Cambodia's Ruling Party Told Kem Sokha Incapable of Splitting Opposition Vote

24 Jul 07
by Chey Sachak
Moneakseka Khmer
Translated from Khmer and posted online

It surely is very funny to hear Nguon Nhel, first vice chairman of the National Assembly from the Cambodian People's Party [CPP], say that the CPP is not worried about Kem Sokha's party. Nguon Nhel further shamelessly stated, "In reality, the CPP may even get some benefit out of Kem Sokha's party, for apparently it is capable of splitting the vote of the opposition party."

However, Nguon Nhel gave Kem Sokha a warning knock on the head in his final remark: "But Kem Sokha is no genius." This means that the CPP's dark scheme to split the support of the opposition party is being laid bare through Nguon Nhel's boneless wagging tongue.

However, groups of analysts saw that Kem Sokha's current move toward politics not only cannot help split the vote of the opposition party but it more clearly exposes the CPP's ugly features. And this is not different from the efforts to split elder Son Sann's Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party that was taken over by Ieng Moly and to split the FUNCINPEC [National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia] Party in 1998 in the wake of the 5 and 6 July coup.

Nevertheless, as far as the opposition party led by Sam Rainsy is concerned, it has completely grasped the significance of all these perfidious tricks, for Sam Rainsy said, "We do not care about the birth of Kem Sokha's party as it cannot realistically compete with the opposition party."

Therefore, in remarking to the reporters about Kem Sokha's party's possibility to split the vote of the opposition party, Nguon Nhel, a senior CPP official, was seen as trying to wash his dirty linen in public because the CPP led by Chea Sim, Hun Sen, and Heng Samrin had been publicly criticized for colluding with the National Election Committee in stealing the ballots and persecuting the Sam Rainsy Party [SRP] and other political parties to help the CPP win the elections.

At the same time, the CPP also was very concerned when it saw the growing number of votes received by the opposition party. Consequently, it appeared that the formation of Kem Sokha's party last Sunday had the fingerprints of the ruling party all over it because there was an alarming presence of security forces from the Hun Sen government at the initiation ceremony.

At the same time, Nguon Nhel happened to mention the fact that the CPP might benefit from this newborn party of Kem Sokha, saying that it could help to split the vote of the opposition party. This made Cambodians all over the country understand even more clearly the CPP's poisonous scheme to use Kem Sokha as a cat's paw. The problem for the CPP is that it is using a despised person whom the Cambodian voters threw out of the political arena in 1998. This person has no value whatsoever in the hearts of the Cambodian citizens.

This problem has been explained like this: the use of Kem Sokha as bait to win over the supporters of the SRP is merely to prevent the opposition party from being the greatest force that would compete against the CPP in 2008. However, the dream of the CPP and Kem Sokha in hoping that they would be able to split the vote of the opposition party is heading toward a shameful setback because when the people realize that Kem Sokha is an instrument serving the ambition of the current rulers they would not give their ballots to him who is an opportunistic, bogus politician.

Therefore, the CPP's wish to use Kem Sokha's party to mock the people in an attempt to overthrow the SRP will be impossible. This is because the Cambodian people now know very well what true democracy is and what anarchic democracy is. They do not want to have anything to do with a jinxed, untouchable politician who would harm anything he handles like Kem Sokha.

Just as Sam Rainsy has already said, "The SRP is comparable to a tree that is 12 years old. This 12-year-old tree has grown to become a big tree already seasonally bearing fruits. For instance, it has 24 People's Representatives and 2,660 commune and precinct council members. This is our fruits or our true grass-roots forces throughout the country. In other words, because this tree has many fruits and a big shade, many people have flocked to take shelter under it."

Sam Rainsy underscored, "The SRP tree is 12 years old. If anyone wants to grow a tree this year and the election is already going to take place next year, then let us ask this: Will a 1-year-old tree bear any fruits? Will it has any shade for the people to take shelter under?"

Because of this reasoning, Sam Rainsy said he did not care about Kem Sokha's party that was formed last Sunday, for the SRP has already seen that Kem Sokha's party has no possibility to compete against it.

Most circles have assessed that if the CPP really wants to borrow Kem Sokha's hands to split the vote of the opposition party as Nguon Nhel claimed, the CPP will not gain anything from this venture. It will only suffer losses and will even get bankrupt because of Kem Sokha, since this person is known as a destructive politician whose hands of fire will consume anything they touch. Consequently, he can never be of any help to the CPP.

It is said that the CPP under the leadership of Chea Sim, Hun Sen, and Heng Samrin is very nervous to see the support for the SRP growing steadily, especially through the 1 April 2007 commune/precinct council elections. For this reason, it sends Kem Sokha, a short-sighted individual, into the political arena in a bid to split the vote of the SRP. But the CPP should never dream it will succeed!