Friday, January 11, 2008

Hun Sen: Defectors Are Not Turncoats [-They are just traitors?]

By Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
10 January 2008


Prime Minister Hun Sen told a group of government officials Thursday that defectors from the royalist party to the ruling party should not be considered turncoats.

Addressing a group of Funcinpec officials at an agricultural development meeting, Hun Sen said members of any political party had the legal right to move to another without being branded traitorous.

"He said, firstly, don't use the word 'submission' for those who defected from Funcinpec to the CPP. It's not right," said government spokesman Khieu Kanharith. "And, secondly, don't use the word 'turncoat' either. It is neither submission nor turncoat, because it is their political right to do so."

Funcinpec is the parliamentary partner of the ruling Cambodian People's Party, though its influence has steadily declined since it was a viable rival in the late 1990s.

"Actually, some people are former politicians in the CPP, and we'd just appointed them, so the majority are now going back to their party," said Funcinpec Secretary-General Nhiek Bun Chhay. "That's why some people just said those politicians are traitors. This point is not right either, because they are going back to where they once belonged."

Some Funcinpec officials have steadily moved their allegiance to the CPP and other parties following a sound defeat of royalist representatives in local elections in April 2007.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Politcians without principles. They bet their future on the mercy of CPP, hoping that they might be able to hang on to some of their old jobs. They need to go. It is not the kind of role model any young Cambodian wants to look up to.

Anonymous said...

Let congratulate the PM for having many "flying horse Phd Diploma". the Word flying horse came from battambang in the year 1980's, where a Prostitute house put a sign of Flying horse to cover its sex commercial activities.
Since then all fake paper, dilpoma, vehicle sign were called "flying horse".

The PM and his corrupt officials deserve "Flying horse phd diploma" mostly delivered by crook private Universities like Iiu, Chamroeun Pahuvithya University...

Anonymous said...

Put all of them (defectors) on the leash, and carefully monitored them, in case they decide to do anything stupid.

Anonymous said...

I would not call them "traitor" either. How can you call them "traitor" if these guys are serving the same boss? As you know it the FUN is now under the CPP.

Anonymous said...

I agree that switching from one party to another is the right of everyone. However I think it is not good behavior of politician, if they just move from one party to another when they don't see any profit from the old one any more. They will move again if the new party is not strong anymore. And I think it is not good for the country neither, as we don't have honest people to lead the country.

Anonymous said...

The be short, let say that MOST of those "politician" need money to survive.
In France or in the US they don't have jobs. So they come to Cambodia to be called Excellency
and get job: MP, Advisors, Ministers...
I know one who was a former dealer in a Casino at Seattle. He came to Cambodia, became adviser of Top official and a strong Excellency...

Be careful with negotiable persons!