Stoppage time :Head straight at the crossroads and don't turn

That line is a division between a saviour's status and that of a destroyer, malicious or unknowing. With the legal charges against the man he ousted in the bloodless coup now taking solid shape and Thailand struggling to re-embrace democracy, the general is nearing the end of his unique life journey.

Back in September last year the country arguably had no choice - but Sonthi made his, to the cheers of some and the dismay of others. Today it's different. With his motherland beginning to see options again as she seeks to determine her own future, Sonthi has no other alternative but to bow out politically. If he wants to be remembered as a good son, that is.

The journey will no longer be unique if Sonthi decides to turn toward that familiar route - taken by the likes of General Suchinda Kraprayoon. As a Thai citizen, he has the right to play politics, not least out of patriotism. As Sonthi Boonyaratglin, he doesn't have the luxury of playing the patriot in a democratic election. He has played his part, rightly or wrongly, and it's time to let the others play theirs.

History still waits, and the ends will justify the means. Sonthi will have badly misunderstood his own mission if he decides that his task is not finished until the "old power" is uprooted with a firm assurance it will not come back. The September 19 coup, as he and other collaborators proclaimed, was meant to restore the rule of law and people's faith in democracy. A large number of Thais acquiesced to that, on the assumption that he would strive for the ultimate irony - a political system that could handle Thaksin Shinawatra on its own without intervention from men like him.

Sonthi's entry into politics now will not restore faith in democracy, even if he has a noble purpose for doing so. It will have a negative effect on the nation's already wobbly effort to find its feet. It doesn't matter that he will have retired from the military. It doesn't matter that he will run in the election "as a civilian" like all other candidates. And it doesn't matter that he doesn't aspire to become the next prime minister. Once he decides to play politics, he will mock his own initial agenda, alienate his allies and, most importantly, create unnecessary new risks for his country.

He will spawn divisiveness just like the man he overthrew. He will give that man fresh ammunition to further discredit the political process in Thailand. He will undermine the credibility of the promised general election. He will sow the seeds of public doubt on his own beloved military institutions.

Of course, all these scenarios may have much to do with negative perceptions, and, as a soldier, he must have been taught to care less about how others perceive him. But he must also have been taught to consider the country's utmost interests first .

Thaksin is finished. The final nail was driven into his coffin by the purchase of Manchester City. Again, he had violated the 1997 charter, that Sonthi's coup abolished, by failing to report that he had that a huge amount of wealth overseas. The former prime minister, the "old power" if you will, has made things far more complicated for his legal self-defence, let alone his return to politics.

The whispered objective of Sonthi's possible entry into politics is to prevent Thaksin's return. This begs disturbing questions. What can he possibly do "democratically", that others can't, to achieve that? Does it mean he doesn't trust the "democracy" that his coup proclaims to be delivering? Who will be the politicians that form his parliamentary power base and give him enough strength to pre-empt the "old power"? Will he lead or join a party linked openly or secretly with former Thai Rak Thai MPs? If he does, how could he live with the staggering irony?

The next election is not Sonthi's stage, not if he really wants to give the September coup, which was condemned worldwide, a worthwhile meaning. True patriotism sometimes requires letting go and trusting that others have an equal love of the land. The democratic world doesn't trust soldiers when it comes to political power because what starts off as an act of sacrifice often ends in addiction and monopoly.

It's up to Sonthi now whether he wants to create history by fading away and keeping his honour to himself, or choose the popular path which will make him an undistinguished part of old history lessons.

Tulsathit Taptim