The military regime has started to come out and say what many have been suspecting for years -- that there could be a chance of them setting up or possibly propping up a political party or parties.
The open admission that this could occur was made by none other than Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon on Monday when he told reporters: "Why must I give confirmation? The NCPO will not be involved in politics. But if it is necessary, it [a political party] will be set up. If it is not, it will not be set up."
Gen Prawit, who has been a key pillar of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the body that comprises all the main figures involved in the May 2014 coup, has been rumoured to have harboured political ambitions ever since he was defence minister during the Abhisit Vejjajiva government from 2008-2011.
His comments on the possibility of forming a political party come as no surprise to political observers who have been talking of such a possibility ever since the coup. But what is surprising is the military is doing all it can to create general public awareness and generate goodwill in order for it to be elected if and when an election comes.
The established political parties seem to be fighting with their hands tied behind their backs as their activities are still heavily restricted. Meanwhile, the military government of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha continues to roll out many populist policies and tour the country with its so-called mobile cabinet meetings -- a move that many view is geared more toward promoting the work of the administration than actually achieving any tangible results.
For example, during his mobile cabinet meeting in Nakhon Ratchasima in August, pictures of Gen Prayut showed him talking to a frog and telling cows not to fight among themselves.
The recent handout to the poor in the form of welfare cards is yet another example of how this administration is doing all in its power to manipulate public goodwill and gain their trust, while party politicians remain banned from conducting any political activities.
It is good to see that real politicians are not that fearful of the NCPO or its schemes as they feel that they have the voter base to thwart any move the men in uniform might make.
History has shown that not many military-backed parties actually make it. The only one that managed to show any headway in recent history is the Samakkhee Tham Party which managed to garner enough support to form a government following the 1992 general election. However, this was before Thaksin Shinawatra came along.
Samakkhee Tham and four other political parties chose the 1991 coup leader, Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon, as prime minister.
This selection eventually led to the bloody May crackdown that still haunts Thais a quarter of a century later.
The Matubhum Party under then army chief, Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin, has been nothing but an utter failure. He and other coup leaders tried everything possible, including using threats to try and persuade parties not to ally themselves with the Thaksin-backed People's Power Party, yet the people's wishes prevailed and the coup leaders met with a crushing defeat.
The lesson is that it is important that the military should be politically neutral and that it should not get itself involved in politics.
The men in green should not harbour aspirations to do a job they are not qualified for. They instead should look at fulfilling their promise of bringing the country together through a process of reconciliation and give politicians the freedom to do their job.