CPP Said Preparing Government Posts for 200 Children of Its Officials, Leaders

13 Apr 07 - 18 Apr 07
Moneakseka Khmer
Translated from Khmer and posted online

A high-ranking Cambodian People's Party [CPP] official said that the CPP leaders are discussing the party's next generation. Many children of senior CPP officials and leaders have completed their studies abroad and at home. Most of these young graduates are still without employment. Some of them whose parents own companies are seen helping run these companies or loafing around, partying, and doing mischief every night because their parents are rich and they have tons of money to spend.

The CPP official said that the donor countries have pushed for an administrative reform, particularly to minimize the size of the government. Therefore, because at this time there are too many government officials from the CPP, they cannot absorb all their children into government employ.

The CPP nowadays has many heavy loads on its shoulders as it has many officials working in the government and many other parties have asked for their share of the government posts, particularly the officials from the FUNCINPEC [National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia] Party who have broken away from their own party.

The CPP official said that many CPP elders who have not been given places in the administrative framework also constitute a burden for the CPP to feed. Therefore, because the CPP has to shoulder so many charges and take care of so many people, there are no vacancies for the new generation. One complication facing the CPP is that some CPP officials of retirement age have refused to retire. The leadership has difficulty making decision on this because these senior CPP officials have money to support the party and they have money to buy seats.

The same CPP official further said that the CPP leaders have been learning from the Sam Rainsy Party [SRP], which has been employing many young people and whose work has proved quite effective. On the other hand, the CPP's young generation is being neglected because the old people have refused to retire. Consequently, also because they have money, these young CPP offspring have been spending their time in bars, nightclubs, and karaoke parlors, drinking and womanizing everyday and night. In the long run, they have posed a big problem to the national society with the proliferation of gangs of young toughs, secret-society groups, and so on.

The CPP leaders are afraid that their young ones would become a lost generation. So, they are now looking for a way to introduce the children of the CPP officials and leaders into government employ. This is because so far most of the social ills have been the deeds of the children of CPP officials or the children of businessmen with close connections with the CPP.

The CPP official said that the children of Hun Sen and Chea Sim have all been assured posts in the next term. The children of other senior CPP officials, too, have their commissions readied for them, such as the children of Sar Kheng, Say Chhum, Sok An, Tie Banh, Ke Kimyan, Hok Langdi, and so on. Most of the CPP children are to be introduced into the police and military cadre; but Sok An would not let his children become police or army officers. He prefers to have his children become diplomats or work in any of the many financial institutions.

The CPP official also said that to his knowledge some 200 children of CPP officials and leaders have already been prepared for government employ in the next term, including the police, military, and civilian posts. In the police and army sectors, they will be given the colonel rank up and in the civil administration they will have a status equivalent to department chairman and higher.

Nowadays, outwardly the CPP is seen as being in firm control of the state power, but in reality it is hallow like a drum. In other words, this party is vulnerable to cracks and splits, for with so many heavy burdens one cannot travel far. Besides, none of the loads that the CPP is carrying now can be discarded.

Although the CPP is good at making sacrifices for the greater cause, none of the many loads that it is shouldering can be ignored. For this reason, the CPP is threading its way with care since any misstep would send the whole structure tumbling down.

Some diplomats have agreed with the assessment that the CPP is susceptible to splits and cracks. This explains why Hun Sen reacted so vehemently and promptly to Sam Rainsy's remark that he was rallying the democrats to oust the CPP.