A statue of Saddam Hussein built during his dictatorship was toppled after his downfallFriday, 18 June 2010
Khouth Sophakchakrya
The Phnom Penh Post
PRIME Minister Hun Sen’s cabinet has called for a ban on statues depicting living political leaders, after it was discovered this week that a statue erected inside the Anticorruption Institution was a likeness of the premier.
In a statement issued Thursday, Ho Sothy, director of the cabinet, called on government departments and members of the public to refrain from making statues of leaders who are still alive, saying such works are not compatible with Cambodian culture.
“Making or carving the statues of the living people, especially the government leadership, is against the national culture and custom,” the statement said.
Om Yentieng, a senior adviser to Hun Sen and chairman of the Anticorruption Unit, said he had commissioned the 3-metre-high statue.
“I certainly made a statue of the prime minister without asking his permission, but I did so in good will,” he said.
He added that he planned to write a public letter apologising to Hun Sen, and that he will have the statue removed if he is ordered to do so.
“I will write the official letter of apology to him in public this evening,” he said Thursday afternoon.
Khim Sarith, secretary of state at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, said statues of living people were in conflict with Buddhist tradition, and could also have negative consequences for those who erected them.
“It is not good. Our people have a belief that anyone who does that will meet their misery,” he said.
Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann said Om Yentieng’s decision to erect the statue had been a mistake, but pointed to political – rather than religious – reasons.
“If he put the statue in front of the anticorruption body when there is still a lot of corruption in the government, it would represent the corruption of the government, so I welcome this decision by the prime minister to remove the statue,” he said.
Miech Ponn, an adviser to the Mores and Customs Commission at Cambodia’s Buddhist Institute, said it was not unheard of for statues of living leaders to be erected.
“However, I do not know whether it is correct for people to make these statues from stone, metal, wood or clay for exhibition, because there aren’t any documents related to this issue,” he said.
In a statement issued Thursday, Ho Sothy, director of the cabinet, called on government departments and members of the public to refrain from making statues of leaders who are still alive, saying such works are not compatible with Cambodian culture.
“Making or carving the statues of the living people, especially the government leadership, is against the national culture and custom,” the statement said.
Om Yentieng, a senior adviser to Hun Sen and chairman of the Anticorruption Unit, said he had commissioned the 3-metre-high statue.
“I certainly made a statue of the prime minister without asking his permission, but I did so in good will,” he said.
He added that he planned to write a public letter apologising to Hun Sen, and that he will have the statue removed if he is ordered to do so.
“I will write the official letter of apology to him in public this evening,” he said Thursday afternoon.
Khim Sarith, secretary of state at the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts, said statues of living people were in conflict with Buddhist tradition, and could also have negative consequences for those who erected them.
“It is not good. Our people have a belief that anyone who does that will meet their misery,” he said.
Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann said Om Yentieng’s decision to erect the statue had been a mistake, but pointed to political – rather than religious – reasons.
“If he put the statue in front of the anticorruption body when there is still a lot of corruption in the government, it would represent the corruption of the government, so I welcome this decision by the prime minister to remove the statue,” he said.
Miech Ponn, an adviser to the Mores and Customs Commission at Cambodia’s Buddhist Institute, said it was not unheard of for statues of living leaders to be erected.
“However, I do not know whether it is correct for people to make these statues from stone, metal, wood or clay for exhibition, because there aren’t any documents related to this issue,” he said.
17 comments:
Yees! ah nish why they have to put it in writing!!
Yees! ah nish why they have to put it in writing!!
Cool down Hun Sen, your dogs just lick your boots, if some one deserve to die not you but them, your dogs.
THIS "NAK LEANG" GANGSTER HUN NAL "HUN XEN" OR U CAN CALLED "SADDAM HUNSEN" ..HE DOESN'T WANT NO STATUE...ALL HE WANTS IS TO NAME ALL THE SCHOOL IN CAMBODIA TO NAMED AFTER MODDDDER FUCKER AH KHVAK NAME......!!!!! THIS DICK-TA-TOR!
couldn't agree more. some are abusive like this gov't adviser built mr. hun sen's statue without asking for his permission. maybe he thinks he tries to please the prime minister or something. now, he had to apologize to mr. hun sen. go figure! yes, cambodia culture applies that it is a taboo to build a living person's statue for worshipping, etc... of course, it is not unheard of; however, it is still a taboo to do so, at least in khmer culture. stop it already! so silly!
Om Yentieng seems to overplease his master. What motivates him to do that, more promotion? Don't the guy has a better thing to do?
shit, they should have left the statue there, the Anti-corruption Unit Office, they need HS spririt to help them big time to help them tackle their own demons!!! If the statue is there they could pray and make offerings, you know...
HS is not stupid he does know who the "aeb aob" sycophants, or the back-stabbers are. OYT is one big example of a no-good, incompetent sycophant; SA and HNH are examples of the two-headed snakes who could at any opportuned time stab HS's back with no mercy, and then grab power for themselves. HSR and CS are just old out-dated decorative ornaments of the CPP.
Bunch of hypocrits and footlickers practicing the Cult of personality!You and your master the Dictator will experience AH HOK´s fate!
Is that Hun Sen so great that he deserve a statue? He pretend having saved the Cambodian people from the Genocide by the KR.
In fact it was the Vietnamese army who, using Hun Sen, Heng and Chea sim as facade,invaded Cambodia and overthrew the KR who had invaded many Vietnamese provinces and killed savagely Vietnamese people including Khmer Krom.
The KR gave Vietnam the opportunity to occupy and colonize Cambodia from 1979 to 1991. And until now use their influence over Cambodia through their Yuon Puppets.
Is that Hun Sen so great that he deserve a statue? He pretend having saved the Cambodian people from the Genocide by the KR.
In fact it was the Vietnamese army who, using Hun Sen, Heng and Chea sim as facade,invaded Cambodia and overthrew the KR who had invaded many Vietnamese provinces and killed savagely Vietnamese people including Khmer Krom.
The KR gave Vietnam the opportunity to occupy and colonize Cambodia from 1979 to 1991. And until now use their influence over Cambodia through their Yuon Puppets.
Is that Hun Sen so great that he deserve a statue? He pretend having saved the Cambodian people from the Genocide by the KR.
In fact it was the Vietnamese army who, using Hun Sen, Heng and Chea sim as facade,invaded Cambodia and overthrew the KR who had invaded many Vietnamese provinces and killed savagely Vietnamese people including Khmer Krom.
The KR gave Vietnam the opportunity to occupy and colonize Cambodia from 1979 to 1991. And until now use their influence over Cambodia through their Yuon Puppets.
MODDDER FUCKKER DICK-TATOR!
"HOLD IT YOU IDIOTS, ERECT HO CHI MINH STATUE FIRST, THEN YOU CAN ERECT A TINY STATUE OF ME KNEELING AT HIS FEET. DON'T YOU ALL GET ME IN THIS SITUATION AGAIN YOU HEAR ME!"
PM HUN XEN
For Cambodia and for the Khmer, we have only one common statue. It is
The Statue of the great King Jayavarman the VII
When you are flying high to PM,you exiting but when you are falling down, the head will come first and it hurts,Ouch!!!
I'll pee on it 24/7!
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