in 1973, the Thai bureaucratic polity was,for the first time, severely shaken by mass uprisings led by students which eventually overthrew the military government. the 1973 revolution symbolizes the beginning of the end for the legitimacy of military rule and coup d'etats, and marked a major step toward democratic rule. since then, the transformation process from a bureaucratic polity to a democratic polity has begun. the political arena is moving away from "bureaucracy" to "general elections" to become prime minister, cabinet members, and MPs (members of parliament), one has ti be an elected politician.
not a high bureaucrat. the majority of cabinet positions during recent governments of Chatichai, Chuan, Banharn, and Chavalit are mostly occupied by businessmen, not by former bureaucratic elites.