Thursday, March 13, 2008
Op-Ed by Jayakhmer
His Majesty the King of Kampuchea should grant a pardon to Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh only with a condition that the Prince agrees not to be involved in politics again. Samdech Krom Preah should retire from politics.
Personally, I do not have any animosity toward Samdech Krom Preah; I am advocating for members of the royal family to stay out of politics because I have too much respect and love for the institution of monarchy, our tradition, and our history. We happen to be next door to a neighbor whose people have a strong tradition of love and respect for their king.
It is a matter of national pride that we get our act together and do the right thing. I truly believe that the current arrangement by which a king reigns but not rules is a perfect balance to have for Khmer society. The king and the Khmer Royal members should stay above the fray of the mud slinging politics that often involved unnecessary roughness.
Allowing Samdech Krom Preah to go back to politics will ruin this perfect balance. The king should be politically neutral. How can Khmer people trust their king if he is perceived to be a rescuer of a member of his family?
Historically some members of the royal family had disgraced the Khmer people judging them by today's standard. By the same token, there were great kings in the past who had done great things for the Khmer people. In fact, those great kings have defined us as Khmer by our connection to the glorious past. Our Khmer identity is uniquely connected to these great world heritages such as Angkor Watt and the Bayon.
Therefore, the institution of Khmer Monarchy should be honored and respected by all Khmer regardless of their political persuasions. Encouraging Samdech Krom Preah to stay out of politics would remove any foreseeable risks that could taint this institution. The only guarantee that Samdech Krom Preah will not be in trouble again is that he should stay out of politics. Otherwise, the institution of monarchy will inevitably be marred. That is the risk the nation should not take.
Since this is an election season, some may argue that Samdech Krom Preah could tip the balance by joining the opposition parties that would bring change to Cambodian politics. That is a flawed argument. Samdech Krom Preah is no longer an asset. Rather he is a political liability. Under Samdech Krom Preah's leadership, FUNCINPEC's seats at the National Assembly have been eroding. NRP, the Prince's latest invention, could not muster much during the recent commune election.
If the opposition parties want to shine as the alternatives to the Cambodian People Party (CPP), they can and should do it without Samdech Krom Preah.
Those who love Cambodia and at the same time want fortune and political appointments by pushing Samdech Krom Preah back into politics should face the reality that the probability of getting any of that will be very slim. Joining other parties is not too late.
The bottom line, Samdech Krom Preah should be free to come home and to work on humanitarian projects.
Personally, I do not have any animosity toward Samdech Krom Preah; I am advocating for members of the royal family to stay out of politics because I have too much respect and love for the institution of monarchy, our tradition, and our history. We happen to be next door to a neighbor whose people have a strong tradition of love and respect for their king.
It is a matter of national pride that we get our act together and do the right thing. I truly believe that the current arrangement by which a king reigns but not rules is a perfect balance to have for Khmer society. The king and the Khmer Royal members should stay above the fray of the mud slinging politics that often involved unnecessary roughness.
Allowing Samdech Krom Preah to go back to politics will ruin this perfect balance. The king should be politically neutral. How can Khmer people trust their king if he is perceived to be a rescuer of a member of his family?
Historically some members of the royal family had disgraced the Khmer people judging them by today's standard. By the same token, there were great kings in the past who had done great things for the Khmer people. In fact, those great kings have defined us as Khmer by our connection to the glorious past. Our Khmer identity is uniquely connected to these great world heritages such as Angkor Watt and the Bayon.
Therefore, the institution of Khmer Monarchy should be honored and respected by all Khmer regardless of their political persuasions. Encouraging Samdech Krom Preah to stay out of politics would remove any foreseeable risks that could taint this institution. The only guarantee that Samdech Krom Preah will not be in trouble again is that he should stay out of politics. Otherwise, the institution of monarchy will inevitably be marred. That is the risk the nation should not take.
Since this is an election season, some may argue that Samdech Krom Preah could tip the balance by joining the opposition parties that would bring change to Cambodian politics. That is a flawed argument. Samdech Krom Preah is no longer an asset. Rather he is a political liability. Under Samdech Krom Preah's leadership, FUNCINPEC's seats at the National Assembly have been eroding. NRP, the Prince's latest invention, could not muster much during the recent commune election.
If the opposition parties want to shine as the alternatives to the Cambodian People Party (CPP), they can and should do it without Samdech Krom Preah.
Those who love Cambodia and at the same time want fortune and political appointments by pushing Samdech Krom Preah back into politics should face the reality that the probability of getting any of that will be very slim. Joining other parties is not too late.
The bottom line, Samdech Krom Preah should be free to come home and to work on humanitarian projects.
