So Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has officially expressed his interest in politics. Admittedly, the "breaking news" moment came a little late as he has been in government for more than four years. It would seem Gen Prayut is behind the curve, even with his own political future.
And he did not tell all either. In declaring he will enter electoral politics, Gen Prayut fell short of informing which political party he will support, or what will be his next move with regards to his political ambitions. The incumbent PM asked for more time before he can share the information with the public.
It's hard to see what is holding him back, except for timing to score maximum political points. That is understandable. But that also makes Gen Prayut appear more like career politicians, the kind of people he has always dissociated himself from and whom he will run against in the electoral politics he is interested in joining.
Atiya Achakulwisut is a columnist, Bangkok Post.
What Gen Prayut was clear about in his announcement is he will not step down as PM or head of the regime ahead of the election, tentatively scheduled for early 2019. That means he will remain PM until a new cabinet is formed according to the charter.
This could be the "breaking news" moment. How could people differentiate between Gen Prayut the prime minister and Gen Prayut the candidate, if that is the case? Besides, the double roles would mean Gen Prayut have an advantage over other candidates as he would still be entitled to state personnel and mechanisms. This could pose a serious question to the election, whether it will be considered free and fair that way.
While predictable and not exactly newsworthy, a formal entry of the coup leader into electoral politics could also sharpen up the next poll.
The general election is set to be the first to be held after about five years under the military rule. People are generally excited about exercising their democratic rights again. It's also natural that many would expect the poll to bring meaningful changes to the country that has suffered from years of political conflicts and military dictatorship. It should mark a start of a return to democracy, freedom and prosperity.
Gen Prayut may believe that his entry into the electoral fair is the way to retain the country's stability and "growth" as he envisions it, but the reality is his presence will likely polarise the poll. With the coup leader contesting to become the next "democratically elected" prime minister, the campaign will inevitably revolve around pro- and anti-dictatorship issues.
That means the poll will be more emotional than intellectual. The battle lines are likely to be drawn by parties that would prop up the current prime minister, and all that he stands for, for a second term and those that would claim they are seeking the opposite to the current military dictatorship.
This means it's possible the poll will revert the country to the same old divisive politics, with all sides invoking fear and hatred to claim a legitimate right to govern. That means we will see a campaign based more on sentiment than substance. Instead of serious attempts to seek better alternatives to bring the country forward and provide better choices for the populace, the campaign will be more about a flashback to who or which side has destroyed the country more -- Thaksin Shinawatra's camp or the military regime in particular.
Remember, it took only a single tweet from the exiled former prime minister to rile the entire military regime. The war of words started when Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwon advised Thaksin, without directly naming him, to clear legal matters against him first before thinking about reconciliation talks among political rivals.
In response, Thaksin sent a tweet that has since become viral, generating numerous memes and similar satire.
"His stance and voice are so formidable, not humble and sweet like when he perched by the desk and asked to be the army chief," Thaksin wrote, also without actually naming Gen Prawit.
Gen Prawit was army commander-in-chief from 2004 to 2005 when Thaksin was prime minister.
Thaksin's message has been retweeted 68,000 times while the term koh toh, or "perch by the desk" has become the ridicule of the day. DPM Gen Prawit has not responded to Thaksin's tweet.
Thailand should have left all this bickering behind and sought a new future with the next election. Thaksin's tweet, however, has set the tone of electoral politics being a mud-slinging game while Gen Prayut's inelegant foray into the democratic channel will likely intensify it.