Prince Ranariddh criticizes Hun Sen09 March 2008
By Khim Sarang
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata and Heng Soy
"On Saturdays I still have to work, it’s a misery, and if people don’t vote for me, I would have time to go outing" - Hun Sen
"And, if the country has a new war (after Hun Sen's election defeat) , don’t call for Hun Sen to come and help resolve like in the past" - Hun Sen
Prince Ranariddh, NRP president, said over the phone to his supporters in Sanker commune, Romduol district, Svay Rieng province, last Thursday, that he is very hurt by the badly time spent by Hun Sen to talk about other people’s personal life, rather than discussing about the complicated affairs of the country. The prince also revealed that he knew about the love affair between Hun Sen and the Star Pisith Pilika who was killed by assassins more than 10 years ago.
The prince said: “I don’t want to reply to the Samdech Prime minister Hun Sen, he defamed me, he talked about my personal life, I am very hurt. I am not hurt because he talked about my personal problem, I did nothing wrong, I don’t care, but I am hurt because the prime minister does not use his brain to help his country, to serve the nation, to save the country which suffers, which is victimized under the lack of justice, under the corruption. The border problem, the immigration problem in which he allowed (immigrants) people to come in, the problem of his rich cronies who are oppressing the poor people, he does not resolve these national problems, but he went on to raise (other people’s) personal issue. If I wanted to (I can) talk about his personal life, about the case of Pisith Pilika, etc… (But) I, Norodom Ranariddh, avoid talking about (these issues), I only talk about national issues.”
There is no immediate reaction from Hun Sen’s quarter yet following the prince’s comment above.
On Wednesday, Hun Sen strongly warned a politician – without naming him, and whom people believed to be Prince Ranariddh – from turning a family issue into a national issue, and he accused that politician of looking down on the king and the Council of the Throne, because the prince saw that there was interference on the decision made by the king to pardon him.
In the speech to his supporters on that same day, Prince Ranariddh said that Hun Sen interfered in 4 ways. Prince Ranariddh said: “The first interference is the interference on the royal right of the king who has the royal right to pardon anybody he wants, based on Article 27 of the Constitution, so, please, don’t violate the person of the king. Second, the interference in the affair of the court which should be independent, and this is guaranteed by Article 128 of our Constitution. You don’t respect the Constitutuion because you have power. Thirdly, the internal interference on a political party, such as the Funcinpec party for example. Nhiek Bun Chhay, who was part of the group which overthrew me, did so under Samdech Hun Sen’s order.”
Regarding the 3 types of interference, the prince provided as example, the order issued by Hun Sen in Kampong Chhnang in 2006, telling Nhiek Bun Chhay, Funcinpec secretary-general, to kick the prince out his position as party president.
Prince Ranariddh considers the order issued by Hun Sen, who was given the honorific title of Akkak Moha Sena Batdey Decho by the king, as an internal interference on the royal family members.
The prince added: “And, the fourth interference was the interference on my family. By my family – I am not talking about my family with my first wife – I mean my family which the king, my father, recognized, and which includes Princess Phalla, my current wife. You are an outsider and a prime minister, you hold the title of Decho, and you are raising such issue, this means that you are interfering in the family of the king.”
On Saturday, during Hun Sen’s rejection to the request made by the HRP to the NEC to invite all PM candidates to a political debate and to answer the public on questions related to national issues, he also sent a message to the NRP president that he does not fear the prince’s popularity, and he said that all other PM candidates can discuss with each others (without him).
Hun Sen said: “Some said from overseas that I do not dare let him come back because I am afraid of the influence of his popularity. OK, your popularity, we know it: you get 26 seats and I get 73 seats. You even used your father’s name to play with me, you cannot even win over me. Now that you are playing by yourself against me, I am not sacred, even if there are 100 of you, I am still not scared. However, this issue is not necessary, now I already have the education policy, not only do I have it, I even put it into application today. What need do I have to discuss it with you? It’s a waste of time, because I need to hold forums with the people instead, doing this I have the time, and if I’m free, I’d rather play chess instead. I have no need to discuss and quarrel with you because I am the ruling PM. Therefore, you all discuss with each other, and you ask each other how many restrooms you already built.”
In the last few months, Hun Sen gave out speeches in many locations – which local observers reported that they correspond to unilateral election campaign conducted (by Hun Sen) using state-owned equipments and funds to criticize the incompetence of leaders of other political parties. Hun Sen’s criticisms also partly affect a number of former country leaders, including royal sons and daughters, whom he accused of not being able to govern properly.
Hun Sen added: “Some couldn’t even run their own family properly: one child goes here, another one goes there, it’s just like trying to catch crabs and put them all in a basket, so how could these people unite the country? Some couldn’t even run a tiny party, how can he run a country which has numerous political parties? But, I already did it, you all can stay with me when I hold onto power, but what you need to show is that, if you hold onto power, can other people live with you, just like when Hun Sen was the PM? You have to show this, because now, only for a tiny party, people are all fleeing from it, some are only members, others were party founders, more than half already fled. Look at H.E. Ly Thuch, he is no longer part of Funcinpec in Pursat anymore, now he joined the CPP long ago, and I did not even have to attract the Funcinpec people, if they are fed up with it, they will come to join us.”
Last Friday, Hun Sen said that he was busy taking his daughter to the Calmette Hospital for the delivery of his grandchild, he complained that being a PM was not an easy task: “It’s a misery to be a PM: when I went to the hospital, I had to sign (paperwork) there, it was evening time already, at 9:00 PM, I didn’t even eat yet, but I had to sign I don’t know many documents and return them back. People have a resting day on Saturday, but I don’t. On Saturdays I still have to work, it’s a misery, and if people don’t vote for me, I would have time to go outing. I want to tell you this: some said that they did 10 times more than Hun Sen, so go ask for schools from these people, don’t ask Hun Sen. At that time (after losing the election), I will have the opportunity to visit schools only, but you cannot ask me for more schools, because if you trust somebody (else to be the PM), then go ask that person, that’s all it is because I have no duty anymore at that time. And, if the country has a new war, don’t call for Hun Sen to come and help resolve like in the past.”
The prince said: “I don’t want to reply to the Samdech Prime minister Hun Sen, he defamed me, he talked about my personal life, I am very hurt. I am not hurt because he talked about my personal problem, I did nothing wrong, I don’t care, but I am hurt because the prime minister does not use his brain to help his country, to serve the nation, to save the country which suffers, which is victimized under the lack of justice, under the corruption. The border problem, the immigration problem in which he allowed (immigrants) people to come in, the problem of his rich cronies who are oppressing the poor people, he does not resolve these national problems, but he went on to raise (other people’s) personal issue. If I wanted to (I can) talk about his personal life, about the case of Pisith Pilika, etc… (But) I, Norodom Ranariddh, avoid talking about (these issues), I only talk about national issues.”
There is no immediate reaction from Hun Sen’s quarter yet following the prince’s comment above.
On Wednesday, Hun Sen strongly warned a politician – without naming him, and whom people believed to be Prince Ranariddh – from turning a family issue into a national issue, and he accused that politician of looking down on the king and the Council of the Throne, because the prince saw that there was interference on the decision made by the king to pardon him.
In the speech to his supporters on that same day, Prince Ranariddh said that Hun Sen interfered in 4 ways. Prince Ranariddh said: “The first interference is the interference on the royal right of the king who has the royal right to pardon anybody he wants, based on Article 27 of the Constitution, so, please, don’t violate the person of the king. Second, the interference in the affair of the court which should be independent, and this is guaranteed by Article 128 of our Constitution. You don’t respect the Constitutuion because you have power. Thirdly, the internal interference on a political party, such as the Funcinpec party for example. Nhiek Bun Chhay, who was part of the group which overthrew me, did so under Samdech Hun Sen’s order.”
Regarding the 3 types of interference, the prince provided as example, the order issued by Hun Sen in Kampong Chhnang in 2006, telling Nhiek Bun Chhay, Funcinpec secretary-general, to kick the prince out his position as party president.
Prince Ranariddh considers the order issued by Hun Sen, who was given the honorific title of Akkak Moha Sena Batdey Decho by the king, as an internal interference on the royal family members.
The prince added: “And, the fourth interference was the interference on my family. By my family – I am not talking about my family with my first wife – I mean my family which the king, my father, recognized, and which includes Princess Phalla, my current wife. You are an outsider and a prime minister, you hold the title of Decho, and you are raising such issue, this means that you are interfering in the family of the king.”
On Saturday, during Hun Sen’s rejection to the request made by the HRP to the NEC to invite all PM candidates to a political debate and to answer the public on questions related to national issues, he also sent a message to the NRP president that he does not fear the prince’s popularity, and he said that all other PM candidates can discuss with each others (without him).
Hun Sen said: “Some said from overseas that I do not dare let him come back because I am afraid of the influence of his popularity. OK, your popularity, we know it: you get 26 seats and I get 73 seats. You even used your father’s name to play with me, you cannot even win over me. Now that you are playing by yourself against me, I am not sacred, even if there are 100 of you, I am still not scared. However, this issue is not necessary, now I already have the education policy, not only do I have it, I even put it into application today. What need do I have to discuss it with you? It’s a waste of time, because I need to hold forums with the people instead, doing this I have the time, and if I’m free, I’d rather play chess instead. I have no need to discuss and quarrel with you because I am the ruling PM. Therefore, you all discuss with each other, and you ask each other how many restrooms you already built.”
In the last few months, Hun Sen gave out speeches in many locations – which local observers reported that they correspond to unilateral election campaign conducted (by Hun Sen) using state-owned equipments and funds to criticize the incompetence of leaders of other political parties. Hun Sen’s criticisms also partly affect a number of former country leaders, including royal sons and daughters, whom he accused of not being able to govern properly.
Hun Sen added: “Some couldn’t even run their own family properly: one child goes here, another one goes there, it’s just like trying to catch crabs and put them all in a basket, so how could these people unite the country? Some couldn’t even run a tiny party, how can he run a country which has numerous political parties? But, I already did it, you all can stay with me when I hold onto power, but what you need to show is that, if you hold onto power, can other people live with you, just like when Hun Sen was the PM? You have to show this, because now, only for a tiny party, people are all fleeing from it, some are only members, others were party founders, more than half already fled. Look at H.E. Ly Thuch, he is no longer part of Funcinpec in Pursat anymore, now he joined the CPP long ago, and I did not even have to attract the Funcinpec people, if they are fed up with it, they will come to join us.”
Last Friday, Hun Sen said that he was busy taking his daughter to the Calmette Hospital for the delivery of his grandchild, he complained that being a PM was not an easy task: “It’s a misery to be a PM: when I went to the hospital, I had to sign (paperwork) there, it was evening time already, at 9:00 PM, I didn’t even eat yet, but I had to sign I don’t know many documents and return them back. People have a resting day on Saturday, but I don’t. On Saturdays I still have to work, it’s a misery, and if people don’t vote for me, I would have time to go outing. I want to tell you this: some said that they did 10 times more than Hun Sen, so go ask for schools from these people, don’t ask Hun Sen. At that time (after losing the election), I will have the opportunity to visit schools only, but you cannot ask me for more schools, because if you trust somebody (else to be the PM), then go ask that person, that’s all it is because I have no duty anymore at that time. And, if the country has a new war, don’t call for Hun Sen to come and help resolve like in the past.”
