Sam Rainsy (Sarcastically) Congratulates Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez

February 18, 2009
Source: SRP

SAM RAINSY (SARCASTICALLY) CONGRATULATES
VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT HUGO CHAVEZ

On February 16, SRP President Sam Rainsy wrote to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez:

"May I ask you to do a favor for the Cambodian people? Could you please convince Cambodia's prime minister, Mr Hun Sen, to be as brave and as decent as you when you decided to hold this referendum on term limits. Like you, our Prime Minister wants to stay in power for ever, or at least -- he says -- until he reaches the age of 90. He has been in power since the early 80's and we would have to be patient with him for another 30 years. But unlike you, he doesn't bother at all to seek to know whether his people want him to remain at the head of their country for so long, possibly for two (lost) generations."

Full letter in English at http://tinyurl.com/dmlb9x

Chavez Victory Likened to Hun Sen’s Aims

Hugo Chavez (L) and Hun Sen (R)

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Original report from Washington
18 February 2009

Opposition party leader Sam Rainsy sent a letter of congratulations to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, mocking Prime Minister Hun Sen’s apparent desire to stay in power.

Chavez won a referendum on Sunday that will allow him to run for office with no limits.

In an open letter issued Monday, Sam Rainsy thanked Chavez for winning the referendum—by 54 percent of the vote—and said the victory reminded him of Hun Sen, who has been in power since the 1980s.

“Like you, our prime minister wants to stay in power forever, or at least—he says—until he reaches the age of 90,” Sam Rainsy wrote. “He has been in power since the early 80s, and we would have to be patient with him for another 30 years. But unlike you, he doesn’t bother at all to seek to know whether his people want him to remain at the head of their country for so long, possibly for two (lost) generations.”

Cheam Yiep, a lawmaker for Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party, said Monday Sam Rainsy should struggle harder to win future elections, but he was free to say what he liked in letters.

Cambodia’s next national elections will be held in 2013, and Hun Sen has openly declared he plans to run for prime minister again.

Sam Rainsy congratulates Venezuela's president Hugo Chavez

Hugo Chavez of Venezuela (L) and Hungo Sen of Cambodia (R)

KI-Media Note:
The following is a sarcastic letter sent by opposition leader Sam Rainsy to Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. It pokes fun at those rulers who cling on to power for life, one of whom is no other than Hun Sen of Cambodia. In our opinion, this letter should not be mistaken as the opposition leader condoning unlimited term limit for rulers in any country.

OPEN LETTER

February 16, 2009

Dear President Chavez,

On behalf of the Cambodian people whom I represent as an elected Member of Parliament, I would like to warmly congratulate you on the occasion of your personal victory in last Sunday's constitutional referendum that will allow you to run for president as many times as you please, without any term limit.

Maybe, after countless consecutive presidential election victories, you will still be at the head of Venezuela when you are as old as Cuba's Fidel Castro before he stepped down in favor of his brother Raul Castro.

May I ask you to do a favor for the Cambodian people? Could you please convince Cambodia's prime minister, Mr Hun Sen, to be as brave and as decent as you when you decided to hold this referendum on term limits. Like you, our Prime Minister wants to stay in power for ever, or at least -- he says -- until he reaches the age of 90. He has been in power since the early 80's and we would have to be patient with him for another 30 years. But unlike you, he doesn't bother at all to seek to know whether his people want him to remain at the head of their country for so long, possibly for two (lost) generations.

Yes, we want a referendum here in Cambodia like in Venezuela!

Thank you for the good example that you have shown to all leaders who cling to power for the impunity it provides and who want to compete with God in the search of eternity.

Sincerely,

[signed]
Sam Rainsy
Member of Parliament
National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia
Phnom Penh