Ben Sokhean | Publication date 22 March 2018 | 16:53 ICT
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Hun Sen speaks to graduates at the National Institute of Education in Phnom Penh on Thursday. Supplied
Prime Minister Hun Sen broke into English to tout his newly-dubbed policy of “Peace First” in a speech on Thursday, drawing on US President Donald Trump’s motto of “America First”.
Speaking to graduates at the National Institute of Education, the premier said peace is “invaluable” to Cambodia.
“It is similar to Donald Trump saying ‘America First’, but we say ‘Peace First,’” Hun Sen said, saying both slogans in English.
The prime minister went on to explain that “the main priority is peace”.
“If there is no peace, nothing can happen. Do not be doubtful, that is it. This is the most significant thing,” he continued.
Hun Sen has often linked peace to his rule, claiming that without him to steer the country, Cambodia would again collapse into anarchy and civil war.
And just as Trump's “America First” motto has been criticised for its isolationist and xenophobic undertones, many have seen the premier's invocations of “peace and stability” as thinly veiled justification for an ongoing crackdown on the political opposition and dissent.
References to such “peace” have become mainstays of ruling party rhetoric since the forced dissolution of its only viable political challenger, the Cambodia National Rescue Party. The party enjoyed widespread popular support, and ruling party officials, including Hun Sen, have repeatedly sought to publicly justify its dismantling as a necessary move to thwart a foreign-backed “colour revolution”.
The new “Peace First” motto also wasn't the first time Hun Sen has shown his affinity for President Trump. He has approvingly noted Trump's attacks on the press while expressing his own reservations about the independent media, and at an Asean summit in Vietnam, he told the US leader during a glowing speech that he was “a wonderful president for me”.
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