PM taunts Rainsy over Sokha release using lyrics
WI TH just 20 days to go u nt i l t he end of a timeframe used in a wager by Cambodia Nat iona l Resc ue Pa r t y ( CNRP) “acting president” Sam Rainsy to release party president Kem Sokha, Pr ime Minister Hun Sen posted song ly r ics on Facebook seemingly mocking his politica l riva l.
I n November, Ra i ns y of fered Hun Sen a bet that CNRP co-founder Kem Sok ha, who is currently on bail awaiting tria l, would have his treason charge dropped bet ween December 29 and March 3.
He based his prediction on the legal grounds that a person cannot remain charged for longer than 18 months without the case reaching t r i a l . Ma rch 3 w i l l br i ng t hat 18-month period to an end.
Sokha was released on bail under court supervision on September 10 last year.
Ra i nsy, who l ives i n Fra nce to escape a slew of court charges and sentencing, said he would return to Cambodia to face legal proceedi ngs shou ld he lose t he bet a nd challenged the prime minister to step down if this happened.
Hu n S en ac c epte d t he bet , a n nou nc i ng he wou ld r e s i g n shou ld Sok ha have t he cha rge dropped within the set period.
A nd t i me is r unning out. Last week, media out let Fresh News started counting down the days.
Hun Sen on Friday posted slightly altered lyrics to a 1960s pop song, which analysts believe were aimed at Rainsy.
“Pa r t r idge cr ied out, but ibi s did n’t reply/My f ia nce, is it t he t i me or not? I a m i mpassionate because you are malevolent/The bridge collapsed and the water is deep, how cou ld you come a s promised? ” Hun Sen wrote.
Ki n Phea, t he di rector-genera l of t he I nter nat iona l Relat ions Institute at the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said the prime minister’s l y r ics were meant to mock Rainsy.
“The meaning of the lyrics is that Sam Rainsy will not return as he promised in t he bet. I believe t hat Sa m Ra i nsy wi l l not ret ur n, no matter how much he is mocked or pushed to.
“He is not brave enough to face ja i l l i ke Kem Sok ha. Histor y has proven that Rainsy never faces the law,” he said.
Politica l analyst Lao Mong Hay condemned the nature of a bet that u s e d S o k h a’s l i b e r t y a s i t s subject.
“It is unet hica l, a nd even our prime minister who is a part y to t he bet has ca lled it ‘immoral’,” he sa id, add i ng t hat it was h ig h ly
unlikely Sokha would have the charge dropped in the stipulated period.
Phea said Rainsy did not want to see Sokha free of legal wranglings.
His view was echoed by analyst Meas Nee, who said he believed Rainsy initiated the bet to have Sokha remain facing trial to ramp up pressure from the international community.
“The victim is Kem Sokha, while the danger is the EU wi t h d r a wi n g Ca mbodi a’s access to its [preferential] EBA [Everything But Arms] agreement,” Nee said.
“This would be a danger to the CNRP and Cambodia as a whole. The CNRP is facing an almost complete split because of this bet. And [Hun Sen] has no option but to detain Kem Sokha in order to win the bet,” he said, adding that the wager was of no benefit to anyone.
Nee said he was suspicious of Rainsy claiming he will return this year. If Rainsy were to return without being arrested, the government would run the risk of Rainsy increasing his popularity. One way to avoid this was to not allow Rainsy to return.
Mong Hay said there was no dishonour in Hun Sen and Rainsy reviving the culture of dialogue they opened in 2014 and end their political conflict.
“They should do so for the sake of the country and its religion, and as an expression of their own and the nation’s devotion and gratitude to Lord Buddha on the important Buddhist Magha Puja Day on February 19. The King could and should use his constitutional prerogative to start the process,” he said.
Phea said he believed it was just a matter of time before Sokha was free of his treason charge. He said Sokha would not rejoin Rainsy but stick with his supporters within the CNRP.
“And then Sam Rainsy would remain outside the Kingdom,” he said.