Pardoned Prince Ranariddh Appointed Head of King's Supreme Council
SEP20081211045004 Phnom Penh Moneaksekar Khmer in Cambodian 11 Dec 08 pp 1, 2
[Article by Sakkada]
After the recent fourth parliamentary elections were held, that is, after the
two political parties that paid only lip service as royalist were handed the
most shameful defeats at the polls on 27 July 2008, a number of royalties have
walked out of the political scene in order to hide their shame and disgust.
Among the royal family members who had announced their departure from politics
and who were so shamefaced and humiliated that they no longer dare to re-enter
the political scene are Prince Norodom Sirivuddh and Princess Norodom Vajjara.
And recently, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, former president of the FUNCINPEC
[National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, and Peaceful Cambodia]
Party, also publicly announced his decision to quit politics, preferring to
devote his time helping to handle the affairs of his half-brother, King Norodom
Sihamoni.
Prince Ranariddh was sentenced in absentia by the Phnom Penh Municipal Court to
spend 18 months in prison as of the day he is arrested and to pay $150,000 to
the FUNCINPEC Party through its Secretary-General Nhoek Bun-chhai. Finding
himself in an impasse before, Prince Ranariddh then resorted to a political
solution. After the 27 July elections Prince Ranariddh announced his refusal
to form any political alliance with the Sam Rainsy Party under whatever
circumstances. Prince Ranariddh, then head of the Norodom Ranariddh Party
[NRP] fleeing into exile in Malaysia to dodge the court's arrest warrant,
voiced his recognition of the polls' results and even urged the Cambodian
People's Party [CPP] with Hun Sen as its vice president and prime minister
candidate to form a coalition government with the two-seated FUNCINPEC Party as
soon as possible to avoid the same political deadlock as in the 2003 third
general elections.
Sources among the NRP officials said that after being granted royal pardon
Prince Ranariddh immediately announced his divorce from politics and offered to
assist the king in handling his affairs. His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni
then appointed the prince to the post of chairman of the Supreme Council of the
King without waiting for any recommendation from Prime Minister Hun Sen. The
sources said the king just signed a royal decree appointing Prince Ranariddh by
himself last weekend.
According to the same source, Prince Ranariddh is asking the minister of the
royal palace [Kong Sam-ol] to officially appoint dozens of his aides so that
they would have their own offices and positions inside the Royal Cabinet.
These aides, it was said, are the same men from the sycophant entourage of the
prince when he still was NRP president.
Observers said that although Prince Ranariddh used to announce that he would
abandon or end his political career he some times appears to still bear great
influence over the NRP, keeping it at his beck and call. Moreover, although
the NRP has already been handed to Chhim Siek-leng to lead as its provisional
president, Chhim Siek-leng is just a nominal party president. All the
important leadership decisions, it is observed, is made by Yu Hokkri,
secretary-general of the NRP and MP for Kampong Cham constituency. It is also
said that Yu Hokkiri is running the NRP together with Sau Rani, another
confidant of Prince Ranariddh and MP for Prey Veng constituency of the current
fourth National Assembly.
The same source further disclosed that after Prince Ranariddh announced his
retreat from politics and became very cozy with Hun Sen and other CPP
officials, the prince immediately asked for the inclusion of a number of NRP
officials, his closest underlings, into the corps of government advisers and
advisers of various national authorities. Those peeved for failing to get the
advisory jobs left the NRP and defected to the CPP. Some of them were then
appointed undersecretaries or secretaries of state while others were made
government advisers.
This fourth government is completely led and controlled by the CPP although the
FUNCINPEC Party with its two seats has been made its partner in the coalition
government and the NRP its partner in the National Assembly. These two
satellite parties have not received any important posts in either the
government or the National Assembly, not even as members of the National
Assembly's specialized commissions. It is only after they submitted
applications through the offices of National Assembly Speaker Heng Samrin that
the MPs from the FUNCINPEC Party and NRP were included among the members of the
House's specialized commissions and were given a bigger salary than the MPs
without any posts in the nine specialized commissions of the National Assembly.
[Description of Source: Phnom Penh Moneaksekar Khmer in Cambodian Translated as
Khmer Conscience. Widely read anti-government daily newspaper affiliated with
the Sam Rainsy Party; occasionally adopts pro-US stance.]
"My Khmer Compatriots, ask not what Cambodia and her People can do for you, ask
what you can do for Cambodia and her People"
The Khmer Politicians have only interpreted the Cambodia and her beloved people
in various ways.
The point, however, is to change it...
---Khmer Blood---
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