Most of the people surveyed by two pollsters - Nida Poll and Suan Dusit Poll - are of the opinion that it is now time for the cabinet to be reshuffled.
Nida Poll of the National Institute for Development Administration was conducted on July 23 and 24 on 1,251 people of various levels of education and occupations throughout the country.
Asked to comment on the current news on a cabinet reshuffle, most of the respondents, 47.7%, said it is about time; 41.8% said the cabinet should not be reshuffled during this time, reasoning that the government has already tried its best to solve problems; and 10.4% no answers.
Of those who wanted to see changes in the cabinet, 17.3% said only economic ministers should be replaced because the people have sufferred enough from the higher cost of living and low prices of agricultural products; 16.5% said only the ministers with no concrete work results should be left out; and, 13.8% said the entire cabinet should be replaced.
Asked who among the cabinet members should be replaced, the first six ministers named by the respondents were Commerce Minister Chatchai Sarikulya (71.52%); Deputy Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn (68.68%); Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Pitipong Phuengboon Na Ayudhaya (61.31%); Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Amnuay Patise (61.31%); Finance Minister Sommai Phasi (41.54%); Deputy Finance Minister Wisuth Srisuphan (41.21%).
As for Suan Dusit Poll of Suan Dusit Rajabhat University which was conducted between July 20-25 on 1,383 people throughout the country, the respondents were also asked to comment about the news on a cabinet reshuffle.
Most of them, 68.11%, agreed, saying that it would help strengthen the government; 24.51% were uncertain whether it would improve or worsen the situation; and 7.38% disagreed, saying that it would disrupt the work of the government.
Asked to mention three ministries they thought the ministers should be replaced, the respondents named the Finance Ministry (86.77%), the Commerce Ministry (77.22%) and the Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry (70.93%).