Sam Rainsy Said Seeking Merger with Koem Sokha To Win Back 'Slipping' Popularity
SEP20081218045002 Phnom Penh Samleng Yuveakchon Khmer in Cambodian 17 Dec 08 pp
1, 2
[Article by Sam-nang]
Sam Rainsy, leader of an opposition party that is morphing into something
different from what it used to be, is looking for a new strategy to follow in a
bid to prop up his last-ditch policy, which consists of finding outsiders to
act as principal players in the Sam Rainsy Party [SRP]. Now that most main
officials of the SRP have become better acquainted with the sore spots of their
leader Sam Rainsy, the fact that the SRP now can muster only a few leading
figures, such as Son Chhai, Yim Sovan, and Muo Sochua, is seen by Sam Rainsy
himself as an irreparable weakening of the party.
Eng Chhai-eang--the SRP's former secretary-general notorious for monopolizing
the power of the office of the party's secretary-general and for surrounding
himself with cronies thus causing many important officials to walk out of the
SRP--is now desperate and totally confused because he is so deeply addicted to
gambling.
According to sources among the senior SRP officials, Sam Rainsy is trying to
persuade Koem Sokha through Son Chhai's good offices to merge his party with
the SRP. Sam Rainsy is offering important positions, including the posts of
vice president and secretary-general, to officials from the Human Rights Party
[HRP]. The sources further said that Koem Sokha appears to have accepted the
post of secretary-general of the SRP and a number of deputy secretary-general
jobs as prices in exchange for HRP officials to join the SRP leadership.
According to the same sources, the union of the two parties is not yet clearly
defined by any specific principles. Only offers of positions have been floated
as incentives for the merger.
A former SRP official said that the merger between the SRP and HRP probably is
unavoidable since Sam Rainsy is very desperate. He would do anything provided
he remains party president, even if he has to sacrifice important positions to
officials of whatever origin.
The same source further said that the compelling merger of the SRP with Koem
Sokha's HRP is not dictated by any clear strategy. In fact, it is only because
Sam Rainsy has seen that the future of his leadership is in peril due to many
reasons. Important officials once active in the SRP have been aware of Sam
Rainsy's deception, which has led several of them to leave the party and others
who are still in the SRP to feel completely disheartened, stop working, and
create endless internal problems.
The source went on to say that many SRP officials who used to conduct the
political struggle along side Sam Rainsy know that the longer they stay on,
what they could do is only to serve the personal interests of Sam Rainsy, Eng
Chhai-eang, and Yim Sovan, more than serving the interests of the Cambodian
nation. In this sense, the source said, the more widely this understanding
spreads among the officials, the more isolated Sam Rainsy will become and the
less power he will have over his officials. Now, no one seems to be loyal to
Sam Rainsy any more.
The source said that when Sam Rainsy realized that his popularity was slipping,
in other words, when an increasing number of people had learned about his
tricks Sam Rainsy then tried new methods or new people in order to recover from
this downturn. Consequently, the source affirmed, this is why Sam Rainsy is
trying to persuade HRP officials, especially Koem Sokha, to come over and help
him take control of his party. The source said that it is not yet known,
however, whether it is possible for the SRP and the HRP to merge.
Nonetheless, it is a fact that Sam Rainsy and officials in his entourage have a
very stubborn nature. Fearing that their personal interests would be affected,
they have not thought about any strategy other than trying to form and
consolidate their own faction within the party. As a result, many sources have
maintained that the SRP and Koem Sokha's HRP would not succeed in merging
together because two important figures, namely Eng Chhai-eang and Yim Sovan,
are resolutely opposed to the merger idea or the idea of handing over important
posts to officials from another party.
Concerning the news about Sam Rainsy trying to enlist officials from other
parties to help support his policy, a former SRP official claimed that this is
absolutely impossible. However, the same source also claimed that Sam Rainsy
has no other choice besides pushing for winning over the support of new people
so that he could prolong his leadership. As for some officials who have
reacted negatively to the enlistment of outsiders to ocupy important party
positions, a trick for Sam Rainsy to boost his personal importance, they said
that this will end up in another major split within the now rapidly thinning
ranks of the SRP leadership.
The push toward forming an alliance with another party, specifically the HRP,
has not been supported by most SRP officials. Regarding the attempt to attract
officials from the HRP to help lead the SRP--which appears to be Sam Rainsy's
last-ditch tactic--many circles believe that the majority of officials instead
support Eng Chhai-eang and Yim Sovan's idea of protecting their personal
interests. In this sense, analysts see that at a certain point Sam Rainsy will
have to choose between soliciting help from the HRP and preserving the support
of his remaining officials who have lost all faith in him.
[Description of Source: Phnom Penh Samleng Yuveakchon Khmer in Cambodian --
Translated as the Voice of Khmer Youth. Pro-Norodom Ranariddh Party newspaper
that has shifted from being anti-government to pro-government since Prince
Norodom Ranariddh resigned as party leader after being granted pardon by
Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni following the July 2008 general election.]
"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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