Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont Has A Positive Image

[Jai Dee]

ABAC Poll says PM has a positive image according to the public views

ABAC Poll conducted a survey on the perceptions of the general public on Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont. The result indicated that the new premier has a positive image in all aspects including his trustworthy, goodness, honesty, detached from personal benefits, and being recognized by foreign countries.

Dr. Noppadol Karnika, the Director of ABAC Poll Research Center, disclosed that this survey was conducted on 1,864 samples. 65.1 of the samples said Gen. Surayud is dependable while 63.2 percent said he is a good and honest person. In addition, over 50 percent pointed out that Gen. Surayud still has a good or a better image in certain areas such as his disinterest in personal benefits, his commitment to solve the problems, and his capability and knowledge.

64.6 percent of the samples also hoped that the Prime Minister can make members of the public live sufficiently, while 63.7 percent would like him to put an emphasis on fairness in the society.

61 percent hoped that people in Thailand will live happily, 60.5 percent hoped that the premier can help strengthen the communities.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 30 October 2006

[kmart]

Just a note to add that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Hope that political opposition and the check / balance of democracy (however skewed in LOS) is allowed to resume soon.

[Jai Dee]

Thai Polls Show Surayud Has Better Image Than Thaksin

BANGKOK, Oct 30 (Bernama) -- Residents in five major provinces including Bangkok apparently have more confidence in their interim Prime Minister General Surayud Chulanont than ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra, an opinion poll stated on Sunday.

The Assumption University's poll or better known as the ABAC poll was conducted among 1,864 respondents in Chiang Mai, Songkhla, Khonkaen, Chon Buri and the capital, between Oct 24 and 28, Thailand news agency (TNA) reported.

According to the poll, 60 per cent have confidence in Surayud while another 63 per cent said he is a good, honest and a hard-working person.

The news agency quoted ABAC poll director Noppadol Kannikar as saying that more than 60 per cent of the respondents said Thai people would live happily under the self-sufficiency initiative, and 65 per cent anticipated seeing better justice in the society.

Sixty-one per cent hoped that the current administration would concentrate more on cases which were matters of public concern but were ignored by the previous Thaksin administration.

However, 58 per cent of the respondents indicated that elected members of parliament would better understand hardships of the people than the appointed members of the current National Legislative Assembly (NLA), Noppadol said.

While, 48 per cent said elected MPs are more transparent and 49 per cent said they could be easily evaluated.

Nearly 90 per cent of all respondents said they wanted the NLA to issue laws for restructuring the social order to protect families and youth, followed by 89.5 per cent wishing to see a law to promote the health of the public, and 88 per cent for making Thailand's consumer protection laws more effective.

Moreover, 76 per cent said NLA members should conduct their duties speedily and that a general election should be held in less than a year after the bloodless coup d'etat.

Source: Bernama - 30 October 2006

[lukamar]

Hope that political opposition and the check / balance of democracy (however skewed in LOS) is allowed to resume soon.

With the last ABAC Poll so overwhelmingly in support of the Junta and now this latest revelation from ABAC there should be no more need for Martial law. Unless the respondents told the pollsters what the pollsters wanted to hear, that would be so very Thai especially in the North and Northeast.

But then would anyone really expect ABAC, or anyone else, to come out with a poll opposing the Junta or their non elected PM?

[pete_r]

With the last ABAC Poll so overwhelmingly in support of the Junta and now this latest revelation from ABAC there should be no more need for Martial law. Unless the respondents told the pollsters what the pollsters wanted to hear, that would be so very Thai especially in the North and Northeast.

I've been thinking along the same lines. Everything is fine, everyone is happy, but the martial law remains...

That said, just 10% of dissatisfied people can be a huge problem for the junta if they take to the streets. So I can understand them if they don't lift this martial law until the polls show at least 95% approval.

Thai Polls Show Surayud Has Better Image Than Thaksin

If he had a worse image, he would be in deep trouble!

[lukamar]

I've been thinking along the same lines. Everything is fine, everyone is happy, but the martial law remains...

That said, just 10% of dissatisfied people can be a huge problem for the junta if they take to the streets. So I can understand them if they don't lift this martial law until the polls show at least 95% approval.

If 50% of the people that voted for TRT in the last 2 elections privately thought that they would continue to support TRT if they had a chance, that's more than the entire population of Bangkok.

The PAD rally numbers, lets use 250,000 protesters and that's very high, represented less than 1% of the Thai population and look at the havoc that produced. If you use the 10% figure, and I think it's low, then that would work out to 5.4 million dissatisfied customers.

The Junta may well feel that they have a huge problem but they may also have misread the situation on the ground. It would not be the first time a military had done this we just have to look at the situation in the middle east at the moment. They now have a 3 prong problem. The south, which has not calmed after the coup but become more violent, The city which wants to have control again, and the area of the north and northeast that appear calm but are most likely on the stove and ready to boil over if they feel left out of the equation. It won't be an easy task for the Junta and it will be even worse for the next elected government, whenever that may be, especially if it is a coalition that may have to cater to small interest groups to stay in power.