The eternal prime minister?

No Term Limit for Prime Minister, Hun Sen Says

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
27 November 2007

The prime minister position does not need a term limit, but should preclude dual citizenship, Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday.

His remarks were apparently a reference to calls from the opposition, whose leader, Sam Rainsy, has a French passport, for term limits.

If the prime minister candidate doesn't "dare" to relinquish a second nationality "how can people trust him?" Hun Sen asked, during a speech. "When there is a problem, he runs overseas."

"I'm a Khmer," Sam Rainsy said after the remarks. "I love my country. I want to serve the Khmer people as someone who has education from a developed country, has knowledge and experience from developed countries, and has come back to serve the Khmer interest. It's better than some of those who are serving foreign interests because they owe them."

Is term limit good for Cambodia?

November 11,2007
OpEd by Jayakhmer
Posted at MODERN PROGRESSIVE KHMER

The recent clash between the prime minister and the leader of the Sam Raingsy Party (SRP) on term limit for the prime minister position highlighted a significant difference in political thinking between the two parties.

Thus far the debate of term limit, unfortunately, is nothing more than heated rhetoric between the parties’ leaders. The debate geared toward personal attacks rather than geared toward debating the merit of an idea or legislation.

Apparently, the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) does not seem to be in a hurry to legislate themselves out of the power nor do they want to contemplate on replacing its candidate for prime minister.

Obviously, the SRP also exposes somewhat its own hypocrisy by raising the issue of term limit while the party has been producing the same candidate for prime minister in past and current election. If the SRP is serious about term limit, it must lead by example.

Is term limit good for Cambodia?

Political term limit is a recent phenomenon. The United States of America did not have term limit for the office of presidency until 1951 with the ratification of the 22nd amendment of the constitution. Generally, American president serves for one or terms with the exception of Franklin Roosevelt who was elected to the office for three terms.

The debate on term limit should be about the future of Cambodia. The idea of term limit reflects the questions whether Cambodia will be a nation of law or a nation of men.

A nation of men will be more risky than a nation of law. By a stroke of luck, if nation elects a capable and competent man as its leader, a nation prospers; and if nation ends up with an incompetent leader, the nation suffers.

With term limit where the law dictates the term of office of a leader, at least the people know that they only have to endure for one or two terms which ever the law of term limits may require if they end up with an incompetent leader.

Without a term limit, a nation depends on men of good conscience such as George Washington of the U.S. or Nelson Mandela of South Africa who did not want to hold on to power for too long.

Term limit is about political maturity of a nation. Term limit allows a civilized nation to peacefully transfer of power between individuals or facilitate a regime change without a coup d’etat or a revolution.

How long should a term limit be for Cambodia?

The nation must decide purely base on a unique character of Cambodia not a quick copy of neighbor nations. Cambodia’s term limit should reflect the balance or the tension between Khmer’s thirst for power and the stability of the nation.

Term limit is good for Cambodia.

Saumura Tioulong: Party Chiefs Play Different Roles Than Heads of State

November 07, 2007

Following the publication of the article titled "SRP To Submit Draft Law Limiting PM to 1 Term" (The Cambodia Daily, Monday, page 23), I would like to make the following comments:

1. The limit of two terms for Prime Minister was approved by the 3rd Ordinary Congress of the Sam Rainsy Party on 28-29 March 2003 as part of our political platform entitled “100 Measures to be Implemented by a Sam Rainsy Party Government” (Measure 12: Limiting a mandate for file Office of Prime Minister to a maximum of two terms, or 10 years under any circumstances).

So the decision to discuss in the next days, a possible furthering of this measure has nothing to do with "months of criticism" by whomever as the article says. On the contrary, it is consistent with debates that my colleagues have been having for many years, and as early as the Party inception in November 1995. I was among the ones who advocated one-term limit, some were against any limit at all, others were in favor of three terms. In March 2003, the majority decided for a two-term limit. In November 2007, we may decide for a one-term limit.

2. The Party internal reform was debated from August to December 2004 and the final decision announced to the Party network at a meeting held at World Vision on 10 December 2004. We started the internal reform process years ago.

3. There is a huge difference between the mandates of the head of the executive branch and the head of a political party. The former very legitimately exerts State power, whether financial, economic, administrative, military, police, with the danger that he cannot resist the temptation to either abuse his power or stay forever in power.

We need to limit this danger, by institutionalizing checks and balances such as separation of powers, independent judiciary, parliamentary oversight, role of the opposition, etc—and limit terms.

The head of a political party has none of the powers of a government head. He does not spend tax payers' money, has no armed forces, no right to dispose of national riches, no possibility to make decisions with long-term consequences. He does not receive any salary paid out of public funds nor can he use State means to reach his goals.

On the contrary, he uses his and other volunteers' own funds, time and means to voluntarily engage in an activity aimed at changing the way his society is ruled: by virtue of which principle should he be limited to pursue such an activity?

All of us in the Sam Rainsy Party are volunteers who share the same vision of a new society founded on social justice, rule of law and good governance. If they are not satisfied with their leaders, nobody can force them to remain under these leaders and continue to donate their time, money, efforts. Whereas a Cambodian who is not happy with his prime minister must remain under his rule, at least up until the end of his term, hence the need for term limit.

4. Amalgamating the organizational principles of a State with those of a grouping formed by the free and voluntary acceptance of private rules shows a lack of understanding of the fundamental rudiments of democracy.

Tioulong Saumura
SRP Leader of Banteay Meanchey Province