A Suan Dusit Poll surveyed 1,318 people between March 12-15 2014, on the political crisis, as it relates to Prime minister Yinluck in eight areas of concern.
40.99 % people feel that as Prime Minister Ms Yingluck should take responsibility for handling the PDRC protest; 35.44% people feel that the Government chief should listen to the people’s voice to solve the political dispute; while 23.57% feel sympathy for her being under such extreme pressure. Pledging Rice Problem: 38.12% people feel that the payment delays reveal obvious corruption, and the court’s judgement will affect the Prime Minister’s position; 33.15% feel that it specifically affects the government’s standing, since farmers are a major part of the population. While 28.73% want the chief of government and the Commerce Minister to substantiate all information and take responsibility for a satisfactory outcome.
Two Trillion Baht Loan Bills: 50.20% people feel that the case affects the stability and the performance of the government and creates a massive debt for the country; 26.46% feel that the case freezes the prospects of the investment; and 23.34% believe that the government can’t deliver its campaign promises and that Ms. Yinluck should be called upon to answer difficult questions on the proposed borrowings.
The unfair transfer of Tawin Pleansri: 55.93% people feel that the case was an abuse of authority and part of a dirty political game; 25.43% feel that this is another case where the Prime Minister’s performance should be under scrutiny; and 18.64% feel that the case lessens the Prime Minister’s reliability.
The February 2nd election: The opinion of 52.6% people on this subject is that it was an inappropriate reaction to the protest situation, and it wasted a large amount of public money; 26.3% feel that it adversely affected the government’s standing, and 21.1% are of the opinion that the Prime Minister can not redeem herself in the next election.
The Amnesty Bill: 43.06 % of the people surveyed felt that as the Chief of the Government, Ms. Yingluck should take responsibility for the bill’s introduction; 29.95% feel that the government is now less reliable and 26.99% feel that the country got bogged down due to the case being before the court.
The 350 billion Baht Water Supply Project: 40.94% find the project inefficient and undermining of the value of other projects; 38.6 % find that it is the ultimate reason to subject the Prime Minster to greater scrutiny; while 20.46% find it should be a lesson learnt for the chief’s administration
The Massive Flood in 2011 from neglect of duty: 39% of people feel that the Prime Minister must take full responsibility for the disastrous floods; 38.5% find it a significant issue for dissident groups to criticize the government’s performance; while 22.5% feel sorry for the Prime Minister because a flood is an inevitable natural disaster.
Moreover, 67.02% of people feel that Ms. Yingluck should explain her actions and defend herself before the public; 17.41% feel that everyone should take part in solving unanticipated problems; while 9.24% and 6.33% respectively want the Prime Minister to undertake her duties to the best of her ability, and to be strong and patient in dealing with problems.
53.9% people feel that the Prime Minister should respond in person to all problems, as the chief of government; 25.65% think that she should be more determined in finding solutions to problems, to maintain the image of the government; while 11.36% think that she shouldn’t intervene in the court process to avoid abuse of authority, while 9.09 % of the survey group, want her to keep making an effort to recognize the public’s interest as her first priority.
