Refrain from insults, Hun Sen urges politicians

PHNOM PENH: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen ( pix), who in the past has referred to political rivals as “crazy”, “stupid”, “terrorists” and “traitors”, has called on politicians not to insult or denigrate other parties or their candidates in the run-up to national elections.

“I call on all political parties and candidates to respect each other,” Hun Sen wrote on his Facebook on Sunday.

“Do not use insulting or disrespectful words. They must act ethically and (with) dignity. Please promote only your own (policies), and do not denigrate other political parties or their candidates.”

Hun Sen, who has ruled Cambodia for more than 30 years, leads the Cambodian People’s Party, which is expected to sweep the July 29 elections after a court dissolved the country’s largest opposition, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), in November.

CNRP leader Kem Sokha was arrested in September on widely-decried treason charges.

Days before his plea for respectful politics, Hun Sen and Yang Saing Koma, the president of a smaller opposition party, the Grassroots Democracy Party (GDP), exchanged verbal barbs.

Saing Koma accused the premier of having a bad “temper”, “using a top-down control system” and relying on foreign funds to develop the country, the Phnom Penh Post reported yesterday.

Hun Sen fired back, referring to Saing Koma, an agronomist, as a “crop planter” who could not manage the country and owed people money.

The GDP leader could not immediately be reached for comment, but on Saturday he wrote on Twitter that he preferred “to focus on alternative policies, not personalities”. – dpa