The King rarely makes public remarks these days. So when Norodom
Sihamoni (pictured) on Monday addressed 400 prisoners who were released in a
ceremony at late King Father Norodom Sihanouk’s cremation, his words
offered rare insight into his position in the country.
–News Analysis
While only the King has the constitutional power to grant amnesty,
it was Prime Minister Hun Sen that King Sihamoni told the freed
prisoners to express their gratitude to.
“Thank you to the government of Cambodia and Samdech Hun Sen for
helping you to get your freedom again,” he said in a speech at the
cremation site, before handing out packages of clothing, a mosquito net
and $100 to each prisoner.
It was not the only time during the days leading up to the cremation
ceremony, which started with a royal procession on February 1, that
reflected the comprehensive nature of the ruling party’s control over
the events that have taken place to mark the former King’s death—and the
monarch’s legacy.
Some observers say the CPP has used the cremation—which was watched
by hoards of people who flooded into the city for the event, and
broadcast on every one of the nation’s television channels—as a way of
consolidating its hold on the country.
One of the King Father’s requests
for his funeral was that things be kept inconspicuous, according to
Prince Sisowath Thomico, spokesman for the Royal Cabinet.
“As far as the King Father is concerned,” Prince Thomico said, “one
of his wishes was to organize a humble and modest funeral so that people
would not spend too much money.”
But early on in the preparations for the funeral, it became clear
that neither the King Father nor the Royal Family would get a say in how
Cambodia would bid farewell to the hero of the country’s independence
from France in 1953.
“The Royal Family never organized anything,” said Prince Thomico of
the dozens of ceremonies, processions and gatherings leading up to the
late King Father’s cremation on February 4.
In December, Mr. Hun Sen announced that the cremation site at Veal
Mean, the park in front of the National Museum, would cost $1.2 million
in public funds. It later turned out that the firm contracted to build
it, Vispan, was owned by the daughter of Royal Palace Minister Kong Sam
Ol, the very government—and CPP —official charged with overseeing the
project.
No less elaborate than the gold- and burgundy-colored building that
now fills Veal Mean was the February 1 procession that delivered the
late King Father’s body to the cremation site.
The King Father’s body was carried in a golden casket on one of four
motorized floats—also painted gold—that ferried Royal Family members and
CPP officials along the 6 km route.
Just as striking was the sheer number of government personnel in the
parade. Almost everyone in the procession, about 3,000 according to
estimates from the funeral’s planning committee, was wearing some sort
of government uniform, save representatives of the country’s ethnic
minorities.
Behind the flag-bearers at the front of the procession came members
of Cambodia’s military and police force. There were representatives of
government ministries and members of the Red Cross, Scouts and other
CPP-aligned youth groups.
On one of the golden floats at the center of the parade sat the three
CPP officials who would flank King Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom
Monineath throughout much of the ceremony around the King Father’s
cremation: National Assembly President Heng Samrin, Mr. Sam Ol and Mr.
Hun Sen.
As the King and Queen Mother stepped out of the Royal Palace to
join the procession and accompany the King Father’s body to the
cremation site, they were closely followed by Mr. Hun Sen and his wife,
Bun Rany.
The scale of the King Father’s funeral, according to historian Henri
Locard, was not only an effort to seize the popular momentum behind
the monarchy, but a bid by the prime minister to combine his legacy with
that of the late King Father.
“The King [Father] had such a grand funeral to an extent because Hun
Sen wants to appear as the heir to Sihanouk,” Mr. Locard said.
“Sihanouk is the father of independence. Hun Sen is the father of the
rebirth. The parallels are striking.”
For the past week, the country’s state-owned and government-aligned
television networks have run documentary footage of Sihanouk-era
projects in agriculture and manufacturing between regular news reports
touting the CPP’s own accomplishments in developing the country.
“Prime Minister Hun Sen wants to show the link between the
development during today’s regime and the Sihanouk regime,” said Sok
Touch, a political analyst and academic at the Royal Academy of
Cambodia.
“If a previous regime has done road construction, they have done that
too. If a previous regime has done irrigation, they do it. Previous
regimes built houses for people. They build brick houses too,” he said.
However, the vast majority of the news reports last week showed CPP officials mourning their deceased former King.
But the very public reverence of CPP officials for the monarchy,
according to political analyst Lao Mong Hay, has not been reflected in
their treatment of the present King.
“If our prime minister and ruling party were sincere royalists, they
should observe the Constitution and provisions on the role of our King,
provisions that would enhance our King’s status as a strong symbol, to
reinforce his incarnation as national unity, and help him to pay visits
to different places and meet his people,” he said.
For historian David Chandler, the grandeur of the cremation ceremony
may have been, in part, an authentic expression of respect for the King
Father that Mr. Hun Sen felt he could not show while Norodom Sihanouk
was still alive and a threat to his power.
“As Cambodia’s de facto chief of state, Hun Sen wanted to make sure
that the ceremonies were correct and lavish. He was saying farewell to a
formidable former rival, and was honoring Sihanouk’s place in
Cambodian history,” he said. “Sihanouk would have taken the respect as a
signal to do more, and as a sign of weakness.”
Regarding King Sihamoni’s reign, Mr. Chandler said: “Sihamoni’s
apolitical stance is in fact just what the current institution demands.”
King Sihamoni is widely believed to have been chosen as his father’s
successor over his more political half-brother Norodom Ranariddh
because he would be relatively pliable.
“I see no interest on [Hun Sen’s] part in preserving the monarchy as
such, but because Sihamoni poses no immediate or long term threat, I see
no move on [Hun Sen’s] part to do away with it,” Mr. Chandler said.
Council of Ministers spokesman Phay Siphan said that it was Mr. Hun
Sen himself who facilitated things so that then-exiled Sihanouk could
return to Cambodia following the civil war.
“The prime minister brought the King [home] in the ’90s for national unity,” Mr. Siphan said. “We respect the monarchy.”
However, he noted, the Constitution stipulates that the King is not involved in politics.
“We separate power from the royalty. A number of politicians, they
try to manipulate the King,” he said. “They wish him to play a role as
prime minister…even though it’s [inscribed] in the Constitution that
they [monarchs] have to be neutral.”
With national elections approaching in July, Mr. Touch, the
political analyst, noted that Mr. Hun Sen has been joined by members of
the opposition and members of the royalist parties in leveraging the
popularity of the late King Father to further their own cause.
“Politicians always say they will protect the monarchy,” Mr. Touch
said. “[Mr. Hun Sen’s] words bring him a lot of benefit since the people
love the King Father so much.”
(Additional reporting by Neou Vannarin and Kate Bartlett)
1 comment:
Khmers spend over $150 million yearly to support their King
whom they expect to uphold the Constitution of the land .
Soon after 1993 election , two constitutions were drafted for
the late King Father to choose . Sihanouk did not want to be
the President of Khmer Republic . He did not get along well
with Hun Sen who threatened to overthrow the King as they
disagreed over the Vietnam border affair .
As the King Father always did in the past , when he had faced any problem which he cannot solve , Sihanouk had
gone to rest abroad ( Medical Reason ) and came back
when things were solved . The King Father has chosen his
beloved son to face the battle with Hun Sen who only care
to save the Monarchy as long as the King is pliable for CPP
interest - CPP will support Hun Sen to be Khmer PM for life .
Post a Comment