PM: 'Don’t brand people as opposition supporters'

Ben Sokhean | Publication date 04 June 2018 | 08:39 ICT

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Prime Minister Hun Sen pictured in public event last week. Facebook

Prime Minister Hun Sen slammed local ruling party officials over the weekend for demonising detractors as opposition supporters and failing to improve the lives of their constituents.

Addressing some 2,000 Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) leaders during the inauguration of a new party building in Tbong Khmum province on Saturday, Hun Sen said that by labelling disenfranchised citizens as enemies of the CPP, officials were becoming “a grave danger” to their own party.

His speech, which he didn’t post on his Facebook page as he usually does, was reported on Fresh News and allegedly tore into village and commune level leaders.

“Some village or commune chiefs have been embroiled in disputes with the locals on land matters, and labelled the complainants as opposition groups,” Hun Sen reportedly said.

He said in order to keep people happy, all CPP members and officials have to perform well, especially in providing public services such as issuing birth and marriage certificates, and delivering them to the people’s residences.

Song Sreyleap, a Boeung Kak community activist who has organised protests in the past, welcomed the prime minister’s remarks but said it came a bit late.

“The statement should have been made five years ago. Still, we welcome it since this marks the first time we have heard Hun Sen say it to members of his own party, especially local officials who always label complainants as rebels or from the opposition party,“ she said.

Sreyleap expressed hope that officials would follow the prime minister’s orders so that people would see their disputes resolved.

“This is the time when parties are seeking votes. He should not only do it during this time but keep doing it for the people’s benefit,” she said.

Mao Monyvan, a former lawmaker from the court-dissolved Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), said the Prime Minister’s remarks were a CPP strategy to gain pre-election popularity.

“If his officials followed the orders he publicly makes, all Cambodians would be living together happily, and there would not be any division among the people".

“Politicians will do anything for popularity. And as the election approaches, they will say whatever is required to gain the people’s trust and support… what matters is to what extent those politicians can uphold their commitments,” he said.

CPP spokesman, Sok Eysan, sees the prime minister’s speech differently. He said instructions directed at local officials were meant to prevent political bias and improve public services.

“It is true. The statement made by Samdech [Hun Sen] refers to CPP officials ... and urges them to serve the people, no matter what political persuasions they hold. Public services are provided to the people on equal terms,” he said.

Eysan said that since the CPP had so many local officials, some flaws were inevitable. He said he is positive that all officials would obey the Prime Minister’s directive.

“There are only a few [who committed mistakes]. The numbers are low as the royal government and Ministry of Interior have been providing training sessions to the village and commune chiefs all over the country on legal principles,” he said.

Phil Robertson, the deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division said, “The reality is that he [Hun Sen] is the architect of government policies that vilify the opposition". “Local government officials in Tbong Khmum province are just saying and doing the things they think have his approval.”