Hun Sen’s divide-and-rule chess game

Prince Norodom Ranariddh (left), head of the Norodom Ranariddh Party, shares a toast with Funcinpec party President Nhek Bun Chhay (right) after signing an agreement to merge the two parties yesterday. Photograph: Stringer/Phnom Penh Post

Op-Ed by ‘Usa’

An old Khmer saying goes: "Paint the faces of the cocks and they would fight to their death".

Hun Sen is doing the same thing in Cambodian politics by painting the faces of Kem Sokha, Sam Rainsy and Rannaridhh. They would fight each other until they are exhausted, and Hun Sen gets down from the top of the mountain to fire the final shot.

His tricks are simple but hard to avoid such as:

1. Spreading false info/rumour that Kem Sokha is his man, so people hate Kem Sokha;

2. Knowing that SRP is so strong, he secretly supports Kem Sokha to divide opposition votes;

3. He supports Nhiek Bunchhay to kill off Rannaridhh politically, so Funcinpec would be weakened as a force and be paralysed internally;

4. He produces enough ‘proof’ that Nhiek Bunchhay got involved in drug production with Chea Chung, so Hun Sen can use this as blackmail against Nhiek Bunchhay;

5. He gives money to former SRP members to work for him and disseminates news that he has many others like Eng Chay Eang working for him, therefore, SRP members would have cause to distrust each other;

6. Now that he knows that both Rannaridhh Party and Funcinpec are on the verge of total collapse, he demands instead that they unite with promise of some government posts after next election;

7. He needs Funcinpec to be in coalition with him again to make his CPP regime look good in the eyes of the international community so he could continue to get both diplomatic and financial support from them;

8. He is now creating a new political environment by making the democrats loath Rannaridhh and Nhiek Bunchhay more than they do him, and by forcing Rannaridhh to go beyond the point of ever returning to unite with Sam Rainsy or Kem Sokha;

9. Again he makes SRP hate Kem Sokha so that they can't sit and talk to unite;

10. Rannaridhh himself has no way to go because the democrats hate him, so he has no choice but to hug N Bunchhay and to work alongside Bunchhay as lapdogs for Hun Sen.

This is the “win-win” chess game scenario of Hun Sen wherein he could foresee 10 moves ahead of his political opponents.

Why don't we disrupt his winning rhythm by not playing his game? Such as:

1 -Spread the news that some SRP defectors are actually working for SRP;

2 -Play the game that SRP and Kem Sokha have actually been united already, but are pretending not to be;

3 -At least form a loose alliance of democrats so they could converge and talk, and thus have some solidarity in the eyes of the voters;

4 -We need to create favourable environments so that more and more people will have confidence and trust in the democratic leaders and the party and will then want to join in;

5 -Learn to utilise the strength of others - or that of your enemies - to enhance your own cause, or at least, to neutralize them.

-Usa