The new army chief Gen Narongphan Jitkaewtae raised hopes when he said during his first press conference that the chances of a coup are zero.
However, confidence in Thailand's democracy -- which has progressed only sporadically during the past eight decades, mainly because of military coups -- plunged immediately, however, after Gen Narongphan set a condition to his vow.
When pressed by reporters on whether he could assure there would be no military putsch during his entire three-year tenure ending in 2023, the army chief left room for the possibility.
Gen Narongphan said the army will not meddle in politics on condition that no one causes conflict that leads to violence and unrest. Why must there be conditions?
While armed conflicts, violence or political unrest -- any forms of mayhem that have haunted Thai society for more than a decade -- are security threats that deserve the army's attention, these incidents should no longer be used to justify a coup. It's time for the Thai military to serve as professional soldiers. Nothing more.
Indeed, Gen Narongphan could have done the country a great service had he unconditionally vowed there would be no more coups. He would have restored honour to the organisation which plays a crucial role in maintaining the country's peace and stability.
Unfortunately, the army has seen its reputation spoiled because many of its past leaders strayed away from their duties, and brought the organisation into play with politics. Many of those past military leaders had given a promise just like Gen Narongphan's. A few of them rescinded on their words.
That is why it's important for the new army chief to draw a tight line and make a clear, unmistakable statement that the army will stay away from politics and there will be no more military coups in Thailand.
The situation at present is evident enough that a putsch or any overt military intervention does not help solve the country's political conflicts. If anything, the usurpation made everything more complicated. A former army chief, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha led a successful coup against the Pheu Thai-led government six years ago.
He claimed that the undemocratic intervention was necessary to restore peace and order to allow the country to move forward. Today, the premier is still facing pro-democracy protesters who accused the government of being a legacy of military dictatorship.
Conflicts that dominate headlines today -- calls for reform of bureaucratic organisations, an end to corruption and injustice -- are not different from those that resonated years ago before the coup in 2014, or even before the earlier one in 2006. In the same interview, the new army chief made several points that could cheer up democracy lovers. The 57-year-old general insisted that political problems must be solved by political means. He also said that as a government official he would follow policies set by the government, defence minister and defence forces chief.
Gen Narongphan urged people to help each other get rid of conditions that could give rise to conflicts, violence and unrest -- presumably those that could pave the way for another military coup.
But as the army chief, historically the most likely person to stage a coup, Gen Narongphan must take the lead and make a clear, unequivocal stance that the army will never engage in non-democratic affairs from now on.
A half-hearted promise like the one he made after taking office this week is sorely inadequate.