Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Hun Sen and Kem Sokha spar over HRP origins, funders

Wednesday, 28 January 2009
Written by Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post


HRP president denies that he solicited advice from Hun Sen before creating party as well as his alleged reliance on foreign donors.

PRIME Minister Hun Sen's statement last week that he had supported the creation of the Human Rights Party in 2007 was misleading, Kem Sokha, the president of the party, said in an interview Tuesday with the Post.

During a speech at an inauguration ceremony in Oddar Meanchey province last week, Hun Sen said he had advised Kem Sokha on his initial plans to form the party and also provided a stadium location in which he could hold the party's first congress.

But Kem Sokha said Hun Sen has never supported opposition parties and has instead actively tried to thwart their progress.

"I don't care what he said," Kem Sokha told the Post.

"He does not want to have democracy. He wants to destroy the democratic movement. He has never said anything good about us."

Before the party was created in January 2007, Hun Sen said, Kem Sokha needed advice. He added that Kem Sokha said he could not create a party right away because he did not have enough money. At the time, he planned to visit the US to solicit donations, Hun Sen said.

In response, Kem Sokha said he did not go to Hun Sen for advice, insisting that he was obligated to inform Hun Sen of his plans because Hun Sen is the prime minister. Moreover, he claimed Hun Sen was obligated to approve the creation of the party and that this did not amount to actual support for it.

"It is just his duty, and it is my duty to ask him," Kem Sokha said.

Without Hun Sen's approval, Kem Sokha said, the Human Rights Party's 30,000 members would not have been allowed to legally attend the party's first congress, which was held in July 2007.

Fight over fundraising

Kem Sokha also took issue with Hun Sen's characterisation of the party's fundraising tactics. At the speech in Oddar Meanchey province, Hun Sen said of Kem Sokha: "He is a beggar of foreign money."

Hun Sen said this made Kem Sokha a hypocrite given that he has repeatedly criticised Hun Sen's interactions with foreign donors.

Kem Sokha said he did not beg foreigners for money but rather solicited donations from Cambodians overseas. Moreover, he said he criticised Hun Sen not for accepting foreign aid per se, but for accepting foreign aid and then criticising the donors, in particular the UN.

Hun Sen also said Kem Sokha at first asked him whether he should create an NGO or a political party, a charge Kem Sokha flatly denied.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen plays the game of divide and conquer when he sees the 2 opposition parties join hands.

Anonymous said...

What the prime minister should do is be on Khmer side, then he will not have to worry about election. Khmer will have not problem vote for him. At the mean time, should put all 7NG people on trial, and punish those who hurt,cheat, take land from khmer. Be touge with concrete result dealing with both neighbors, get back koh Trol, and Khmer will glady vote for prime minister. Easy, no need go around devide and conquere because soon there is nothing else to conquere because all you have will be just a plot of land in Phnom Penh, the rest will be Saigon Mey, and Bangkon shong!

Anonymous said...

After hear from Hun Sen What are you think about Kem Sokha? Is the best for leader? lead the Political Party?
Now he drop MP Candidate,and he support for Sam Raisy already, Do Any one believe in Kem Sokha ?

Anonymous said...

Don't trust Hun Kwack Sen.

Where are misery and poverty, there is SEN.

In buddhist's religion, when we SEN, we will be granted of our wishes.

So if peasants SEN and wish of the death of Ah Kwack, angels will granted their wishes.

But if peasants don't have anything to SEN, their wishes will never be granted !

If all peasants wish the death of Ah Kwack, their wishes will be granted !

Go to Pagoda and make the wishes in front of Buddha !

Khmer Canadian

Anonymous said...

កឹមសុខា​មនុស្សចេះធ្វើនយោបាយ ប៉ុន្តែមិនយល់ អំពីខ្យល់របស់នយោបាយ។

Anonymous said...

Eventually, the bully will get its day. Its day are coming. Nothing lasts forever.

Anonymous said...

Mr.Sokha is decent and respected.He needs not to ackjnowledge the belligerent Hun Sen.

Hun Sen is too busy dispiriting others from loving and working for Cambodia democracy.

As citizen and fellow patriot,what Hun Sen needs to do is to leave Mr.Sokha be and need not to belittle anyone.

Anonymous said...

They’re all the same perhaps; politicians hardly trust in the eye of Cambodians. But CPP is a well-oil machine, always well active in every campaign.

Anonymous said...

well oil will burned out. Hunxen is not khmer he is yuon slave and a treator. yuon must go home so as yunxen!

Anonymous said...

A well seasoned politician like Mr. Kem should realize that he was used by PM Hun Sen from the start. His HRP high ranking official who appens to be one of my very close friends bragged about the help from PM Hun Sen in organizing the first HRP general congress in the Olympic Stadium. I bluntly told him that Hun Sen is using the HRP to weaken the Opposition mainly the SRP. At that time we knew that the royalists are so weak to take any meaningfull numbers of votes from the SRP. Luckily, HRP stepped in. I told my friend that if I were Hun Sen, I would do a lot more for the HRP because this new party was exactly what the CPP needs to solidify its grip of power even more.

Anonymous said...

Look at these two clown monkies.