Surayud Chulanont and General Sonthi Boonyaratglin are two lost souls trapped in a world from which they cannot escape.

The military-installed prime minister and the junta leader have a joint mission to steer the country through the political jitteriness that hovers over the uncharted path back to democratic rule.

Together they must repair the political system and usher in elections as soon as possible.

They are obliged to accomplish their mission regardless of the firestorm of disparaging remarks about them.

They have no choice but to work in unison and complete their job within the one-year deadline. Failure to do so will lead to incalculable damage to the political system.

And yet the ties between the government and the Council for National Security (CNS) appear strained in recent months as their popularity declines.

Political commentators are questioning whether the CNS has become complacent before completely uprooting the legacy of the Thaksin Shinawatra regime.

Opinion polls have put Surayud on the spot as he is widely seen as an under-performer.

Under the pressure of high expectations, Surayud and Sonthi have both wobbled instead of displaying an unwavering resolve to accomplish what they set out to do following the September 19 coup.

After the CNS faced mounting criticism for the slow progress in rooting out corruption involving Thaksin and his cohorts, Sonthi was quick to blame the government's lukewarm cooperation in uncovering evidence.

In remarks designed to rally domestic support, he recently talked of retaking control of the operating licences of Thai satellites before shifting the responsibility to act to the government.

Reacting to the criticism the CNS hurled his way, Surayud raised many questions about his military backers.

On uprooting the Thaksin legacy, he said his government was responsible for enhancing the mandate for graft busters but did not have the jurisdiction to fight corruption directly.

Regarding control of the satellites, the government made it clear it was not bound to follow through on an individual's statement.

Surayud also jabbed back at Sonthi by blaming the Internal Security Operations Command for failing to quell violence in the South.

In a recent interview with the Malaysian press, he mentioned that Sonthi had the mandate to fire him.

Surayud and Sonthi are an odd couple indeed. Sonthi can appoint a new government leader and as prime minister Surayud can remove his military chief for incompetence in dealing with the strife-torn region.

Polite and subtle as they may appear, the barbs are sure to worsen the strained atmosphere.

If Surayud and Sonthi hope to boost their popularity by pointing the finger at each other, they are dead wrong.

Speculation in military corridors about Sonthi taking over the premiership is unsettling and may lead the country deeper down the path of dictatorship.

The two may never become popular leaders, but they still have a job to do.

They have to restore democracy and must do this regardless of popularity ratings.

They rose to prominence through a coup and it was an uphill battle to shore up their popularity.

But Surayud and Sonthi already have all the power needed to complete their job.

They need popular support to push for the promulgation of the new constitution, but this can be accomplished by unpopular leaders.

Avudh Panananda

The Nation