Calling a big portion of voters virtual fools may not be the smartest thing for a political leader to do. And caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is on the receiving end of a predictable backlash after saying that Bangkokians are a gullible bunch who often fall prey to "bad" influences.

Responses ranged from outrage to dismay to "We'd rather be fools than his idea of wise guys" kind of sarcasm. One thing is for sure, for a leader accused of causing great national division and alienating that portion of the populace not supportive of his party, Thaksin has made a very bold statement going into the October 15 general election - and the Democrats can hardly believe their luck.

During his trip to Isaan, Thak-sin told villagers in Maha Sara-kham: "The problem of Thai society now is that people, especially those in Bangkok, are easily fooled by bad people. They believe ru-mours, not only villagers but also those with high education. What a pity. " The premier also noted yesterday that the enormous support from rural villagers made him consider staying on in power after the election.

Thaksin's Tuesday remark upset many city residents. Entrepreneur Pakpoom, 35, condemned the premier for his "divide and rule" tactic.

"It's very inappropriate for the country leader to say something that divides people," he said. "This is to make rural people feel bad or even hate and hold a grudge against us in Bangkok. Thaksin wanted to win sympathy from the rural folks by accusing people in Bangkok of abusing him. This is terrible."

Businesswoman Nuch, 32, was equally furious about the premier's remark. She said she was not surprised at what Thaksin said about Bangkok people because the premier has a tendency to attack anybody who disagreed with him.

"But let me tell him [Thaksin] that the education and information I have give me confidence to make an independent judgement," Nuch asserted. "Nobody can tell me what to do. The fact that I don't vote for Thai Rak Thai doesn't mean I'm a fool."

Democrat Party spokesman Ongart Klampaiboon said Thaksin's remark might have come from his own habit of fooling other people, so that now he feels Bangkokians too are easily fooled.

"If Thaksin wants support from people in Bangkok, then he should just stop doing what he has been doing for the past five years in power such as corruption, interference in independent organisations - you name it," Ongart said.

In Roi Et yesterday, Thaksin said the massive support he had received from rural people during his three-day tour of Isaan had

significantly boosted his morale and he would consider staying on in power after the election.

Some 3,000 villagers from Roi Et welcomed Thaksin when the premier visited Kud Kae village. They greeted him with blessings to win another term. Some villagers burst into tears of sympathy for the premier for having been attacked by urban political rivals in the past several months.

"The [overwhelming support from villagers] has given me a heavy heart about stepping down," Thaksin said. "In fact, to be the prime minister of Thailand - especially during my time - is exhausting. The media don't like me. My family is under a lot of pressure. The fact that my family sacrifices me to work for the country for six years is enough. I had started to think that it might be time to support somebody of a younger generation to replace me.

"But when I meet people and they encourage me to fight on, they place their hope with me - and it gives me a heavy heart. I am at a crossroads. On the one hand I want to devote myself to the country, while on the other, I know there is a group of people who are unhappy. They don't want me to be prime minister," he said.

Thaksin said he has tackled the country's problems during his six-year premiership. But some accumulated problems like poverty cannot be solved in one night, and need time to address. What's needed is determination and the faith of people to get the problem solved, he said.

"The country will return to normal after the election. Those who tried to destroy democracy will have to accept that the real power belongs to the people. So people should exercise their power by going to the ballot to show what they want," Thaksin said.