These words of caution should remind us all that the coup, followed by Surayud's appointment and now the formation of his Cabinet, are only the start of the process to heal deep divisions and get rid of the culture of corruption left behind by Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai Party. To say that the road towards the restoration of full democracy in this country is full of pitfalls would be a gross understatement.

The Surayud government, which should be formed and approved by His Majesty the King sometime next week, will need all the help it can get from civil society, the business community and members of the general public if it is going to rise to the great challenges ahead. But Surayud and the Council for National Security, which comprises military coup leaders, already know that failure to live up to public expectations is not an option.

For Surayud and General Sonthi Boonyaratglin, the coup leader, there is no fallback position. There is not even the luxury of the honeymoon period of several months that democratically elected governments are usually allowed. The public is also not prepared to let the new government indulge in politics-as-usual which elected governments can take for granted. Surayud and Sonthi will be held up to and judged against an impossibly high standard that no Thai politician before them has ever been subjected to.

They are expected to sacrifice themselves and do whatever it takes - without fear or favour - to eliminate corrupt elements from the country's political, economic and social life so that the democracy that must be re-established within a limited timeframe of about 12 months will have a chance to take root and thrive.

This is a tall order by any standard, not least because Surayud will be dealing with a society that is still reluctant to shed its traditional, corruption-prone patronage system of relationships, which contradicts the core democratic principles of the supremacy of the rule of law and the need for sound governance and transparency in decision-making, not to mention the concepts of effective citizenship and public participation in politics.

Surayud and Sonthi must lead by example by proving beyond any reasonable doubt not only that they are not in it for selfish gain but also that none of the Cabinet members has vested interests, hidden agendas or ulterior motives. Surayud, in whom Thai society has invested so much in terms of virtually absolute, albeit temporary, power, must see to it that this is the case.

The acceptance of invitations to join Surayud's Cabinet by prominent figures widely respected for their professional integrity, such as MR Pridiyathorn Devakula and Kosit Panpiemras, among others, is an encouraging sign that the interim prime minister will be able to recruit honest and talented people to serve in his administration. It cannot be emphasised enough that the line-up of the Surayud government must inspire the confidence of the Thai public as well as the international community to start with. Then, Surayud must ensure that all these high-calibre people he has gathered around him work together efficiently as a team.

Surayud must be reminded that although it will be almost impossible to find totally disinterested people with absolutely unblemished pasts to serve in his government, that doesn't mean he shouldn't try his utmost to tap only the best and the brightest. At the least, all Cabinet members must be told in no uncertain terms that they must make a clean break with whatever roles and capacities they served in before joining, and concentrate on working for the sake of the country in their 12-month term.