Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Wednesday asked the public for more time to work, saying he needs three to six months to prove himself amid high expectations and questions about his independence.
Speaking after a special cabinet meeting after being sworn-in on Tuesday, the premier said he is under pressure because of public expectations but he is determined to work to solve their problems.
"I need time to do my job, about three to six months. I believe I have independence. It's not just the Shinawatra family. If anyone has information which could be of use to the public, I am ready to listen," he said.
Mr Srettha was asked if he had a free hand in running the country because he was nominated by the ruling Pheu Thai Party which is widely seen as having close ties to the Shinawatra family.
He said the special cabinet meeting was to gather opinions from ministers and stress the work guidelines which he announced after escorting the cabinet to take the oath of office.
He said he also asked the ministers to keep in mind they were there to work tirelessly for the people and reminded them to adhere to the law and treat officials with respect.
He said he called on cabinet members to ensure transparency and work hard to alleviate people's plight.
He also told them to take immediate action to tackle problems. Policies which do not need a law or regulation change must be undertaken first to attain tangible accomplishments and alleviate the people's plight.
"The culture of kickbacks is intolerable," he said.
Cabinet members were also assigned to look into state budget planning to ensure it is in line with the government's policy statements to be delivered to parliament.
Mr Srettha expressed confidence ministers were ready to address concerns raised by MPs and senators next Monday when he delivers the policies to parliament. Delivery of the statement will be followed by a debate.
Asked about the absence of the Pheu Thai policy to implement a 20-baht train fare for all mass transit systems in the capital in the draft policy statement, he said transport policy is included.
As for the fare for all mass transit systems, he said the government will have to study all systems, which have different operators, to determine an appropriate fare and state subsidy.
"If you ask me how soon it will be, let me work on it first. The transport minister has yet to look at it," he said. The prime minister also insisted the upcoming annual reshuffle of officials would be fair and performance-based.
"It won't happen [position-buying]. I hope ministers will pay attention to this. We need government officials to help us drive policies. If we don't treat them with respect or be fair to them, it will be difficult for us to implement them," he said.
One of Mr Srettha's immediate jobs, in his dual capacity as the chair of the Police Commission, is to appoint the new national police chief. He will schedule a meeting to select the police chief after the delivery of the policy statement.
The prime minister said he is looking forward to meeting foreign leaders to discuss investment opportunities in Thailand, adding he is prepared to attend the UN General Assembly in the US later this month and may have a chance to do so.
Asked when he will visit the Finance Ministry, Mr Srettha, who doubles as the finance minister, said he is waiting for the right opportunity. Mr Srettha said issues facing the agricultural sector, including impacts from the El Nino warming phenomenon and shortages of farm products, are expected to be discussed at the first cabinet meeting next Tuesday.
All government coalition partners will join hands in solving the problems for the agricultural sector including increasing productivity, reducing costs and finding new markets, he said.
"There could be shortages due to the El Nino phenomenon. Please wait for the first cabinet meeting, we will have measures. Let the agriculture minister gather information first," he said.
The prime minister will visit Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Nong Khai over the next two days to get first-hand information.
