Radio Singapore International
Cambodia’s Funcinpec Party has removed Prince Norodom Ranariddh as its leader.
It has appointed his brother-in-law, current Cambodian ambassador to Germany, Keo Puth Rasmey as its new leader.
Funcinpec’s secretary-general Mr Nhek Bun Chhay reasoned that the party needed a leader to work with the party within the country.
Prince Ranariddh went into a self-imposed exile early this year after a change in law reduced his political role.
The Prince has condemned his removal and has vowed to form his own political party as soon as possible.
So what is the political backdrop against which these developments are set?
Mubin Sa’adat posed this question to Mr Verghese Mathews, visiting research fellow at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and Singapore's former High Commissioner in Cambodia.
VM: You have three political parties, the dominant Cambodian People’s Party, the Royalist Funcinpec and the opposition Sam Rainsy Party. The Cambodian People’s party which is Hun Sen’s party is a highly developed party. What makes it different from the other two parties is really the decision making process. In the case of the Cambodian People’s Party, you’ll find that they debate and they discuss issues at great levels. Now in the case of Funcinpec, it’s a royalist party started by King Sihanouk himself and which Ranariddh took over. Here it is different. You’ll find that the party members or the stalwarts or the people in the leadership, they are not as united. The party members can come up with some sound and good policies. But at the end of the day it will be Prince Ranariddh who will decide. And he can overturn this without actually offering alternates or just because he felt like disagreeing with it. In the case of the Sam Rainsy Party, it’s the youngest party, it’s the smallest party, but it is very attractive as an opposition party to the urban youth. And they champion causes like garment workers, marginalized people. So they have a very strong constituency within the city.
What are the Funcinpec Party’s reasons for this sudden removal of Prince Ranariddh as its leader?
VM: Prince Ranariddh is a very interesting person. He is someone you can really like. But in the last few years, he has somehow not given the party the kind of leadership that the party required and demanded. He has been distracted, he has been out of the country more often than not. The fear for Funcinpec is that, it has been deteriorating in terms of seats in government. In 1993, it had the highest number of seats. In the last election in 2006 it had only 26 seats. It has been really deteriorating in terms of popular support. Elections are coming around the corner. All the three parties are factionalized, but the factions within the Funcinpec is really the worst. Some of the factions feel that Ranariddh who is not there to lead the party would only result in the party doing worse and perhaps coming to an end in the next election. More importantly also, in the last few months the relationship between Ranariddh and the Cambodian People’s Party leader Hun Sen- both are in coalition- it has deteriorated to a stage where they are practically not on talking terms. Some of the factions felt that they just cannot carry on in government if these two people are personally not talking to each other and the party is being sidelined.
Could you tell us a bit more about Funcinpec Party’s new leader Mr Keo Puth Rasmey?
VM: Mr Rasmey is a very nice gentleman. He was an ambassador in Kuala Lumpur and then right now ambassador in Germany. He is a soft-spoken person. He is one who is respected amongst the peers in the foreign service. I don’t think he is really the kind of person to lead a fractious party like Funcinpec. He is too nice a guy. You really need to be a tough guy to lead a tough party. In my mind he doesn’t come to that.
If Prince Ranariddh does form a political party, what will be his next move?
VM: I don’t think it will have much impact. Basically, it really makes very little difference. Especially for Ranariddh. He’ll have a difficult time. I mean you’ll need a lot of money to run an election. He has hardly any time. All he’ll be left with is his supporters and loyalists. It will be an uphill task for Ranariddh.
That was Mr Verghese Mathews, visiting research fellow at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and Singapore's former High Commissioner in Cambodia.
It has appointed his brother-in-law, current Cambodian ambassador to Germany, Keo Puth Rasmey as its new leader.
Funcinpec’s secretary-general Mr Nhek Bun Chhay reasoned that the party needed a leader to work with the party within the country.
Prince Ranariddh went into a self-imposed exile early this year after a change in law reduced his political role.
The Prince has condemned his removal and has vowed to form his own political party as soon as possible.
So what is the political backdrop against which these developments are set?
Mubin Sa’adat posed this question to Mr Verghese Mathews, visiting research fellow at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and Singapore's former High Commissioner in Cambodia.
VM: You have three political parties, the dominant Cambodian People’s Party, the Royalist Funcinpec and the opposition Sam Rainsy Party. The Cambodian People’s party which is Hun Sen’s party is a highly developed party. What makes it different from the other two parties is really the decision making process. In the case of the Cambodian People’s Party, you’ll find that they debate and they discuss issues at great levels. Now in the case of Funcinpec, it’s a royalist party started by King Sihanouk himself and which Ranariddh took over. Here it is different. You’ll find that the party members or the stalwarts or the people in the leadership, they are not as united. The party members can come up with some sound and good policies. But at the end of the day it will be Prince Ranariddh who will decide. And he can overturn this without actually offering alternates or just because he felt like disagreeing with it. In the case of the Sam Rainsy Party, it’s the youngest party, it’s the smallest party, but it is very attractive as an opposition party to the urban youth. And they champion causes like garment workers, marginalized people. So they have a very strong constituency within the city.
What are the Funcinpec Party’s reasons for this sudden removal of Prince Ranariddh as its leader?
VM: Prince Ranariddh is a very interesting person. He is someone you can really like. But in the last few years, he has somehow not given the party the kind of leadership that the party required and demanded. He has been distracted, he has been out of the country more often than not. The fear for Funcinpec is that, it has been deteriorating in terms of seats in government. In 1993, it had the highest number of seats. In the last election in 2006 it had only 26 seats. It has been really deteriorating in terms of popular support. Elections are coming around the corner. All the three parties are factionalized, but the factions within the Funcinpec is really the worst. Some of the factions feel that Ranariddh who is not there to lead the party would only result in the party doing worse and perhaps coming to an end in the next election. More importantly also, in the last few months the relationship between Ranariddh and the Cambodian People’s Party leader Hun Sen- both are in coalition- it has deteriorated to a stage where they are practically not on talking terms. Some of the factions felt that they just cannot carry on in government if these two people are personally not talking to each other and the party is being sidelined.
Could you tell us a bit more about Funcinpec Party’s new leader Mr Keo Puth Rasmey?
VM: Mr Rasmey is a very nice gentleman. He was an ambassador in Kuala Lumpur and then right now ambassador in Germany. He is a soft-spoken person. He is one who is respected amongst the peers in the foreign service. I don’t think he is really the kind of person to lead a fractious party like Funcinpec. He is too nice a guy. You really need to be a tough guy to lead a tough party. In my mind he doesn’t come to that.
If Prince Ranariddh does form a political party, what will be his next move?
VM: I don’t think it will have much impact. Basically, it really makes very little difference. Especially for Ranariddh. He’ll have a difficult time. I mean you’ll need a lot of money to run an election. He has hardly any time. All he’ll be left with is his supporters and loyalists. It will be an uphill task for Ranariddh.
That was Mr Verghese Mathews, visiting research fellow at Singapore's Institute of Southeast Asian Studies and Singapore's former High Commissioner in Cambodia.
1 comment:
Rannarith, you are just a scum bag; so called Royal ass needed to stay quite, and let the real people of Cambodia decide their own fate. You and your ancestors (ex. Norodom and Sisowath) kept loosing our Cambodian land for all those recent years. You, your father, and your family are ONLY worry about your strone, your palace and power; did not care about cambodian heritage nor land. We, Cambodian, should be under the protection of the French Government not under the stupid king....
From a son of working class Cambodian citizen
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