Joe de Venecia visits the Queen Mother of Cambodia
Philippine Daily Inquirer | Sunday, April 20th, 2014
THE ROYAL Princess is a candidate
Joe de Venecia, or JDV as people call him, is a man before his
time. While many perceive JDV as a politician, those who know him
outside of the political arena appraise him differently.
JDV has a genuine passion for his country. This became more
evident to me when he invited my husband, former Ambassador to Spain
Lani Bernardo, to be one of the international observers in the
just-concluded Cambodian elections.
I came along for the ride, as Cambodia and the fabled Angkor Wat
have, for some time, held a fascination for me. We visited Siem Reap and
Angkor Wat, and then took a plane to Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital.
JDV was already in place and in charge of the entire contingent
of international observers. As a former speaker of Congress and head of
the Lower House, JDV has international recognition and stature. He is
looked upon most favorably, and is deferred to with much respect.
He is the founding president of the Centrist Asia-Pacific
Democrats International and the founding chair of the International
Conference of Asia Political Parties. He single-handedly assembled 60
delegates in Cambodia from Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North
America.
Delegations
JDV meeting with other world parliamentarians and leaders
Offhand I can mention the former deputy premier of Nepal, the
former Pakistan deputy prime minister, the former deputy prime minister
of Canada, delegates from Turkey, the heads of the Christian Democrats
from Spain, the former vice president of Indonesia and his delegation,
Malaysian individuals all connected at some time to the Malaysian
parliament and heads of the opposition in Uzbekistan, among others.
From the Philippines, aside from Ambassador Bernardo, respected
journalist Bel Cunanan attended. Her husband was Ambassador to Cambodia
in 1998 and reopened the Embassy in the Cambodian capital, which closed
as a protest under former Ambassador Rogelio de la Rosa in the mid-’70s
due to the genocidal Khmer Rouge government.
Francis Manglapus, as president of the Christian Democrats in the
Philippines, actively participated, as did JDV’s wife Gina de Venecia.
She is the congressional representative of her district in Pangasinan.
All in all, the group was cohesive, cooperative and eagerly took to the
task of unbiased observation.
There
is a ruling party of Cambodia, the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP),
headed by strongman and longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen (28 years in
power, with intentions to stay for yet another decade). There was a
clamor that the 5th Parliamentary elections be opened to observers to
ensure that they be as clean and fair as possible.
There is an opposition figure in Cambodia today, a man who speaks
against the present regime. He accuses them of being corrupt, staying
too long in power and too close to China. It is no wonder this party is
called the Cambodian National Rescue Party.
This party is the strongest contender against the CPP headed by
Hun Sen. Embodying the opposition is a man called Sam Rainsy, a
charismatic, ascetic-looking man with glasses, and a huge following. In
exile for a long time, he was allowed to return, but due to a lack of
residency he was disqualified from running.
Queen Monique with the late King Norodom Sihanouk and their son, the present king
Nonetheless, his party won additional seats in Parliament.
They feel that they have been cheated, however. The CPP won 68 seats and
the National Rescue Party 55 seats. But to the opposition, this was
unacceptable. The opposition is describing a voter’s registration
process in which more than a million people were unable to vote.
Familiar?
Oh yes, there was an air of familiarity as we visited polling
places. First, Cambodians and Filipinos look alike, so it was like
visiting provincial polling places and seeing Filipinos. The classrooms
look just like ours, and the lists on the walls and cries of
disenfranchisement gave me a feeling of déjà vu. When the actual
counting begun, it was just like home—manual and with sticks! I’m
talking of elections prior to the present-day machines here.
Third party
There is a third party in Cambodia called the Funcinpec. The
candidate they fielded was the youngest daughter of the late King
Norodom Sihanouk, Princess Norodom Aru Ramsey. Prince Ranariddh, son of
Norodom Sihanouk, was declared “co-Prime Minister” together with Hun Sen
in the 1990s.
The party, however, lost significance when Prince Ranariddh
succumbed to the charms of a beautiful Cambodian cultural dancer.
Ranariddh lost his wife and position, and distanced himself from
Cambodian politics. I dare to venture that he is probably infinitely
happier in the arms of his love. His younger brother Prince Sihamoni
reigns as a figure of royalty in Cambodia. He is the son of Sihanouk and
the beautiful Italian-Cambodian Queen mother, Monique.
We visited the Queen. Again, JDV was received as a dignitary. We
found out that because she is in mourning for the late King, the Queen
hardly receives visitors in her home within the Royal Palace compound.
JDV and Gina were given an audience. We were included in the party.
How regal and very composed this queen was. Even as she tried to
hide it, the pain for her loss was evident. She served tea, gave us
gifts and exchanged notes with Gina de Venecia over the loss of a child.
She, too, had lost a son as Gina lost a daughter, KC. Gina gifted the
Queen with a painting of butterflies. To Gina, KC lives in on in
butterflies, she said. The Queen nodded knowingly.
The pictures of this story will show you how the delegation
organized by former Speaker Joe de Venecia gave back. Quietly and with a
sense of commitment, JDV brought everyone together as a unit.
He shared a talent that he has developed through time—a distinct
savvy for harnessing the right people. This time, for Cambodia, it was
to help a neighboring country in its efforts toward political stability
and recovery.
For JDV at that moment in time, I recall something I read and
jotted down: “The greatest good you can do for another is not just share
your riches, but to reveal to him his own.”—Benjamin Disraeli.
Giving is a universal opportunity. It is not what you can get; it is what you can give.
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