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Pseng-Pseng

10iv15

Hun Sen Tightens the Screw

«ខ្ញុំបញ្ជាក់ច្បាស់ហើយ គឺអត់និយាយអីតទៀតទេ សុំទោស ព្រមឬមិនព្រម បើមិនព្រមទេ កុំបោះ ថ្ងៃទី១៣ មេសា ខាងមុខនេះ។ បើមិនអាចឯកភាពគ្នាបានទេ ទុកឯកឧត្តម អ៊ឹម សួរស្តីបន្តធ្វើជាប្រធាន គ.ជ.ប.រហូតទៅ កុំពិបាកពេក។ អាថ្មីមិនចេញ អាចាស់បន្ត កុំទារភាគហ៊ុនច្រើនពេក។ សង្ឃឹមថា ឯកឧត្តម សម រង្ស៊ីនឹងបន្តគ្រប់គ្រងបានបក្សនេះ បន្តទៀត។ គាត់ឯកភាពជាមួយខ្ញុំនៅប៉ារីស ហេតុអីមកដល់កម្ពុជាគាត់អត់ព្រម តើមាន បញ្ហាផ្ទៃក្នុងអី។ ហើយកុំថា គេបំបែក អាងអីអាងថា គេបំបែក នេះមិនមែនឯកឧត្តម សម រង្ស៊ីជាអ្នកនិយាយទេ គឺ អ្នកដទៃ»។

នាយករដ្ឋមន្រ្តី ហ៊ុន សែន ទី​១ ខែ​មេសា ឆ្នាំ​២០១៥ ដើមអម្ពិល

“We heard some rumours that he [Puthea] might have some health problems, but we have checked those rumours and everything has been cleared… I was in Paris, so it was hard to get in touch with everybody.”

CNRP president Sam Rainsy, 2 April 2015, the Phnom Penh Post

“It means that they think that Hang Puthea will die in the next two or three years. It’s a serious insult to Hang Puthea’s life, because he is not more than about 50 years old as far as I know.”

Premier Hun Sen, 2 April 2015, The Cambodia Daily

“If they want to change me out [sic], they should use a [reason] which is different from this. I have a lot of contact with CNRP officials but the accusers are officials of the CNRP. It should be that the CPP is making the accusations”.

Impartial NEC member Hang Puthea, 2 April 2015, the Phnom Penh Post

Hun Sen has put so much pressure on the opposition that could make anyone’s head spin.  He must be most satisfied that the CNRP no longer seems to know whether it is coming or going.

It does not know what it wants. Sam Rainsy, while in France, accepts Hang Puthea as the impartial ninth member of the new NEC when communicating direct with Hun Sen, only to change his mind after arriving back in Cambodia. Nevertheless, after Hun Sen’s ultimatum – take it or keep the old NEC – the party rushes into a meeting; and presto, it approves the premier’s preferred impartial member… as if they have any choice.

Sam Rainsy is making the decision on the run. Perhaps, as the president he is entitled to make captain’s calls, i.e. without consulting anyone. However, it may be a better idea to keep his vow that he and Kem Sokha make joint decisions on matters of significance. It would be a poor excuse to say appointing an impartial member for the new NEC is unimportant.

Yes, he is in Paris; and as he puts it, it is hard for him to contact “everybody”. In fact, contacting everybody under any circumstances would be demanding. But it is certainly not difficult to contact one person in this age of advanced communication technology. Then again, he may not believe that two heads better than one when dealing with Hun Sen. Or, he is too overwhelmed by Hun Sen’s approach that he could not tell the latter to wait until he gets the chance to consult his vice-president. Or, perhaps he simply wants to impress Hun Sen that he is in charge of the party, though Hun Sen questions it.

Anyhow, it is unlikely that the way he handles Hang Puthea’s candidacy will ever endear him to the latter. His decision to recant his initial support for Hang Puthea is based on rumour about the latter’s health. It is short-sighted and reactive without proper consideration. Edward De Bono would slap his hand for failing to observe the principle of the Six Thinking Hats.

Meanwhile, Hun Sen exploits the opportunity well when he claims the opposition effectively insult Hang Puthea with the health rumour. Hang Puthea says he is bewildered as he could not understand why the opposition rejects him that way. Worse still, he was expecting the attack to come from the CPP, not CNRP. A likely consequence is that Sam Rainsy has at least made the impartial NEC member indifferent to his causes; and Hun Sen has earned an ally.

Therefore, the opposition seems lost in the political wilderness. It is clinging onto the culture of dialogue for some comfort, while Hun Sen uses it to attack the opposition whenever it swerves out of the line he lays out neatly for it. Yet, the CNRP may not care that much about the direction it is travelling as long as it is getting there – just like the CPP-Funcinpec partnership has.

Happy Khmer New Year to All.

Ung Bun Ang

10iv15

Parthian Shot

No creativity allowed. A group of women’s right activists bring along musical instruments to perform traditional “Trot” dance while delivering a petition to the two major parties. These activists are lucky; they are just being dispersed.

Another group of women was not so lucky. They brought beds to their demonstration last year, and have since been locked up, and become a source of Hun Sen’s ridicules.

“They [demonstrators] did something irregular by bringing musical instruments.”

CPP spokesman Sok Eysan, 8 April 2015, The Cambodia Daily

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Pseng-Pseng is published on the tenth, twentieth, and thirtieth day of every month. Previous issues are archived at pseng-pseng.blogspot.com