Sam Rainsy: Ranariddh too unstable to unite with

Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Rasmei Kampuchea
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy, who just returned from Australia on 26 February, showed a lack of interest in the call issued by Prince Ranariddh who agreed to an election to choose the president of a newly formed party, should Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha agree to unite with him. Sam Rainsy said that Prince Ranariddh’s standing is unstable and this caused difficulties in uniting with him.

Sam Rainsy said the SRP permanent committee is currently holding a meeting to reflect on this proposal. “We are collecting information and all the proposals to reflect upon,” Sam Rainsy said. Nevertheless, Sam Rainsy added that the SRP does not pay too much attention to this issue, and the proposal made by the prince is nothing new.

While the prince agreed to hold an election to choose the president for the would-be-formed party, should there be a union between the royalists and the democrats, Sam Rainsy is puzzled as to how this election would be held. He asked: “How do we organize it? What will be the rule?” He also said that he does not understand it very well yet.

Along with the lack of interest in uniting with the prince, Sam Rainsy believed in the solid strength of his party, he said: “We believe in our own strength. Prince Ranariddh has an unstable standing and we are having difficulties uniting with.” Even though Sam Rainsy showed his faith in the solid strength of the opposition party, the recent defection of high-ranking party officials has caused some concerns in the SRP.

However, Sam Rainsy said that he has a good grasp of the party grass root levels which do not pay attention to this issue. He added that the party grass root levels want the party leaders to have a strong standing. The party followers will not vote for any particular individual, but will vote only for the party as a whole.

Sam Rainsy is not the only one uninterested in the prince proposal, Kem Sokha, HRP president, also is not paying attention to the request to form a union made by the prince. He even declined to participate in the forum organized by Mam Sonando on 25 February, to survey the intentions of the three parties (SRP, NRP, HRP) to unite with each other.

Dr. Pung Chiv Kek, President of the Licadho human rights organization, pointed out the importance of the union which will provide a stronger voice for the opposition. She said that, it is normal that discordance will lead to weakness. However, she cannot predict whether these three parties can unite with each others or not. However, she noted that among these three parties, only the NRP participated in the forum organized by Mam Sonando’s Beehive radio station to discuss about the union, and to answer questions asked by the public.

Mam Sonando, Beehive radio station director, who came up with the forum idea, said that he cannot predict whether the 3 parties can unite with each other or not. He is only doing what the public want to see. He said: “For Cambodian politicians, you cannot predict about them. Only when they are about to die that they look for a monk (for a last rite). It’s only when their bodies can no longer accept intravenous injection that they remember the Dharma.”

Ranariddh is willing to bet his life if the SRP and the HRP could win over Hun Sen’s CPP

Prince Ranariddh criticizes Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha

Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Prince Norodom Ranariddh severely criticized Sam Rainsy, SRP President, and Kem Sokha, HRP President, because the leaders of these two parties rejected his proposal to form a large front uniting the royalists and the democrats in order to win the election over the CPP. Talking over the phone from overseas, on 23 November 2007, to his supporters in Srey Santhor district, Kampong Cham province, the prince indicated that Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha are too proud of themselves because they won votes, and this led them to reject his call. The prince said that he is willing to bet his life if the SRP and the HRP could win over Hun Sen’s CPP. The prince also called on Son Soubert, HRP Vice-president, to leave his party and come to join his NRP party instead.

Cambodian Election 2008: Natural Alliances

Sunday, November 25, 2007
Op-Ed by jayakhmer
Posted at http://www.modernprogressivekhmer.blogspot.com

As election is near, politicians are scrambling to find ways to ensure their place at the national political arena. This political maneuvering has happened before. It was done in the façade of national unity where political parties struck deals to form an alliance in order to face a stronger opponent. In the end, natural alliance emerged and politics was just as business as usual.

If we are not examining the issue carefully, it can be very confusing. Politicians tend to use undefined political terms to confuse people.

I am going to focus on two operating terms that being tossed back and forth out there – “the Royalists” and “the Democrats”. Who are the royalists and who are the democrats?

Here are the main parties to be contested in the 2008 election: The Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), The Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), The Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), The FUNCINPEC Party (FUNCINPEC), and The Human Rights Party (HRP).

Let us examine the term “Royalists” first. Under the current constitution, aren’t we all royalists?

The answer to that question is a resounding “Yes”. Legally, we are royalists because Cambodia is a kingdom. As it states in article 131, the constitution is the highest law of the land within which it devotes at least 23 articles defining the role of the king.

If all of us are legally royalists, it is safe to draw a conclusion that all political parties are royalists.

Be careful. Politically speaking, not all royalist parties are equal.

For a moment one would think that FUNCINPEC and or the NRP have the credential or even the blood line, if you will, to be the legitimate royalist parties.

If you think so, you couldn’t be further from the truth. CPP, as it turns out, is the most royalist political party of all. CPP leaders evidently were just handsomely awarded with honors and titles that are too long and complicated to state them here.

Do not be fooled by political rhetoric of last minute scrambling designed to achieve a short term gain.

If alliance to be formed, it would be natural for CPP, FUNCINPEC, and the NRP to be together.

Who are the democrats?

Well, technically speaking all political parties are democratic. All seem to adhere to a certain democratic process to run their parties. As far as alliance is concerned, without the alliance of royalists, the only main parties left are the SRP and the HRP.

I also want to be cautioned here. Not all democrats are the same even when they all claim to be one.

If one of the democratic processes requires a transparency of elections within a party structure, the SRP and the HRP would meet that requirement. In principle, both parties are advocate for more democratic reform within the government.

Although the HRP is too new to have any track records that can be used to evaluate its political performance, it is safe to assume that the party is in the same mold as that of the SRP.

Therefore, it makes perfect sense, and it is natural for both parties to form an alliance of democrats if the two parties can compromise and find common ground to work together.

Between the two camps - royalists and democrats, politically parties should reject any flaw and unnatural alliances because unnatural alliances only last right after the next election.

If natural alliances are formed, this would give Cambodian people a clear choice to choose in the next election. This also takes away the guessing game out of election politics.

The only question we need to ask is that will CPP be willing to work or the share power with FUNCINPEC and the NRP when it is conceivable that CPP may already have enough votes to meet the simple majority requirement to form the next government without both FUNCINPEC and the NRP.

Ranariddh proposes to Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha to unite with the royalists

Monday, November 19, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata and Heng Soy

Prince Norodom Ranariddh, President of the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), renewed his call to Sam Rainsy, President of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), and Kem Sokha, President of Human Rights Party(HRP), to work together among the royalists and the democrats. Last month, the prince already asked for the formation of a large movement that would unite his party and the other two parties (SRP and HRP).

This time, the prince raised this issue officially to the two other party leaders through a letter dated 15 November 2007. In his letter, Prince Ranariddh said that the NRP advisory committee had unanimously approved in October 2007, for him to have the ability to call for a union between the royalists and the democrats, in order to provide a true alternative choice for Cambodian voters during the upcoming 2008 general election.

In his letter, the prince said: “The NRP and myself, we believe that the votes received by the royalists and the democrats in the past election, clearly show that there cannot be any election victory that could lead to a change, therefore, all of us, both the royalists and the democrats, must unite to provide two choices only: the royalists united with the democrats against the ruling party. These choices are the final and true ones for the Cambodian voters, and this also constitutes the desire of the Khmer people who usually vote for all of us.”

The proposal of the prince met with the support from the HRP. Kem Sokha said that his party supports the unification, but that it must be based on democracy, and the power should not rest on any individual. Keo Remy, HRP vice-president, said on Sunday also that his party agrees with the prince’s proposal, but that it must be done with democratic goals. Keo Remy said that all these goals include: (1) a 2-term limit for the party president, and (2) an agreement not to use a person’s name as the party’s name.

Muth Chantha, NRP spokesman, said that the prince raised this issue with the aim of uniting the royalists and the democrats. He added that the prince’s wish is to form a large political party.

Muth Chantha added that if we continue to be divided, the votes will also be divided, regardless of either the royalist or the democratic parties. Regarding the conditions imposed by HRP, Muth Chantha said that his party cannot say yet if it will agree to these conditions or not. However, he told The Cambodia Daily that: “Nevertheless, Prince Ranariddh has agreed in principle to the term limit set for the party president.”

As for the SRP, its party leader seems not to pay too much attention to the prince’s proposal. Sam Rainsy told RFA on 17 November 2007, that he does not pay attention to it because the SRP forms the core of the democratic force, and that now, at the grass root levels, large numbers of supporters from other parties have joined the SRP.

Sam Rainsy added: “Therefore, what’s important is for all (other) party activists and members to come and join the SRP, and we don’t need any alliance, we don’t need any discussions of the top level (leaders), no need for discussions at the cloud (level), we work at the grass root level, we are present at the grass root levels, we create an alliance throughout the country. Therefore, the force that we set up at the grass root levels, this is force that leads to victory.”