Nobody is prepared to gauge right now how many people were actually impressed by his words. In office for just over four months, he has to contend with the fact that the popularity of his Cabinet is waning and there are no signs of recovery.

The talk about not chickening out is therefore not very convincing. Doubts over signs that Surayud has been disheartened by the pressing problems around him were the cause for speculation that he might not endure further difficulties in office and would let somebody else take over.

Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda was the one who confirmed that Surayud was wavering by stating that his protege and long-time aide would remain national leader. "He is not the kind of person who runs away from problems, he will stay on," General Prem asserted. Such a guarantee serves as an instruction to Surayud that he will have to tough it out come hell or high water.

If Prem feels let down by his distant successor as government leader, he did not show it. However, if a person long known for not enjoying making long speeches had to speak at length about the qualities of his protege, then we should realise that there was a real problem.

Prem's words served to both prod and prop up Surayud, no matter how one wants to see it.

An immediate question naturally is whether Surayud will shape up and go out with his chin out to deal with the messy and multifaceted problems facing him with strong political will and uncommon valour, which he has not yet shown to the public.

His performance so far has not been very inspiring or heartening given the time, pressure and the necessity to get things done to compensate for the sudden halt of democracy by a coup, regarded as a necessary evil to get rid of the corruption-ridden and self-serving Thaksin administration. As we have witnessed, only some Cabinet members display a certain degree of having a sense of mission and try to live up to what the public expects of them. Public disappointment over the Cabinet's lack of alacrity in dealing with critical problems has been growing without any explanation as to why there is so much inertia among the ministers, long jibed for their vintage years and determination in trying to outlive their usefulness.

Not only has Surayud shown an obvious reluctance to urge Cabinet members to show results, there is also the question of whether he can perform as a hands-on chief executive capable of really taking charge.

Members of a committee formed to investigate misdeeds and corruption in the Thaksin administration have become more vocal in their complaints directed at Cabinet members who have been found to be so torpid in their performance. Though it was not spoken, this was really a direct hit at the Cabinet leader of course.

Insiders understand that some committee members have been so disheartened by the lack of firm action on the part of Cabinet members in instructing civil servants to extend cooperation in corruption investigations that they would like to quit the task, which is now increasingly regarded as a dirty job.

A soothing word from senior committee members that there was no such discontent only intensifies public concern that the entire coup and subsequent national reconstruction would be a futile exercise if one did not consider the success in ousting Thaksin and a sudden end to massive and systematic corruption.

The reshuffle of Cabinet positions, in small number but significant in impact, only confirmed the inept handling of complicated problems. These problems have further led the national economy into uncertainty, with no signs as to how the crisis over the strong baht value can be resolved despite a few cases of family murders and suicides due to export business failures.

The handling of iTV, owned by Shin Corp, was legally messy and already has led to tragic ends for a few would-be administrators of the station, not to mention a murky future for TITV staff members despite their severance pay and the government's promise of extended employment. Final settlement will take a much longer time, with more legal problems for the government.

With all of these unsavoury events there remains the public concern over Surayud's credibility as a national leader, and whether he is competent enough to get the job done as he has pledged to the people he would. If he is truly aware of the public's perception of his unimpressive performance reflected by periodic opinion polls, he should do more than redoubling his effort to ensure that his mission is accomplished and that he lives up to his words.

To restore his stature, the first task for Surayud is to get his act together and firmly tell all Cabinet members to cease and desist from being chair warmers. The country already has more than enough burdens, and there is no need for their contribution in that regard. Of course, he has to show them how to do it.

 Sopon Onkgara