Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha often tells reporters that despite his volatile temper, he is a funny man.
Laugh citizens! What is that stunned look on your face? Do you need your attitude adjusted? 555 (ha, ha, ha).
I am giggling dutifully as I write. For one thing, I sincerely believe PM Prayut knows his strong point.
Check out the popular hashtag#thepmisafunnyman where Gen Prayut's memorable words, parodies and gags are assembled.
How many world leaders could have topped a social media trend by having a sense of humour like one Gen Prayut has? The PM might be astonished to learn how much inspiration he gives people having fun with his quotes and images.
Take one example of the PM's funny side.
Reporter: "Have you ever watched your own weekly TV addresses?"
PM: "Yes, I have. They're boring."
But guess what? Gen Prayut spent an average of 49 minutes per episode speaking to the nation from June 6, 2014 to May 29, 2015, according to the news website Asian Correspondent.
He once told people who don't want to watch his programme to switch to other channels, even though the address is aired on all channels. What's more, he even said he would try to reach people who do not watch his broadcasts.
"I will put up loudspeakers and broadcast into every village. Don't be bored by me," Gen Prayut warned.
On another occasion, the PM revealed what was said to be his sense of humour when discussing what Thailand would do about the Rohingya migrant situation.
Reporter: "So, the immediate response is to set up temporary shelters?"
PM: "I don't know. I am looking for a suitable place. Do you have some empty land near your house?"
During the past few days, PM Prayut has kept the nation entertained with his enigmatic statement: "I will stay on if everybody wants me to."
The "everybody" here seems to refer to a group of National Reform Council (NRC) members who are starting a campaign for the country to adopt reforms before holding the next general election.
They are launching a campaign to gauge public opinion on the issue.
According to these people, the government headed by Gen Prayut should stay in power for at least two more years to push through the reforms.
I find this comical on two counts.
First, reform-before-election was a slogan coined by the whistle-blowing People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) during their protests to unseat the Yingluck Shinawatra government.
The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) often maintains that it is here to end violence and resolve the country's political conflicts.
Gen Prayut himself has gone to great lengths to portray himself as non-partisan, taking temporary control of the country to usher it toward a more stable democracy.
Wouldn't it be laughable if the military regime now adopts what is commonly known as the PDRC's core agenda and uses it to justify prolonging its stay in power? Am I the only one who finds such a prospect incredibly amusing?
That is not all. The second point of hilarity is that the NRC members who are calling on Gen Prayut to stay in power were appointed by Gen Prayut himself.
Reforming the country? Conflicts of interest? If these antics are not laughable, then what is? It is perplexing why the reform-before-election drive has suddenly popped up again.
It's also questionable what exactly the group of NRC members who are pushing for this mean by reforms. What is the extent of the changes they have in mind? How on earth can a country's reforms be completed in two years?
The NCPO has been in power for more than a year and it has not even scratched the surface in each of the 11 areas it targeted for reform.
For now, the reform-first campaign appears more like a thinly-disguised way of helping Gen Prayut stay in control of the country a little longer.
To imagine that any real reform work can be done during the two-year election delay is a laughing matter.
Funniest to me is that a plan for a charter referendum that many people on the politically progressive side have called for seems to have been suddenly hijacked and turned into a vote to have reforms ahead of a new election.
Gen Prayut insisted he has nothing to do with these apparent attempts to keep the NCPO in power. He said in the end, it's the electorate who must decide.
The funny man, however, may end up having the last laugh.
Atiya Achakulwisut is Contributing Editor, Bangkok Post.