(Bangkok) - Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva Friday said that benevolent authoritarianism is not the answer for Thailand.

Talking to editors of leading newspapers in Asia, he said: "Democracy is the best form ofgovernment and I don’t take the view that in any particular society or country there areconditions that would suggest otherwise.

"I can’t take seriously the view that sometimes Thai people are not ready or suited fordemocracy… But I think every society has to go through a learning process. And at different times you have different challenges for democratic development."

His comments come at a time when various circles of the society are claiming that Abhisit is trying to consolidate power in a similar manner like General Prem Tinsulanonda, who was the head of the government from 1980 to 1988.

During that period, General Prem, under the veil of an elected Parliament, ruled the country with an "iron fist", and controlled the military and used it to fend off challenges to his government, Suranand Vejjajiva, a political analyst, wrote in a column in a leading Thai newspaper on Friday.

Abhisit’s opponents are even more convinced that he is trying to consolidate power in the office after he postponed the elections indefinitely from the earlier proposed date of November 14. But the Thai premier defended himself saying:

"These people talk as if there would never be elections. "Elections have to be held at the end of Parliament’s term and that’s the end of next year." He is also open to the idea of early elections but said all depends on the pace of economic recovery, agreement in amendments that have to be made to the constitution and general stability. Above all, early elections will depend on how much progress the country makes in terms of reconciliation, the premier said.

Thai society has been further divided by the recent conflict in Bangkok between the government forces and the anti-government red shirt protesters, which ended with deaths of 89 people and left more than 1,800 injured. Many of these people who were killed or injured are from impoverished northeastern part of the country where the premier is deeply unpopular. Currently, the Thai government is trying to rebuild the divided nation by implementing what it calls a "reconciliation plan".

But the main opposition Puea Thai Party has already called Abhisit's plans for reconciliation an attempt to buy time to stay in power. Clearly, the opposition feels that people should be allowed to decide on everything, the premier said. "They want elected politicians and parties to have more absolute power.

And they have a point." But, the premier said, people who have been given mandate by the majority may "abuse power and try to put themselves above the law", emphasizing that "democracy has to be based on the rule of law". { Asia News Network)