Thammasat University lecturer Somyos Chuathai, a legal expert with a 20-year-long record of standing by democratic principles, gave an interview to the Thai Journalists Association in which he opposed the September 19 seizure of power by the military and questioned the motives of the CNS in bringing down the Thaksin regime.

He said the real motive was actually to stop an unwanted military reshuffle.

"If the CNS cannot prove there is corruption, which it cited as major reason to stage the coup, then it will reach its demise,'' he said.

He believed the CNS would follow in the footsteps of every coup leader. "All coup-makers have said they would not stage a coup, and they did. They all said they would not become prime minister - and later they did,'' Somyos said.

"After coup-makers tear up the constitution, they normally set up a nominee party to carry on their power. Now that the CNS has overthrown the Thaksin government, it may have to do the same thing. After seizing power this time, this vicious circle is inevitable. I do not believe that after the election, the CNS will step down easily because they have made many enemies. This is the nature of power: rising to it is hard - but stepping down is harder. Take Thaksin's case for example,'' he said.

The Thai Rak Thai Party, which took control of the country over the past five years, will no longer be powerful because party members have become powerless and their assets may be impounded. "Whoever wants to rise to power must set up a new party,'' he said.

Somyos said he had no hope the country will have a better constitution than the previous one, judging from the fact that the CNS has a big say over who the members are and the structure of the National Legislative Assembly, National People's Assembly and Constitution Drafting Assembly.

"This is just fake public participation. The process to get the legal specialists to draft the constitution was wrong from the beginning and it is just a hoax,'' he said.

He said the country also needs a strongman to lead a political reform process, but Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont is not that man.

"I have not seen Surayud show a vision to reform politics. The real leader is actually the CNS. I am worried the country will swing back to having a weak country leader who is a conservative. I do not want to see the country fall back democratically,'' he said.

Somyos believes the government draft of the constitution will not pass the public referendum and the government will brush up the 1997 constitution and use that.

"I do not think it is a good idea because if the 1997 constitution is so good then why can't it stop corruption and stop bad people from abusing their power?'' he said.

The lecturer said he will help academics to draft a parallel constitution and present to the public the version they want - and which will lead to political reform. "We will be an alternative choice for society,'' he said.

Somyos and his colleagues had earlier pushed for political reform by setting up a third alternative political party.

Excerpts of his interview can be seen at www.politic.tjanews.org.