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With blood on his hands, Somchai simply does not have the political and moral authority to fulfil such a noble function. If he persists, it would further jeopardise the country's already unsalvageable reputation and further damage Asean as a whole.

At the end of July, Thailand was elated to occupy the Asean chair, knowing full well that it was a God-sent opportunity for the country to recoup its diminishing regional role. It was an auspicious moment as Thailand was the birthplace of Asean in 1967. But continued political instability and frequent changes of leadership in the past three years have turned the country, once known as a beacon of democracy in Southeast Asia, into a banana republic.

It was unprecedented that Bangkok would chair Asean for 18 months due to the grouping's transitional period. Asean wants to start anew with its charter, which is expected to be ratified by all 10 members soon. Asean Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan was confident that in coming weeks the remaining Asean members would do so.

As the chair, Thailand will be the first country to implement the charter, which Bangkok hopes to do with the highest standard. The Foreign Ministry has been very keen and excited with the preparations and has come up with a whole gamut of initiatives to promote the country's profile in Asean and increase awareness among the Thai public of the importance of Asean.

The host also has a clear agenda: to push for a people-centred Asean, and a human rights body that encompasses universal values and standards. As such, it would be difficult for the Foreign Ministry either to delay the summit or make a suggestion to that effect. The prime minister has to make the decision.

Most Thai authorities are willing to admit that the current political turmoil is likely to continue and the occupation of Government House by the People's Alliance for Democracy is not ending any time soon. Somchai's political future is also hanging in the balance as pressure continues to mount, calling for his resignation to take responsibility for the bloody conflict. The opposition, academic communities and civil society groups have urged him to dissolve Parliament to pave the way for a new election.

At this particular juncture, we are facing a huge dilemma. Whatever action Somchai plans to take, it would undeniably impact on the scheduled Asean Summit from December 13-18 - just three months away. We must not be in denial. Thailand must have the courage to acknowledge that the country is in transition and would require some time to set its house in order.

Asean countries and dialogue partners would understand their predicament and be sympathetic. When the Philippines realised that the scheduled summit in December 2006 would not be possible due to unforeseen circumstances, including a looming typhoon, the decision to delay came one week before the summit took place. It was rescheduled three weeks later in January 2007 and turned out to be one of the best Asean summits.

Indeed, we owe it to our friends - particularly Asean plus three and Asean plus six, which have looked towards Thailand to rejuvenate the Asian Century. China, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India are Thailand's closer friends and they view Thailand as the regional hub for the world's largest business space of 3.1 billion people. The first ever Asean-UN summit and a global dialogue on the role of Asean following the summit are also in the pipeline.

Gauging the present political circumstances, it would take at least three to four months to have a new election, new members of Parliament and a new government. Mid-February would be the most suitable timeframe to reschedule the summit. As such, Thailand would be demonstrating its leadership and continue to have a hold on the summit's agenda.

In a parliamentary democracy, political hiccups occur all the time. A delayed but better summit - rather than a half-baked one - would not damage the Thai chair. We have the resources and ample experience in organising Asean summits and conferences. In fact it would enhance our credibility as we would not be giving up the chair. We badly need it for we still have to host two additional Asean summits in July and December next year as mandated by the charter.

Knowing the Thai propensity for indecisiveness and procrastinating, it is better to postpone now rather than wait until the last minute as it would not only affect Thailand but other countries as well. Given the preoccupation with the global financial crisis and its aftermath, leaders of Asean and dialogue partners require sufficient lead time to shift and change their itineraries. Our responsibility now is to inform them early enough. Further delay on the decision would be disastrous.