Prince Norodom Ranariddh reviews combatants of the Armée Nationale Sihanoukiste (ANS) on Thai-Cambodian border (Photo: Courtesy of Frank Tatu)Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Op-Ed By Jayakhmer
Posted at http://www.modernprogressivekhmer.blogspot.com/
Your highness, if I may have the honor and the permission to advise your highness on political matter, my advice to your highness is short and simple. Please stay out of politics. Here are the reasons:
The last commune election should have given your highness a clue as to whether or not your highness should stay in politics. If I read the result of the election correctly, it is highly likely that your highness will not have any chance to survive the next one. Therefore, your highness should get out of politics now while it is bearable and honorable to get out with the excuse that not many people know your highness’s new political party, and that the people are confused between FUNCINPEC and Norodom Ranariddh Party.
Your highness, those who are observing Cambodian politics are saying the same thing on this matter.
Dr. Milton Osborne in May 2007 analysis, for example, wrote, “Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has further entrenched its control as the result of sweeping successes in the Commune Council elections held on 1 April. These elections, which very loosely can be equated with municipal elections elsewhere in the world, saw the CPP win control of 1,591 of the country's 1,621 communes, representing 98.2% of the total contested. The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) managed to win control of 28 communes, or 1.7% of the total. On the basis of the information currently available it is possible that control of the remaining two communes has been shared between the Norodom Ranariddh Party and the Hang Dara Party.”
Your highness, the vote was significant because it represented the level of trust and confidence of the Khmer people over your highness’s leadership. If this last commune election result was indicative of your highness’s leadership, it is safe to say your highness has almost zero trust and confidence of the country’s voting population.
Aside from this issue, earlier this year His Majesty has encouraged the royal family members to stay out of politics. I think your highness should take His Majesty advice seriously after all His Majesty had been in the political arena for at least six decades. His Majesty knew what he was talking about.
If your highness insists that politics is the only way that makes your highness’s life meaningful, your highness should know a few things that your highness’s closest advisers could never have told your highness.
When I was an impressionable young student, I traveled to U.C. Berkeley, California to hear your highness’s speech in a conference during the late eighties. I was not impressed. Then, I thought your highness was pedestrian, uncharismatic, and lack of originality. I found that your highness’s imitation of His Majesty was annoyance. My immediate reaction at the time was that I thought your highness was using His Majesty’s image and reputation to promote yourself.
I could be wrong because I was young and perhaps a bit progressive in my thinking, but that was my impression. Your highness has to be true as to who your highness really is. Your highness is educated. Your highness loves your country. Your highness was borne into a privilege family, your highness already ahead than most of us in terms of name recognition and social status. Your highness could truly do some thing with these qualities.
Going back to politics, your highness will have to consider a few matters such as credibility, CPP, and the Khmer royal family reputation.
To have any impacts in the next election, your highness will have to work with other parties. It is highly likely that your highness lost all credibility. The other parties simply do not trust your highness because they do learn from lessons of the past. They joined your highness’s call; your highness left them in the cold.
Without other parties, your highness will have to content with CPP.
CPP has always been there to make things just a little difficult for your highness. Your highness, CPP does not seem to go anywhere any time soon.
Remember, when FUNCINPEC, under your highness's leadership, won the election in 1993, CPP could still take advantage. Kheang Un in Patronage Politics and Hybrid Democracy points out that, “…The United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia Party (FUNCINPEC), won 45 percent of the total vote, while the CPP received 38 percent. Although the CPP failed to capture the plurality of votes in that election, it succeeded in muscling its way into a coalition government.”
With a newly adopted simple majority rule (50+1) to form government, it is a very high probability that CPP will have total control of the government without building a coalition. CPP would still make thing difficult for your highness if they wish to do so.
Your highness the risk is high if other mishaps will occur. Not only your highness completely ruins the records your highness’s services to the county for more than two decades, your highness will also ruins the Khmer royal family reputation domestically and internationally.
These are some of the reasons why your highness should consider staying out of politics. Your highness should just enjoy your new family and take care of your highness’s other private matters.
The last commune election should have given your highness a clue as to whether or not your highness should stay in politics. If I read the result of the election correctly, it is highly likely that your highness will not have any chance to survive the next one. Therefore, your highness should get out of politics now while it is bearable and honorable to get out with the excuse that not many people know your highness’s new political party, and that the people are confused between FUNCINPEC and Norodom Ranariddh Party.
Your highness, those who are observing Cambodian politics are saying the same thing on this matter.
Dr. Milton Osborne in May 2007 analysis, for example, wrote, “Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has further entrenched its control as the result of sweeping successes in the Commune Council elections held on 1 April. These elections, which very loosely can be equated with municipal elections elsewhere in the world, saw the CPP win control of 1,591 of the country's 1,621 communes, representing 98.2% of the total contested. The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) managed to win control of 28 communes, or 1.7% of the total. On the basis of the information currently available it is possible that control of the remaining two communes has been shared between the Norodom Ranariddh Party and the Hang Dara Party.”
Your highness, the vote was significant because it represented the level of trust and confidence of the Khmer people over your highness’s leadership. If this last commune election result was indicative of your highness’s leadership, it is safe to say your highness has almost zero trust and confidence of the country’s voting population.
Aside from this issue, earlier this year His Majesty has encouraged the royal family members to stay out of politics. I think your highness should take His Majesty advice seriously after all His Majesty had been in the political arena for at least six decades. His Majesty knew what he was talking about.
If your highness insists that politics is the only way that makes your highness’s life meaningful, your highness should know a few things that your highness’s closest advisers could never have told your highness.
When I was an impressionable young student, I traveled to U.C. Berkeley, California to hear your highness’s speech in a conference during the late eighties. I was not impressed. Then, I thought your highness was pedestrian, uncharismatic, and lack of originality. I found that your highness’s imitation of His Majesty was annoyance. My immediate reaction at the time was that I thought your highness was using His Majesty’s image and reputation to promote yourself.
I could be wrong because I was young and perhaps a bit progressive in my thinking, but that was my impression. Your highness has to be true as to who your highness really is. Your highness is educated. Your highness loves your country. Your highness was borne into a privilege family, your highness already ahead than most of us in terms of name recognition and social status. Your highness could truly do some thing with these qualities.
Going back to politics, your highness will have to consider a few matters such as credibility, CPP, and the Khmer royal family reputation.
To have any impacts in the next election, your highness will have to work with other parties. It is highly likely that your highness lost all credibility. The other parties simply do not trust your highness because they do learn from lessons of the past. They joined your highness’s call; your highness left them in the cold.
Without other parties, your highness will have to content with CPP.
CPP has always been there to make things just a little difficult for your highness. Your highness, CPP does not seem to go anywhere any time soon.
Remember, when FUNCINPEC, under your highness's leadership, won the election in 1993, CPP could still take advantage. Kheang Un in Patronage Politics and Hybrid Democracy points out that, “…The United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia Party (FUNCINPEC), won 45 percent of the total vote, while the CPP received 38 percent. Although the CPP failed to capture the plurality of votes in that election, it succeeded in muscling its way into a coalition government.”
With a newly adopted simple majority rule (50+1) to form government, it is a very high probability that CPP will have total control of the government without building a coalition. CPP would still make thing difficult for your highness if they wish to do so.
Your highness the risk is high if other mishaps will occur. Not only your highness completely ruins the records your highness’s services to the county for more than two decades, your highness will also ruins the Khmer royal family reputation domestically and internationally.
These are some of the reasons why your highness should consider staying out of politics. Your highness should just enjoy your new family and take care of your highness’s other private matters.
21 comments:
Everyone has a right to stay or not in politic.
No one need not to beg anyone to do politic.
Who the fuck care he's in or out.
This highness fuckup lots thing.
this highness has no brain, or just a shrimp brain. Because he Frenchman not cambodgien.
Jayakhmer,
I respect your personal freedom to analyze the Prince's political roles in Cambodia.
But I can see that Rannaridh can make a politic balancing in Cambodia.
In Cambodia, one main thing to learn is "any party sides with monarchy, will win as long as Cambodian people advance their political maturity slowly".
So, CPP is smart enough to have two Kings: Sihamuni & Sihanouk in their sleeve to negotiate power from Cambodian people. And CPP also tries to console royal party to live under sleeve (FUNCINPEC).
So whenever, Ranniridh stands firmly not to join FUNCINPEC and stands firmly to develop NRP; in that time, CPP can not use royal political party as their tool. We know that FUNCIPEC is going to disappear soon. No body in this world is so ignorant to side with the looser in political rival.
In this case, no lasting enemy for politics as Sam Rainsy always understand this situation very well.
Samrainsy Party still has some friend to balance political monopoly in Cambodia. CPP is trying to monopoly, but more CPP gets high into the air more dangerous when CPP tumbles down.
Rannaridh, Dhammiko, Khem Sokha...etc are still good players for second largest SRP to challenge CPP.
KY
I disagree that the FUNCINPEC will be dead soon. I believe they will bounce back by the 2013 because they have more solid record of accomplishment than the SRP. Thus, it is the SRP that will eventually fade away, and it might just be sooner than expected because the oversea sponsors will soon to be tired of their excuses of not achieving what they predicted.
5:35AM
Just compare the result of recent commune election and you will realized, who is going to fade away?
I concur with the article. Rannaridh just does not have a fit character to play in Khmer politics. I am sad to say though that Hun Sen does have all that personalities of a person to be where he's at. He's decisive from day one, and Vietname (even China) likes him for that. Rannaridh or other royalists are nothing compared to Hun Sen and his clique. Cambodian royals are just NOT intelligent enough to be a leader, or they lack thereof.
Several things that he's done: killed Chan Si in the early 80s, singed traiter treaties then and now, killed all his true opponents, and most importantly he's balancing out power and economic fortune among Cambodian elite including Royalists.
Whether Hun Sen is clever or a right person to apply Vietnamese plans on Cambodia, overall he posseses the character for that task.
I am offering one solution to help eased the situation by taking Hun Sen out, and I mean taking him out by all necessary means.
6:27, the commune election just caught the royalists at their worse moment; thus, it will not be meaningful to use that data to forecast future election outcome.
Don't listen to the SRP cheering better performance than the Royalist. He's just trying to raise money from oversea sponsors by raising up their hope.
Hey, 6:39, if you take out Hun Sen, then we will have a vacuum in government. It will be chaos, looting, arm robbery, rape, ...
6:55AM
Because Hun Sen plans for that, and you are happy to live under Hun Sen's trap...however, it will not be like that to have anymore fears because the world is changed now. No war possible anymore like Hun Sen always intimidates Cambodian people. War can happen only when world get involved it. But SEA, EU and others will not support that.
Hun Sen hopes only one way to gain votes is to frighten people like you one among them gets frightened by HS.
6:53AM
Funcinpec without Rannaridh is a big mistake. I can predict whenever Rannaridh not join Funcinpec, this puppet party will be soon faded away...
SRP, though its winning is in a slow process but it is stable and hopeful for all supports. It satisfies supporters though it can not get into government leading.
KY
Okay, 7:26, I will ride along with you, once I see total peace in the middle-east, how's that sounds?
The real FUNCINPEC father is in Hun Sen payroll now.That's that lackey elevates Hun Sen with one meter and half title.
FUNCINPEC is already CPP lackey,no matter how one looks at it.
dont believe ask Kol Pheng ,Lu Lay Sreng,Nehk BunChhay
Well, it is better for PM Hun Sen to pay them (FUNCINPEC) than to have them rob from people. Isn't that so?
I don't know why some people want Funcinpec dead. If we have a lots of party not created by Xun Sen and their cronies like, for example Khem Veasna Party (finance by xun sen), etc., It's good to have a chance to build a real democracy.
When a party is not doing well, and we wish their death, how can We improve ??? Are We communist??
If Funcinpec is dead, it's just mean that the border fighters that have fight the vietnamese in the 80s disappeared. Are you guys really think that Sam Rainsy is a fighter???
All I know about Sam Rainsy at the border, that he has some problem with his wife... Dispute between his wife. The issue is that he has put another woman pregnant. If some of you are members of SRP, please verify that matters too. Don't walk on a path and close your eyes. Keep your eye open.
And when His father, sam sary, was remove from the ambassador of England, it's just, Sam Sary has beaten his wife. And an ex chief bodyguard of Sam Rainsy had related one incidence to me is when He had brought a son's of sam rainsy to a restaurant. And this little guy shout out loud that He's the son of Sam Rainsy. When you are a bodyguard, you prefer anonymity. Sam Rainsy should tell to the son to be quiet and be anonymous. The security and the life of the bodyguards is important too.
All I want to illustrate, that a leader have some wrong doings. Of course, we have to measure the level of their wrong doings. For example, when Duch Sophea has hitted a student, Magazines say that She had use Ranariddh's power. In fact, She have use the power of her brother-in-law. Her sister has married to a mafia guy. The owner of a karaoke. See We can get fool by those magazines. Most of the informations are controlled by the CPP. Sam Sary, Sam Raisy and Ranariddh... Their acts are isolate comparing to Xun Sen. Give them a chance.Xun Sen has kill so many persons.. Fuck almost every women in the foreign ministry (when he was a ministry). Why don't You guys fight him???
You guys really think people like Ok Socheat and others are useless. I should remind you guys that Ok Socheat has help a lots of fighters by giving them foods, helping on the backdoor without the THAI knowing it. Ok Socheat and Kong Saluous (he's dead) are working so hard to fight back VN. Without these fighters, nowadays, cambodians should speak only vietnamese. And all the streets should be name in Vietnam. Do you guys want that??? Ok Socheat was graduated in the most prestigous school in Canada (HEC of Montreal, MBA). I wonder why he's back in Cambodia?? I don't think that He want collect money... And now, some of you want the Funcinpec dead ?? It's mean all the memories of the fighters dead too... Of course, Funcinpec nowadays, have bad governance. I mean Funcinpec have Nhiek Bun Chhay and some lazy royal relatives.
Vietnamese won't give us a chance to have a better life.
I mean to fight is to reunite. Vote for the democracy!
Don't blast others than CPP...
Wrong, without vietnam our economic growth will not be as high. For a small country, I say they've help us a lot more (proportionally) than the US.
Sam Rainy a fighter? I bet at the first sound of an AK47 going off, Sam Rainsy will be on a flight to Canada before you can even blink your eye.
Yes, Vietnam have helped Cambodian's economies alot more than any other countries in the world. Vietnam is the best partnership in economic growth in our join task. Vietnam is the rich country now. Their economies was 280% of thier GDP. so we need vietnam help more thenever.
To 12:22PM!
Fool who said that politic involve the power of the guns and I thought that politic involve the power of the vote by the people!
Hey 1997, AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave use the power of the AK-47 to settle the score and robbed the power from dirt poor Cambodian people and I dare him to use the power of the AK-47 again in 2008! If Cambodian people can't have what they want and AH HUN SEN certainly can't have what he want too! We will bring AH HUN SEN to hell too!
It is a joke to say that the Viet are well off and rich. They have more mouth to feed than Cambodia.
The only reason why the fucken Viet want to cooperate with AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave is because Cambodia has more natural resources than the Viet which will help feed their population!
Go to Cambodian borders and observe what kind of natural resources are flowing out Cambodia below market price into Vietname!
Thank to AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave economic policy and now the Vietcong middleman can come down directly into Cambodia to do their bidding below market price! Now you know why dirt poor Cambodian farmer will never get the chance to enjoy what they have produced because most of their produces find it way into the Vietcong and Thaicong market which will be exported again to make more profit!
Yes, 1:42, Democracy is about the wills of the people. However, when the people where deceived to vote for Sihanouk by voting for the FUNCINPEC, that is not the true wills of the people. Get it?
1:54, you can't trade with Vietnam unless you bring goods back and forth across the border. So, what is your freaking point?
And FYI, we are not done yet with infrastructure between Vietnam and Cambodia, alright.
Dear KY,
You know I am completely biased on this matter.
If you noticed my past writings about this issue, you would see where I try to go. The big picture here is that I am advocating for the royal family to stay above politics.
If they concentrate in doing work to advance the social issues for Cambodia, not only they will also be loved by the people, they will satisfy their calls as royalties by help building Cambodia.
The most important thing is that they stay above the fray of politics, which sometime can be down right dirty.
Let us do the politics.
Jayakhmer
No objection.
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