems had developed over a long time as a result of abuses of the democratic system, leading to increasing conflicts and violence, he said.
People should look at the future of the nation, he said. If political parties can come up with truly national strategies based on their policies, national reform will happen, he added.
Gen Prayut said he favoured strategies to improve the incomes and quality of life of the poor. Low-income citizens must receive special care from the government, he said.
"If we are able to do this, it will be national administration through good governance. I am no adversary of any politician or political party. ... Political parties must be reformed for the national and public interest," he said.
In the six questions he posed on Wednesday, the prime minister asked if the country needed a new political party, if the NCPO had the right to support a political party, and if people accepted that the NCPO had done good work. He also asked if it was right for his government to be compared with previous governments, if elected governments were effective, and why politicians were actively discrediting him and his government.
The questions have drawn angry retorts from politicians and critics who believe the NCPO aims to prolong its stay in power well beyond 2018. They see the questions as a way to gauge public support for the possibility of a new party or some other political arrangement involving NCPO members.
