CNRP boycott puts parliament perks at risk: CPP

CNRP boycott puts parliament perks at risk: CPP

Mon, 14 December 2015 ppp

Meas Sokchea

Prime Minister Hun Sen and other CPP members can be seen on a video monitor last month at the National Assembly casting their vote for next year’s national budget, a vote the CNRP boycotted. Hong Menea

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School of Vice: It's an old scheme in this part of the world: give your "friends" and foes a life of luxury, comfort, money and pleasure they otherwise would not have dreamed of, and for the few elected to dictate and betray their own nation and compatriots, the illusion of power, and, yes, threaten to revoke all these privileges, and everything else would surely fall into place... 

We have been told [perhaps, condescendingly] that those sheepish cronies of the violent Leader are probably more frightened of Him than we are or might have thought, and the reason for their fear is to do with their close proximity to the Dear Leader himself! In other words, they have no choice as public and party officials, except to raise their finger in acquiescence when required by the Organisation-on- High! 

Well, for all their surmised 'fear' and paralysis, they have not been doing too badly for themselves, and most of them, one suspects, are at least multi-millionaires in financial means and assets of various kinds. The Leader himself is convinced that "whichever way I look at it, wealth creation is the only way forward for the nation". Alas, over 30 years of his enlightened reign the nation is now stripped bare of all its precious natural resources one cares to name. Certainly, this is the reality for the great majority of the country's population, but "wealth creation" goes on for this narrow circle of unconscionable species of human 'Tmaats' [vultures] and rapacious hyenas ...

Mind you, it's not fashionable any more to talk about widening gap between the super rich and the destitute. One risks being labelled a communist so-and-so... After all, the country is now a constitutional monarchy?

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Cambodia’s embattled opposition risks losing its official salaries and government-provided Lexuses if it continues to boycott sessions of the National Assembly, a ruling party spokesman said yesterday.

The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party began boycotting parliamentary sessions at the end of last month when it pulled out of a vote on the national budget citing safety concerns after two of its politicians were beaten in October.

The CNRP also cited ongoing political tensions that arose from arrest warrants issued for opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who is currently in self-imposed exile after being stripped of his lawmaker status, and the ouster of deputy leader Kem Sokha as first vice president of the National Assembly.

But Sok Eysan, spokesman for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party, said the CPP was unconcerned with the CNRP’s boycott, as the CPP enjoys a comfortable majority with which to pass laws.

He did say, however, that according to internal regulations, politicians who did not show up to parliament sessions would have their benefits and salaries frozen.

“When [CNRP lawmakers] stop for any duration, the parliament will enforce internal regulations,” Eysan said.

According to Eysan, the heads of each parliamentary commission had recently been given access to government-provided Lexus 570 SUVs, a privilege that would be removed under the freeze.

The freezing of salaries would apply to lawmakers across the board.

Eysan said the decision to enforce the freeze would be up to the parliament’s permanent committee, which is meeting today. He then went on to mock the boycott, saying that the opposition was “afraid of losing our interest” with the scheme.

But CNRP spokesman Yem Ponharith, who is also the head of a commission, hit back, saying that the CNRP did not care about losing salaries or access to Lexuses.

He said that the CNRP remained undecided about whether to boycott parliament’s next plenary session, although it would attend the permanent committee meeting today.

The CNRP has avoided committing to a total stoppage of all parliamentary activity like its yearlong boycott after the disputed 2013 election, which ended in July of 2014.

The party has made what appear to be cautious efforts at re-engaging with parliament following a reported meeting between senior CPP member and Interior Minister Sar Kheng and Kem Sokha on Thursday.