PM says Rainsy unfit to govern
PRIME Minister Hun Sen continued to inveigh against former opposition leader Sam Rainsy yesterday, claiming his longtime political adversary had no experience in governing and only knew how to “ignite war”.
“You are not capable of managing the situation in Cambodia yet. You just know how to ignite war, to insult and to flatter, but you do not know how to manage even one small party,” the premier said in a speech at the opening of a garment factory in Kandal.
While Hun Sen rarely names Rainsy directly, he did say that he was referring to the leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Movement. The movement was launched by Rainsy in January following the forced dissolution of his former party and the country’s only viable opposition – the Cambodia National Rescue Party. Rainsy has lived in France since 2015 to avoid arrest for a slew of sentences he claims are politically motivated.
Hun Sen and other highranking officials, meanwhile, have characterised the new movement as a terrorist organisation, despite Rainsy’s public commitment to nonviolent resistance.
The premier also belittled Rainsy’s lack of experience, seemingly ignoring his previous role as minister of finance and 20 years as a lawmaker.
Turning to his own record, Hun Sen continued: “Right or wrong, it is always Hun Sen’s responsibility. I do not take only the wrong or right things, but I take both.”
The premier went on to say that he must be judged within the context of Cambodia emerging from years of turmoil, civil war and genocide.
Hun Sen was once an officer in the communist Khmer Rouge regime that devastated Cambodia and dismantled its economy in the 1970s. But yesterday he took credit for intro- ducing free market economics to the country and continued a recent trend of dismissing the international community’s contributions to Cambodia’s rebuilding.
“Please do not be confused. Do not say that the Paris Peace agreement brought the market economic system to Cambodia,” Hun Sen said,
Political analyst Meas Nee, however, questioned the Kingdom’s economic planning. Comparing Hun Sen’s rule to that of Lee Kuan Yew’s in Singapore, Nee noted that in 20 years as prime minister, Lee was able to fully develop the island nation, while Cambodia “remains the poorest country in Asean”.
As for the continued fusillade against Rainsy, Nee said it was pointless to continue commenting on such verbal spats. He said both should strive to be “good role models for the younger generation”, and consider stepping aside completely to let the new generation lead the country to “reconciliation”.
Rainsy could not be reached for comment yesterday.