Former People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) leader Suthep Thaugsuban is admired by as many people as he is hated for his role in leading the mass protests which culminated in the toppling of the Yingluck Shinawatra government on May 22 last year.
At the height of the marathon protests in the early part of the year, millions of people, mostly from the southern provinces turned up in Bangkok in response to his call for the "shutdown" of Bangkok to pressure the government to resign. But that failed to break the spirit and resolve of prime minister Yingluck until the military stepped in to end the impasse.
The UDD leader said he wondered whether he could call a press conference to talk about the red whiskered bulbul bird, a popular caged bird for southerners, without being banned.
Former deputy prime minister and foreign minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul branded the PDRC Foundation a charade meant to prolong the timing of the next election.
He warned that if the political roadmap was delayed, Thailand's credibility would be irreparably damaged.
At a press conference on Friday, Suthep announced the PDRC Foundation's objectives were to push for national reforms before an election, no matter how long it takes. It also aims to protect national interests and serve as a clearing house for all proposals for reform.
The foundation's objective is being interpreted to mean that it wants the government to sit tight until it carries out the necessary reforms on any topics that are yet to take place, despite the fact the government has been in office for almost a year.
Police reform, which ranks as a top priority, appears to be going nowhere due to fierce resistance to any structural changes. The latest reform proposal, to separate investigation from normal police work, was shot down.
The timing of Mr Suthep's announcement to head the foundation after one year in the monkhood coincides with the declining popularity of the government, due mainly to its failure to meet public expectations, particularly on economic issues.
The country's GDP, for instance, is declining steadily with the latest projection from the Bank of Thailand being less than 3% on the back of continuing export contraction.
Prices for main agricultural produce, such as rice and rubber, have nosedived to the point that rubber planters have planned protests on various occasions, although they were stopped by Mr Suthep for fear they might destabilise the government.
Mr Suthep's support of Prime Minister Prayut's government is beyond doubt. One day before leaving the monkhood, he told supporters at Wat Suan Mok in Surat Thani that he backed the prime minister's decision not to bring former politicians into his cabinet if there is a reshuffle.
But how can Mr Suthep and his foundation prop up a government that is losing popularity and is being increasingly challenged by pro-democracy groups demanding an early election?
The government is, after all, plagued with a host of serious issues which are likely to worsen economic conditions, such as the prospect of a ban on the export of seafood products to the European Union over IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing), and a red flag from the International Civil Aviation Organisation and American Federal Aviation Administration for poor aviation safety supervision.
The foundation plans to make use of its old connections to explain to western governments about the IUU, aviation supervision and human trafficking issues. One such connection is former foreign minister Kasit Piromya who is well-known for his famous quote "good music, delicious food" while addressing an anti-government protest staged by the People's Alliance for Democracy.
Personally, I doubt Mr Kasit's credibility in diplomatic circles and that western envoys will lend an ear to what he is to say.
The country badly needs reforms in many areas. But it is not possible for all of them to be undertaken before an election.
Who knows how many years it will take, for instance, for the police to be reformed? Five years? Ten years? Or it will never be reformed?
Can we wait that long? No, we cannot. The political roadmap must stay in place.
Veera Prateepchaikul is former editor, Bangkok Post.