Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he is tougher and more durable than a Michelin tyre even though he has been pushed around and vowed to fight to the end if he has the support of the people.
In his address at the Queen Sirikit national convention centre on Wednesday, the prime minister said he had asked several successful businessmen whether they would want to become politicians and they said “no”.
Taking a jab at politicians, Gen Prayut said he didn’t understand why people with no track records or were not successful in any areas strived to become politicians.
He said Thailand is a country that has been at peace and only engaged in wars that happened outside. But in recent past, he said, the country was at war “as a result of us fighting among ourselves”.
However, he said he believes the situation will improve in the future, adding that, every time, he made inspection trips to upcountry provinces, he would tell the people not to hurt the country.
He said he had promised to himself that he would not trade rhetoric with anyone, but admitted he could not resist the temptation. “Every night before going to sleep, I pray that tomorrow I will not err again when confronted the by media… But in the end I cannot resist the temptation because the problem we are facing today is heavy due to intense conflict.”
The prime minister complained that he is often accused of engaging in political campaigning by his critics every time he makes a speech. “So, I need to be careful in speaking anything especially during the lead-up to the election,” he said.
