Cambodia’s King Under Criticism for Not Intervening in Election Dispute
Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni (l) and Queen Mother Norodom
Monineath (c) greet Prime Minister Hun Sen and his wife Bun Rany (r) at
the Phnom Penh airport as the royals depart for Beijing, Aug. 12, 2013.
Sok Touch
AFP
“We regard the king as the shade [that protects us from the sun],” he said. “If the king only stays in the royal palace, how can the people be shielded?
“Who is the army of the king? It is the people of Cambodia. So, Your Royal Highness, please don’t worry. The people of Cambodia will support you.”
School of Vice: What is the point in 'preserving the throne'
when the Monarch continually shies away from his responsibilities towards his
subjects at moments of grave national emergency and crisis, and where the
Monarchy itself is being divested of all substances? The king could even opt to
stay overseas temporarily to ensure his own physical safety, whilst his
inconvenience and self-imposed exile would give out a clear signal of rejection
for the ruling faction to his subjects and this would inevitably strengthen the
democratic movement for change in the immediate and foreseeable future. The
Throne will always be there - in the hearts and minds of the people - as long
as it acts in tandem with the will and hopes of the Khmer people and the
Constitution. That is the meaning of a constitutional monarchy. Mr Sok Touch's
counsel should be heeded.
AFP
Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni has come under criticism for not
intervening in the country’s election crisis after he ordered parliament
to be convened despite allegations of voter fraud and other
irregularities that the opposition wants investigated.
But some experts say the monarch has limited influence in a political landscape dominated by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which was declared victor in the July 28 polls by the government-appointed National Election Committee (NEC).
Sam Rainsy’s opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which denied the CPP a two-thirds majority in the legislature, has threatened to boycott the new parliament and has called on the king to help bring about a “transparent and just solution” to the dispute.
Analysts said the king, despite his limited powers, can still play a critical role in defusing the crisis by using his influence to prod Hun Sen to forge a compromise with Sam Rainsy in the national interest.
King Sihamoni said in a statement from China, where he has been for a medical checkup since Aug. 12, that he would return to Cambodia on Wednesday to convene the National Assembly, the country’s parliament, on Sept. 23, encouraging “all parties” to join the session.
“The king must take action to seek national unity,” political analyst Sok Touch told RFA’s Khmer Service, hoping the monarch would emerge with a formula to break the political deadlock upon his return.
“I hope and believe that when the king returns to Cambodia, he will call on Khmer politicians of both parties to resolve the dispute,” he said.
He said if the situation requires him to do so, the monarch should not fear speaking out against Hun Sen’s party, because the people would support him.
“We regard the king as the shade [that protects us from the sun],” he said. “If the king only stays in the royal palace, how can the people be shielded?
“Who is the army of the king? It is the people of Cambodia. So, Your Royal Highness, please don’t worry. The people of Cambodia will support you.”
Protecting the monarchy
But Prince Sisowath Thomico, a CNRP member and former adviser to King Sihamoni, said the monarch may be wary of using his influence to break the deadlock as it may risk endangering the monarchy itself.
The CPP, he said, has at least twice made direct threats against the institution of the monarchy—once in 2005, when Hun Sen warned the king his throne was at stake if he did not endorse Cambodia-Vietnam border treaties, and again in 2006, when senior party member Cheam Yeap said the CPP could abolish the monarchy just as it had reinstalled it.
“Who holds the power at present?” Prince Thomico asked. “Who controls the army, the police, the armed forces?”
He said Hun Sen could “stage a coup to depose the monarchy at any time.”
“In order for the institution [of the monarchy] to be independent, the king must have a balance of power in our Khmer society and Khmer politics. Presently, the king does not have these,” Prince Thomico said.
King Sihamoni, a former ballet dancer, is a pale shadow of his father, the late King Norodom Sihanouk, who was a powerful and influential figure both locally and internationally for nearly six decades before he died last year.
“We must understand the king’s heart,” Prince Thomico said. “The king inherited the throne from his father, so he has to protect it.”
The National Assembly
The NEC, which manages the country’s polls, on Sunday announced official results in the polls that give the CPP a slight majority in parliament with 68 seats to the CNRP’s 55.
The CNRP, which claims it won at least 63 seats and called for a U.N.-backed investigation to probe widespread irregularities in the polls, has refused to recognize the results and is planning a series of mass demonstrations against them this week.
On Sunday the CNRP said its lawmakers would boycott the opening session unless there is a thorough investigation into electoral irregularities.
Hun Sen, 61, who has been in power for 28 years and has been accused of blatant human rights violations, had said before the final results announcement that he could convene parliament even without the CNRP's participation.
Some constitutional experts have said that the opposition lawmakers must be present at the first parliamentary session for any new government to be endorsed.
The CPP claims, however, that it is entitled to convene parliament because it has 50 percent of the seats.
Fresh call for investigation
Human Rights Watch on Tuesday urged Cambodia’s donor countries to refrain from supporting the official results and to instead press for an independent probe into the electoral process.
“Bias and unfairness in the electoral system, structural problems, and allegations of widespread irregularities may have changed the result of a close election,” the group’s Asia director Brad Adams said.
“Unless there is an independent investigation that addresses legitimate concerns, we will never know who the people of Cambodia voted to lead the next government, casting a serious shadow over the legitimacy of any government that the CPP forms,” he said.
The United States, which is a major donor country to Cambodia, reiterated its concerns about irregularities in the polls after the final results announcement, urging “all parties” to work toward a solution.
U.S. State department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a briefing Monday that it was not too late for a review of irregularities.
“We do still believe that a transparent review of irregularities in the July elections would help efforts to assess and address flaws in the electoral process and give the Cambodian people greater confidence in their electoral system,” she said.
“We are continuing to urge all parties, as we have, to seize this opportunity to improve their democratic processes going forward.”
Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.
But some experts say the monarch has limited influence in a political landscape dominated by Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which was declared victor in the July 28 polls by the government-appointed National Election Committee (NEC).
Sam Rainsy’s opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), which denied the CPP a two-thirds majority in the legislature, has threatened to boycott the new parliament and has called on the king to help bring about a “transparent and just solution” to the dispute.
Analysts said the king, despite his limited powers, can still play a critical role in defusing the crisis by using his influence to prod Hun Sen to forge a compromise with Sam Rainsy in the national interest.
King Sihamoni said in a statement from China, where he has been for a medical checkup since Aug. 12, that he would return to Cambodia on Wednesday to convene the National Assembly, the country’s parliament, on Sept. 23, encouraging “all parties” to join the session.
“The king must take action to seek national unity,” political analyst Sok Touch told RFA’s Khmer Service, hoping the monarch would emerge with a formula to break the political deadlock upon his return.
“I hope and believe that when the king returns to Cambodia, he will call on Khmer politicians of both parties to resolve the dispute,” he said.
He said if the situation requires him to do so, the monarch should not fear speaking out against Hun Sen’s party, because the people would support him.
“We regard the king as the shade [that protects us from the sun],” he said. “If the king only stays in the royal palace, how can the people be shielded?
“Who is the army of the king? It is the people of Cambodia. So, Your Royal Highness, please don’t worry. The people of Cambodia will support you.”
Protecting the monarchy
But Prince Sisowath Thomico, a CNRP member and former adviser to King Sihamoni, said the monarch may be wary of using his influence to break the deadlock as it may risk endangering the monarchy itself.
The CPP, he said, has at least twice made direct threats against the institution of the monarchy—once in 2005, when Hun Sen warned the king his throne was at stake if he did not endorse Cambodia-Vietnam border treaties, and again in 2006, when senior party member Cheam Yeap said the CPP could abolish the monarchy just as it had reinstalled it.
“Who holds the power at present?” Prince Thomico asked. “Who controls the army, the police, the armed forces?”
He said Hun Sen could “stage a coup to depose the monarchy at any time.”
“In order for the institution [of the monarchy] to be independent, the king must have a balance of power in our Khmer society and Khmer politics. Presently, the king does not have these,” Prince Thomico said.
King Sihamoni, a former ballet dancer, is a pale shadow of his father, the late King Norodom Sihanouk, who was a powerful and influential figure both locally and internationally for nearly six decades before he died last year.
“We must understand the king’s heart,” Prince Thomico said. “The king inherited the throne from his father, so he has to protect it.”
The National Assembly
The NEC, which manages the country’s polls, on Sunday announced official results in the polls that give the CPP a slight majority in parliament with 68 seats to the CNRP’s 55.
The CNRP, which claims it won at least 63 seats and called for a U.N.-backed investigation to probe widespread irregularities in the polls, has refused to recognize the results and is planning a series of mass demonstrations against them this week.
On Sunday the CNRP said its lawmakers would boycott the opening session unless there is a thorough investigation into electoral irregularities.
Hun Sen, 61, who has been in power for 28 years and has been accused of blatant human rights violations, had said before the final results announcement that he could convene parliament even without the CNRP's participation.
Some constitutional experts have said that the opposition lawmakers must be present at the first parliamentary session for any new government to be endorsed.
The CPP claims, however, that it is entitled to convene parliament because it has 50 percent of the seats.
Fresh call for investigation
Human Rights Watch on Tuesday urged Cambodia’s donor countries to refrain from supporting the official results and to instead press for an independent probe into the electoral process.
“Bias and unfairness in the electoral system, structural problems, and allegations of widespread irregularities may have changed the result of a close election,” the group’s Asia director Brad Adams said.
“Unless there is an independent investigation that addresses legitimate concerns, we will never know who the people of Cambodia voted to lead the next government, casting a serious shadow over the legitimacy of any government that the CPP forms,” he said.
The United States, which is a major donor country to Cambodia, reiterated its concerns about irregularities in the polls after the final results announcement, urging “all parties” to work toward a solution.
U.S. State department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a briefing Monday that it was not too late for a review of irregularities.
“We do still believe that a transparent review of irregularities in the July elections would help efforts to assess and address flaws in the electoral process and give the Cambodian people greater confidence in their electoral system,” she said.
“We are continuing to urge all parties, as we have, to seize this opportunity to improve their democratic processes going forward.”
Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Sok Ry Sum. Written in English by Rachel Vandenbrink.
13 comments:
Yeah right,inherited the throne from his father alright! My question is;Can you stay in your inherited's throne without your Subjects? Remember King BAO DAI of yieknam? Where was BAO Dai's monarchy? You already know the answer to this question.Communism doesn't wants monarchy thatwise all kings including China,Yieknam and many more vanished because they all useless.
Answer to Touch Sok; You said the king like the tree that gives SHADE to shield the hot sun from burning his Subjects. Well,to me this useless tree didn't have any leaves nor branches to gives SHADE to anyone but useless as usual,this tree of yours tried to gives SHADE to one group of party,not all parties.
This tree [King] of yours is worrying about its ROOTS that is it! Don't worry the roots will not survive and the tree will dies when there is no one to gives lt water.Its coming soon....Your Subjects [Khmer people] are smarter more than ever before,Khmer rouge always: Tuk min chom nenh doc chenh kor min kart.Your useless tree don't gives SHADE to anyone so cut it down burn it as fire wood to cook your stew!....He signed the border treaty for Yuon and Hun sen because he afraid of losing his THRONE? What's a joke!!!! What's about Khmer's land? Don't you have any obligation to be afraid of losing it?
Now in this critical situation of election fraudlent by Cpp thugs,don't you have any obligation to solves the problem first before you call for meeting of parliament? Are neutral or bias? I know you were biased to communist Cpp that promised to protect your throne.I am speechless when seeing you fled the country for fake health reason two hours before an announcement on the result of fraudulent election state that Cpp wons,but the fact was Cpp lost,thatwise morning after Hun sen putting troops all around his compound in Phenom penh city to protect his losing's ASS!...
Kmenhwatt
One of these day it'a hardly trust on most of the political analyst khmer and who was a wellknown of politician that they have on their tendency and/or related to only communist side.
Based up to the rules of law in Khmer or the constitutional that Cambodia has that it had had so beautiful of law. Most the of those decrees, it's known such as: protect, rescue, serve and on one is above the law. All the sudden, it worked in vice versa/wrong direction ever since. AS the rampant of series killer, corruption, shooting free, intimidation from the high level of the authority down through low level of a civic and institution,all the sub-decree has been created just only to avoid all the blame from the public eyes and the citizens, state and local media access favored and most was owned by the man power's family or state of government only but not served legally to nation, especially, to the opposition party, land grabbing,border and island,sub-treaty in the year of 1982s-83--84-87-and 2005; the immigration flux, socio-economic and cultural and civilization those were very wrong in direction from the khmer interest. And by the end, did the King aware all of craps that has, long, been happening under the CPP's government.
All Khmer want from you/king you must play honest to the whole nation not by biased or support to the wrong doer as a group that they knew only how to cheat khmer and destroy khmer.
One more important thing, as King, if you were to have changed your primary/family doctor in China country and you can take any as in E.U. or U.S., or Canada that probably it would matter to all citizens because of their sake about nation . And it's still Okay to keep your relationship with China since the relationship has been built such as long time ago. But that it works only to you/king.
And the rest of Khmer in the 21st century haven't seen that your relationship with made such a heck of improvement or make our nation become as stronger at all since.
Reas Khmer
One of these day it ‘a hardly trust on most of the political analyst Khmer and who was a well-known of politician that they have on their tendency and/or related to only communist side.
Based up to the rules of law in Khmer or the constitutional that Cambodia has that it had had so beautiful of law. Most of those decrees, it's known such as: protect, rescue, serve and on one is above the law. All the sudden, it worked in vice versa/wrong direction ever since. AS the rampant of series killer, corruption, shooting free, intimidation from the high level of the authority down through low level of a civic and institution, all the sub-decree has been created just only to avoid all the blame from the public eyes and the citizens, state and local media access favored and most was owned by the man power's family or state of government only but not served legally to nation, especially, to the opposition party, land grabbing, border and island, sub-treaty in the year of 1982s-83--84-87-and 2005; the immigration flux, socio-economic and cultural and civilization those were very wrong in direction from the Khmer interest. And by the end, did the King aware all of craps that has, long, been happening under the CPP's government.
All Khmer want from you/king you must play honest to the whole nation not by biased or support to the wrong doer as a group that they knew only how to cheat Khmer and destroy Khmer.
One more important thing, as King, if you were to have changed your primary/family doctor in China country and you can take any as in E.U. or U.S., or Canada that probably it would matter to all citizens because of their sake about nation. And it's still Okay to keep your relationship with China since the relationship has been built such as long time ago. But that it works only to you/king.
And the rest of Khmer in the 21st century haven't seen that your relationship with made such a heck of improvement or make our nation become as stronger at all since.
Poor khmer people, from now on you must stay on your own feet. Do not depend on this fake king. He is not our khmer king , like father like son ( his papa Sihanouk did the same thing), he serves ah youn vietcong because his mama is srey youn vietcong. Khmer euy wake up , kick ah fake king and his mama out of the country, he does nothing for khmer, but he signed the treaties gave benefits to ah Hanoi. If khmer people still keep the king in the country , it means khmer people agree to keep millions youn live in the country. Where there is the king ,there is the youn vietcong. They cannot be separated from each other. Khmer will suffer and will be eliminated until there is no more khmer in the country .
The KING of GOD....????? Eat/sleep/shit/do nothing to protect the people...????
Was that God to you? God gives words of inspiration to mankids the Bible;Gay god king of yours gives shit to no one!!! With gay god king like that sound like INMATE.You don't need God to EATS,SLEEP,AND MASTERBATION,just commit crimes,the society will make you king in the cage!
Kmenhwatt
the problem is not Hun sen, the problem is the king. Checkmate or Kill the King. Cambodia will become very prosperity.
Correct!!! CHECKMATE
khmer are good at killing each other, but they are coward againt other nation.
The King and Hun Sen are the same. I am khmer and would say the king is puppet of Hun Sen. The king has to stand up on people's side. Come on, be the man of the people, not being slave of ar Hun Sen, ar yourn's slave. Excuse my language.
Kmenhwatt
Read English!
USELESS ASS KING. IN MODERN DAY, WE DON'T NEED THE KING ANYMORE. GET RID OFF THE WHOLE MONARCH!!! F@CKING COWARD...
We can't depend on this king. Remember his mother is half Vietnamese ; what's make him. So we have to stand up ourselves to protect our country and our people.
Post a Comment