Cambodia’s colourful opposition leader Sam Rainsy, in exile in France since 2015, stunned his loyal supporters by resigning this week amid a sharp deterioration in the country’s political climate with less than four months before all-important commune elections that will act as a bellwether for next year’s national polls.

The resignation was widely viewed as an attempt to outmanoeuvre legal efforts by Prime Minister Hun Sen to ban politicians with convictions from standing for public office – Rainsy has convictions for defamation against Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) that are widely seen as politically motivated.

This leaves Kem Sokha at the opposition helm and potentially the country’s the next leader.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened to seize the property of opposition leader Sam Rainsy and sell the party's headquarters if he wins a defamation case against the exiled politician.Photo: AFP

It’s a political fracas that will also be watched closely by Beijing, which backed Hun Sen in the 2013 election and has tipped billions of dollars into Cambodian infrastructure as part of its wider strategy to open trade routes along its southern flank.
Ren Chanrith, coordinator of political dialogue at the Youth Resource Development Programme, said the CPP was attempting to minimise opposition influence and this was weakening democracy and checks and balances. “The image of Cambodia in the international community has been damaged because they can see that the ruling party is only trying to fight for their own power and Cambodia is moving to dictatorship,” he said.

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Lawsuits launched by members of the CPP and the jailing of senior opposition figures have dominated the political agenda, with the government struggling to win electoral support, particularly among the youth.

Sam Rainsy has accused the National Assembly of rubber stamping CPP legislation, and says the latest proposals by Hun Sen are really aimed at dissolving his Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP).

“This law aiming to institutionalise a one-party system is being tailor-made for me – in my capacity as CNRP president – since the CNRP is the only opposition party represented at the National Assembly and the only party that can defeat the CPP,” he said.

Thousands of people take part in a funeral procession in Phnom Penh on for Kem Ley, a Cambodian political analyst and pro-democracy campaigner who was shot dead in broad daylight on July 10 at a convenience store. Photo: AFP

Immediately after the weekend resignation, Hun Sen filed yet another defamation lawsuit, against political analyst Kim Sok – accused of blaming the CPP for the murder of fellow analyst Kem Ley, who was gunned down in broad daylight in July.

Speaking during the inauguration of the Cambodian-Chinese Friendship Bridge, the prime minister also said he had asked police to monitor Kim Sok and warned that anyone who disturbed national security should “prepare their coffin”.

“Do not run away, as you have claimed yourself to be a strong person,” he said, as China’s latest contribution to the Cambodian economy was unveiled. “If you do not have money, your house will be sold.”

Sam Rainsy fled into self-imposed exile in France after receiving a jail sentence for defamation two years ago. A five-year jail term was also imposed in December over a Facebook post and Hun Sen is also seeking US$1 million from him in another lawsuit.

Rainsy ban to protect airport, official claims

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/sites/default/files/styles/two-col/public/field/image/heavily_armed_royal_cambodian_armed_forces_stand_guard_at_the_phnom_penh_international_airport_in_november_last_year_after_rumours_sam_rainsy_would_be_returning_to_the_country_24_11_2016_heng_chivoan.jpg?itok=laqY_6Hy
Heavily armed Royal Cambodian Armed Forces members stand guard at the Phnom Penh International Airport in November last year after rumours Sam Rainsy would be returning to the country. Heng Chivoan
 

Sam Rainsy, centre, greets supporters during a demonstration in Phnom Penh in 2013. Photo: AFP

Hun Sen is threatening to seize CNRP headquarters if he wins.

Observers close to the CPP say internal surveys show a 30 per cent swing against the government is expected at the June 4 commune elections, which does not bode well for Hun Sen who is facing a general election a year later.

Communes are clusters of villages where local officials are elected every five years, providing an important harbinger for the national polls to follow.

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The ruling party has led Cambodia since the Khmer Rouge were ousted from power in 1979, with Hun Sen at the helm amid fluctuating fortunes since 1985.

The CPP was returned at the 2013 elections, but lost 29 seats in the 123-seat parliament after the nation’s youth shifted towards the CNRP.

Kem Sokha now leads the political opposition in Cambodia.Photo: AP

Kem Sokha needs to increase the CNRP’s tally by just seven seats to 62 in order to govern. On his side are Cambodia’s post-war baby boomers.
At least 65 per cent of the population are under the age of 30 and remain unmoved by Hun Sen’s warnings of conflict if he is not re-elected next year. They are now providing the ruling party with their biggest headache.

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Unlike their parents, Cambodia’s youth demand high paying jobs, smartphones and new motorbikes at a time when the economy is showing signs of faltering.

A building boom appears almost over. Cambodia’s biggest donor, China, has its own financial problems and foreign aid and investment are far from guaranteed.

“The ruling party has tried many ways to eliminate the opposition party, like court cases and through intimidation,” Ren Chanrith said. “[But] in the psychological context the opposition party is winning.”

Allegations of widespread cheating followed the 2013 poll, resulting in CNRP-led protests and long-running, sometimes violent, battles between the police and anti-government demonstrators. Opposition politicians have been bashed on the steps of parliament.

Cambodian Prince Norodom Ranariddh. Photo Xinhua
New political parties, including the resurrection of Prince Norodom Ranariddh, whose career was ruined by convictions for corruption, have surfaced amid speculation they were backed by Hun Sen in an attempt to split the opposition and provide potential coalition partners if the CPP fails to win a clear mandate in 2018.

“Hun Sen is trying everything. They need to win back a lot of votes and the CPP are using every trick in the book to get their way,” another political analyst, who declined to be named, said.

Kem Sokha does not enjoy the same international profile as Sam Rainsy, who has been prominent in Cambodian politics since the early 1990s. But as CNRP leader, he has strength among rural voters and that is a serious challenge for Hun Sen who counts the countryside as the heartland of his constituency.

A widening wealth gap, land grabbing, corruption and access to health and education are key issues confronting villagers in the countryside and analysts say this will play out at the commune elections in June.

Mourners hold a portrait of Cambodian government critic Kem Ley during a funeral ceremony in Phnom Penh. Photo: AP

It’s a political equation that worries Hun Sen and one that Kem Sokha should relish.

However, the killing of Kem Ley stunned free-speech activists, civil society groups and opposition politicians alike and his alleged killer, Ouet Ang, has been listed for trial on March 1.

The fear that followed among opposition ranks has been complicated by the rash of lawsuits.

Several members of the CNRP, contacted by This Week in Asia, declined to comment on Kem Sokha’s appointment and his electoral prospects. One prominent opposition spokesman said: “If it’s about Rainsy’s resignation, I don’t want to comment ... too sensitive.”

Getting the opposition message out is proving difficult. ■