Phnom Penh Post
By Meas Sokchea
Senior government officials slammed opposition legislators and warned
they may see their pay docked in yesterday’s opening day of the National
Assembly – the last session to be convened before the July election
sees a likely shake-up of parliament.
National Assembly deputy
president Nguon Nhel, Minister of Interior Sar Kheng and policymaker
Cheam Yeap each took the floor at the start of yesterday’s session and
briefly mocked members of the newly formed CNRP before suggesting the
legality of their presence was in dispute.
“In cases where a
member of a political party asks to resign from that party, the person
concerned must lose their status as a lawmaker automatically,” Kheng
said. “So that means he is not a member of parliament.”
Refusing to go into detail, Kheng stressed that the Constitution Council could explain.
Nhel
said he considered the opposition members in attendance yesterday to be
behaving outside the bounds of duty, while Yeap announced he was
considering sending a letter asking National Assembly president Heng
Samrin to cut their salaries.
“Every elected individual who
defects from a political party must automatically resign from its
membership,” Yeap explained to the Post after the session’s close. “So,
as chairman of the Commission on Economy, Finance, Banking and Audit, I
am preparing to issue a letter telling [Assembly president] Heng Samrin
to dock the salaries of lawmakers who joined the Cambodia National
Rescue Party.”
In October, the CNRP was officially approved by
the Interior Ministry. The merger of the opposition Sam Rainsy and Human
Rights parties came after years of fits and starts. Combined, the party
holds 29 seats and, in the past, analysts have predicted a merger of
the two could see them land as many as a third of the 123 seats.
Although
the party will stand candidates solely under the CNRP banner in July,
legislators must remain members of the party to which they were elected
or face dismissal under the election law. But that proviso expires six
months before elections and, apart from party head Sam Rainsy – whose MP
status was stripped in 2011 for convictions widely believed to be
politically motivated – no resignations took place before April.
The
firestorm at yesterday’s session appears to have been set off by debate
over a draft fire prevention law, during which lawmaker Yim Sovann
argued that “as a lawmaker of the CNRP”, he wanted to see better
protections.
Though the opposition made no efforts to hit back
at the CPP, Sovann told reporters briefly after assembly that he was
pleased by the reaction. “I’m happy when the CPP fights like this,” he
said, adding that – given the six-month proviso – the threats were
laughable.
Speaking by phone, Sovann later expounded, saying
that the ruling party’s posturing suggested they were truly afraid of
losing. “Previously, lawmakers and senators of the SRP resigned and
joined the CPP,” he added. “Have you thought of cutting their salary?
You didn’t do anything like this. Are you scared of them?”
1 comment:
Divisive khmers because of their ignorance uneducated individuals using power of govt to promote their agendas destroy srok khmer for foreigner Yuon&chen.....I am talking Cpp thugs whose is running Nambodia now....You shouldn't cut anyone salary because of their defection from your corrupted party.They are free to joint anyone party,don't mess with their pay!
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