Prime Minister Hun Sen ratcheted up his rhetoric against his opponents on
Wednesday, hinting that he might deploy military force against any
political party that attempts to wrest power away from the Cambodian strong
man.
“Some individuals dared to claim that in 2018 we would be crushed because
we wouldn’t recognize the election results,” he said. “They predicted that
in 2018 they could win, and if we don’t hand over power to them, they will
crush us. How can this happen if the troops are in my hand?”
Hun Sen’s remarks during Wednesday’s commencement exercise at the National
Institute of Education in Phnom Penh came as he and the ruling Cambodian
People’s Party (CPP) are pushing new rules through parliament that would
give the government vast power over political parties.
National elections in Cambodia are scheduled for 2018, while local commune
elections will be held in June of this year.
Among the amendments to Cambodia’s law on political parties that Hun Sen
and the CPP are seeking is one that would bar anyone convicted in Cambodian
courts from holding a political party’s top office.
The “culprit law” would also dissolve any party whose president is
convicted of a crime and would enable the government to seize the party’s
property.
Cambodian courts are notorious for their lack of independence. Opposition
politicians often find themselves before Hun Sen’s pliant courts on various
charges.
If the changes are approved by the Cambodian Senate and signed by
Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni, as expected, the amendments would also
give the Cambodian Supreme Court the power to dissolve a party caught
committing a list of vague offenses. The Interior Ministry would also be
empowered to indefinitely suspend a party for similarly vague reasons.
*Transition of power*
During his remarks, Hun Sen also took a swipe at Sam Rainsy, who was
president of the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) until he
resigned in an effort to preserve the CNRP.
“You declare the results now while the election has yet to be held, and
then you keep talking about winning and change,” he said. “Yes, you can
change. Change from staying freely outside to being in jail!”
Sam Rainsy has been living in France since 2015 to avoid arrest in a
defamation case brought by former Foreign Minister Hor Namhong in 2008. In
October, Hun Sen ordered police, immigration, and aviation authorities to
"use all ways and means" to prevent the opposition leader from returning to
the country.
In December 2016, Sam Rainsy wrote on his Facebook page: “In 2018, the CNRP
will form a new and legitimate government, and what will remain from Hun
Sen’s CPP will just be a bunch of rebels who will be crushed by the
legitimate government commanding the national armed forces with the support
of the international community on the basis of the 1991 Paris Peace
Agreements.”
The agreements ended the Cambodia-Vietnam War and established modern
Cambodia after years of rule by the bloody Khmer Rouge and an occupation by
Vietnam.
CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann told RFA that the CNRP doesn’t want a war, but a
peaceful transition of power.
“If we win the election it means that we have strong support from the
people in the whole country,” he said. “That strong support is a foundation
toward a peaceful power transfer, like what countries usually do.”
*Other countries weigh in*
The latest salvo in the political battle comes as foreign governments,
including those which helped war-torn Cambodia rebuild 20 years ago,
decried the proposed party law changes.
The U.S. Embassy said it was "deeply concerned" that the amendments were
passed with little consultation or public debate.
"Any government action to ban or restrict parties under the new amendments
would constitute a significant setback for Cambodia's political development
and would seriously call into question the legitimacy of the upcoming
elections," the American mission said.
It called on Hun Sen’s government to ensure that the elections this year
and next "are free, open, and transparent, and that all political parties
have the opportunity to compete on an equal basis."
“Any government action to ban or restrict parties under the new amendments
would constitute a significant setback for Cambodia’s political development
and would seriously call into question the legitimacy of the upcoming
elections,” the U.S. embassy said.
Australia and the European Union also questioned the wisdom of the party
law changes.
“The Australian Government encourages the Cambodian Government to ensure
credible and transparent elections by maintaining political space for all
voices and views to be heard,” the embassy told RFA's Khmer service.
The EU mission in Phnom Penh questioned how the changes would affect the
“long-term stability of the country,” saying the changes “would potentially
allow for arbitrary restrictions of political party activities or for their
dissolution.”
It added: “Such actions against opposition parties
