2013-03-07
Radio Free Asia
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has defended his ruling party’s
decision to nominate his son and children of other party officials to
run in upcoming national elections, rejecting suggestions he was laying
the foundation for a dynasty.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen said that
critics had misunderstood the nomination of family members of officials
of Cambodian People’s Party to run for parliamentary seats as an attempt
to cement a succession.
“When the CPP made its candidate lists, they were leaked to the media and some people mistook it as creating a dynasty,” Hun Sen said, adding that critics were only paying attention to a few of the nominations.
Opposition groups have said that Hun Sen, one of the longest-serving
prime ministers in the world, is paving the way for one of his children
to succeed him.
A senior CPP member confirmed last month that
Hun Sen's youngest son, 30-year-old Hun Many, will run for parliament
in the July general election, along with his son-in-law, Dy Vichea, a
senior police officer in the Interior Ministry.
There have been unconfirmed reports that Hun Sen's eldest son Hun
Manet, 35, the chief of the ministry of defense's anti-terrorism unit
as well as the deputy chief of Hun Sen's personal bodyguard unit, and
his third son, Hun Manith, 31, an army colonel and deputy head of a
powerful military intelligence unit, will also run in the polls.
The candidacies raised speculation that Hun Sen is setting the stage for
his children to succeed him and establish a political dynasty.
Hun Sen said that the CPP made its nominations based on qualifications of the candidates.
“We don't just make the appointment, they must be qualified," he said,
adding that it was important that young people run for office in order
to replace aging politicians.
"No one starts their work when they are old.”
But speaking about what Cambodia’s voters wanted from their leaders, he
added that his party promised stability and that a change in government
could “lead the people to misery.”
"They [the people of Cambodia] have been through many regimes. They want
to know if they can rely on their direction with us or not. We have
experienced changing regimes that lead to war across Cambodia."
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy
Hun Sen’s comments came as the opposition coalition National Rescue
Party formally named its exiled chief Sam Rainsy as its choice to become
prime minister if the party wins the elections.
The government has threatened to jail Sam Rainsy if he returns to
Cambodia from France, where he is living in exile after being convicted
of offenses linked to a protest over border demarcation with Vietnam in a
case he says is politically motivated. He faces 12 years in prison.
But
Sam Rainsy is confident of returning to participate in the July
elections, saying international pressure on Hun Sen over the vote's
legitimacy if he cannot stand in elections could convince the
authorities to allow him back to the country.
The National Rescue Party also announced on Thursday that it had
nominated Human Rights Party President Kem Sokha to be its National
Assembly President if the party wins in the polls.
Sam Rainsy said that he believes that he will be able to return to
Cambodia due to mounting international pressure on the Cambodian
government.
"It is obvious [that I will be able to return], and there are a lot of
positive signs,” he said from Singapore, where he was leading a meeting
between the Sam Rainsy Party and Human Rights Party that had joined
forces to form the National Rescue Party.
“Whenever I am traveling somewhere, the country’s leaders warn Hun Sen's
government that if the election goes ahead without Sam Rainsy, those
countries would not recognize the election results and the new
government," he said.
The U.S. and other foreign governments have said they are disappointed
by Cambodia’s National Election Committee’s disqualification of Sam
Rainsy based on a criminal conviction that “credible observers” say are
politically motivated.
Ministry of the Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak said Thursday that the
government will not request Sam Rainsy’s extradition and will not arrest
him as long as he stays out of Cambodia.
The National Rescue Party will hold its first ever congress on April 7
and is expected to endorse Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha as its top two
leaders.
The CPP will hold its party congress from March 16 to 17 to confirm Hun
Sen as prime minister if the party retains power, Hun Sen announced
Thursday.
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