Many people were also worried that he would not be able to live up to the task and meet public expectations.

Public opinion of him has changed remarkably since as people have watched his every delicate move, like a soldier treading through minefields. Not only has he survived almost two months, there have also been some impeccable if not sterling performances.

His heartfelt apology to the Muslim people in the South for serious errors in policy, strategic direction and actions in dealing with the sensitive three southernmost provinces moved a lot of people to tears. It was touching indeed.

Nobody questioned Surayud's sincerity. Those were not the crocodile tears seen so often during his predecessor's years. With his candour, Surayud managed to persuade his Muslim audience to lower their guard, with optimism that even if a solution could not be achieved soon, at least the violence-prone areas would not get worse.

Surayud is cool, with no love for bandying words about. His always reserved bearing is in marked contrast to Thaksin Shinawatra, who likes to be the darling of all while his words and misdemeanours foment enmity and conflict.

Surayud is no politician but that does not mean that his stature and quality are inferior to anyone's. His track record on honesty and that of Thaksin would run parallel from beginning to end, with no chance of ever meeting.

It is possible that if Surayud can survive a few more months with tangible successes in the task of national rebuilding given to him by the military junta, then Thaksin can really feel worried that he will be forgotten soon enough.

Surayud has dealt with pressing and sensitive issues with tact, firmness and a sensitive approach to convey the right message, which only works in his favour. The way he cut short his Singapore counterpart Lee Hsien Loong's attempt to discuss the messy Temasek Holdings deal in Thailand won a lot of admiration at home.

Lee Junior must have realised that the Asean sense of solidarity certainly does not cover business transactions by family members, not even the wife of a national leader. He might have regretted his careless remarks about the coup, which were unwarranted, intrusive and nosy.

Lee should know that it's not only his wife in trouble now but also the wife of Thailand's former prime minister, now disgraced by corruption scandals and a wide range of misdeeds while in office. His vast wealth does not make the man happy during his forced exile abroad.

It will take some time to see whether Lee needs some sort of ego massage to ease the bruising and smarting. At least he knows now that he should be very cautious the next time he opens his mouth to talk with his Thai counterpart on matters not related to affairs of state.

Surayud's fast move to comfort the bereaved wife of a taxi driver who hanged himself in protest against the coup was truly a nip in the bud. A frenzied rally could have taken shape and grown quickly to cause a serious political headache for the premier and the junta.

The big contrast between him and Thaksin is that while he is modest, polite, sincere and shows good intentions, his predecessor was abrasive, arrogant, uncivil, boastful and pursued wealth with disregard for the law.

The real degree of valour has yet to be measured. Who is going to maintain composure in the line of enemy fire, or at the first sign of serious trouble? Though this may never happen, we seem to know the answer well anyway.

Watching the trend of Surayud's performance from his place of exile, Thaksin should feel increasingly worried. His hope of holding on grass-roots support for a political comeback now appears overly optimistic. As long as he is kept out of the country and Surayud holds the centre stage himself, Thaksin can be forgotten soon enough.

Big money and the loyalty of grass-roots voters will not help if Thaksin gets tied up by criminal charges, either alone or with wife and relatives. The signs are clear that he will have a lot of legal troubles to deal with, in addition to the strong possibility that the Shin Corp deal with Temasek may never be consummated and both sides will gain nothing.

It appears that Surayud plays politics for keeps, even if it is for a short period. There is a possibility that he might be approached to take the leadership of a fairly savoury political party, but his previous statement about not aspiring to political adventure could keep him out if he is truly a man of his word.

As of now, Surayud holds all the advantage. He is chalking up more scores with increasing public satisfaction while the junta has to take most of the blame for slow action. Thaksin must be feeling desperate, frustrated at not being able to do anything much. In the months to come, there will be a distinct comparison between the two men for the public, including Thaksin's admirers, to judge.

Surely as the halo around Surayud grows, Thaksin's dirt will be dug up to serve as an impregnable barrier to his bid to regain power. With his messy legal stigma and disgrace, fears that Thaksin will return and reclaim the premiership may be highly exaggerated.

Sopon Onkgara