In the early days of his premiership, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva felt insulted by remarks he was only "a kid" who was being allowed to run the country.
However, political parties and commentators alike acknowledge seeing an evolution in the PM's leadership abilities.
Academics, on the other hand, have taken a different perspective, saying the PM's transformation in office is only an illusion. They say he will pass the test of real leadership once he proves he can work proactively.
Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana Party key member admit that Abhisit had grown in office. With each passing day, the Democrat Party leader has shown he possesses true leadership qualities such as political courage and decisiveness.
"The PM's popularity has skyrocketed, and I warned my coalition colleagues who launched the charter-rewrite campaign they would not succeed in pressuring Abhisit into going along with that. He simply won't give in on issues he strongly opposes. There is no way he'll change his stance," he said .
Three incidents in particular have boosted Abhisit's popularity. First was his decision to scrap the online lottery scheme and then finding a way to conduct damage control that was the least damaging to the state.
Second was his decision to remove Manit Nop-amornbodi as deputy public-health minister despite the Bhum Jai Thai Party's adamant demand that he stay put. But Abhisit stood his ground and succeeded in replacing Manit.
Finally, there is the present charter-amendment conflict between the Democrats and their coalition partners.
Chart Thai Pattana Party sources agree Abhisit has become a stronger leader but say that may not be good for government stability.
"Especially on the charter-amendment issue, we see him going to the wall and showing no mercy to the coalition parties, and this will make it difficult for the government to continue to work together. It's like there's no willingness to be together. But even the Democrats are not ready to go to the polls now," said a Chart Thai Pattana leader.
"The Democrat-led government is now moving into a state of tension, mutual suspicion and revenge. Abhisit scores political points by playing the hero and portraying the coalition parties as villains. But we're not going to play the villain for long, especially since the Democrat Party is not unified. Political revenge will happen soon. A censure motion is one stage."
A Bhum Jai Thai leader said Abhisit's firm decisiveness would prompt coalition parties also to stand their ground and step up their bargaining tactics.
"We'll not give in to him. Leadership can be used as a tactic in only some political issues, because politics is a game," the leader said.
Chamlong Krutkunthod, a banned executive of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party, disagrees that Abhisit's leadership has become stronger, reasoning that his rise to power did not occur under normal political circumstances, but rather with the help of people wielding extra-political power.
The fact that he has been groomed for the post by powerful politicians means no one can be certain whether he makes his own decisions or if those surrounding him make decisions for him, he said.
Siripan Nogsuan, a lecturer in Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Political Science, said not only had she not seen stronger leadership from the PM, but what she had seen was simply reacting to specific situations. Abhisit just happened to make some decisions that some groups liked.
"It's nothing but an illusion, and a temporary one at that," she said.
Siripan said real leaders worked proactively and must be an initiator.
"What the PM should have done is restructure the country's political system. If he could have achieved that, many political problems, such as appointing unqualified ministers, would not have arisen. We always end up with 'ugly duckling' Cabinets. As prime minister, Abhisit should be able to reject unqualified ministerial candidates," she said.
However, Thai National Shippers Council president Paiboon Ponsuwanna views Abhisit in a more positive light, saying the PM started 2010 with a high standard of leadership, completely different from when he first took office.
"This is a good sign, and the private sector should give him moral support, because he's going to endure intense political pressure on many issues," he said.
However, Paiboon admitted Abhisit had not shown enough leadership in the business sector, especially regarding Thais who encountered obstacles when trying to conduct business abroad. They feel the need for greater support from the government, especially legal assistance, which they say would help increase the private sector's competitiveness.
Businessmen also want Abhisit to help stabilise the baht, which would help boost exports, he said.
But Paiboon dismissed concerns that Abhisit's decisive leadership style would weaken government stability, saying that on the contrary, his strong leadership inspired confidence in his administration among businessmen.
