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Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has painted himself into a corner. This is not a normal time, given the ongoing political and economic crises, and Samak should have let the opposition Democrats and the Senate hold a joint session to embark on a general debate on the problems and the performance of his four-month-old government. (By the way, aren't most of us getting sick of the street demonstrations?)

The general debate would have led to a cooling-off period because all of the country's problems would have been aired in Parliament. There would have  been no parliamentary vote once the general debate had been completed. The public, which is now very confused over the direction Thailand is heading, could then learn what exactly is going wrong (or right, in Samak's view) with this country. This would be good for all of us because the debate would be conducted in Parliament, with all eyes to see and all ears to hear. Then the Samak government could continue to run the country by taking into account some of the criticisms or suggestions to improve its performance.

But Samak is Samak. He says there is nothing wrong with his government, which has been in office for only four months. He could answer all questions. He will only appear before the Senate, which is about to start a general debate on his government's performance. Besides, the extraordinary session of Parliament, between June 9 and June 30, will focus only on debating the budget for fiscal year 2009 and deliberating the organic laws. There is no time left for any general debate on other issues. Samak says that if the Democrats would like to express their opinions, they can use the time during the debate on the budget.

Samak is doing everything to block the opposition's debate demand. But his strategy has backfired. The Democrats have adjusted their game plan by planning to launch a no-confidence motion against the prime minister and six of his Cabinet colleagues including Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee and Deputy Prime Minister and Commerce Minister Mingkwan Sangsuwan. Either Transport Minister Santi Prompat or his deputy Songsak Thongsir might also be grilled in connection with a controversial lease deal for 6,000 buses in Bangkok.

We believe that it is really too early to start a no-confidence debate against the government, which has only been in office for four months. A general debate, without a vote, would be adequate to address the political and economic problems in this country, given the ongoing rallies by the People's Alliance for Democracy, rising oil prices and the higher cost of living that is hurting low- and middle-income families.

But Samak is courting problems about his own status as prime minister and his own government's credentials. Academics such as Dr Ammar Siamwalla and former finance minister MR Pridiyathorn Devakula, have given a big thumbs-down to the government.

Many people, who were bitterly disappointed with the sluggish performance of the "old-ginger" Surayud government, now feel that the Samak government is even worse. The Samak administration does not know its priorities, and does not put the right men in the right jobs. Most importantly, it does not care at all about the economic hardships the Thai people are now facing.

Whether House Speaker Chai Chidchob will include a censure debate on the parliamentary agenda or not remains to be seen. Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Democrat leader, has said that there should not be any problem in including such a motion on the agenda since the extraordinary session of Parliament will last until June 30. Let's see how the government will react to this challenge. Whatever its reaction, it is obvious that the status of the Samak government has become very shaky.