“He [Hun Many] knows what to do, he knows how
to manipulate the media, he knows how to use the media.”
Media studies academic Moeun Chhean Narridh, 11 June 2014, The
Phnom Penh Post
“….But
through evaluation of my work and achievement, the party after a lot of
discussion agrees that it is time for new face[s]; and not only me, there are a
lot of youth from CPP that have received such opportunities and trust based on
the work we have done for the party”.
Hun Many, 6 June 2014, Channel News Asia TV
It is clearly
not a waste of his parents’ blood, sweat, and tears when Hun Many was sent
overseas at the age of 9 for two decades of quality education. He becomes a
parliamentarian at a tender age of 32 after a three-year stint as a prime
minister’s assistant. This inevitable personal success, however, raises a
simple question: would vagrants who are removed in caged trucks from city
streets achieve similar outcomes if they were given similar opportunities?
Moeun
Chhean Narridh is right that Hun Many knows how to use the media. He makes a lot of right noises on a
wide range of topics in his interview with Channel News Asia that uses
unflattering footages and commentaries as a background for the encounter.
The interview
shows some discomfort, nevertheless. Persistent charges of nepotism for his
meteoric rise will persist for some time yet. Hun Many explains it is the CPP
evaluation of his work and achievement that brings him to where he is. He does
not elaborate, however, whether the assessment would have taken place without
his connection to his father. Where would he be, had he been one of the caged
vagrants?
He may have a
second thought about the interview that allows so many hard-hitting questions
and retorts. He smiles uncomfortably at times, especially when interviewer Lin
Xueling keeps on drilling down for some details of his personal goals to
address his claimed concern over the low level of schooling among youngsters.
If Hun Many has any idea, he certainly plays his cards close to his chest. When
pressed further for some target numbers, he retreats to the following escape
route:
“I
don’t think [a] National Assembly member can do it alone, you need a holistic
approach and which our youth organisation [Union of Youth Federation of
Cambodia of the CPP] has been doing. At the end of 2013, we have provided more
than close to 300 scholarships. But more than that I think with the new
minister of education, youth, and sport we understood that certain disparity
between the youth getting degrees in accounting, banking, and financial sector
with the available market employment that is statistics.”[sic]
Another front
Hun Many seems uneasy is his proclaimed ethics against corruption. When
cornered to rule out taking a bribe, no matter how large, Hun Many will let
“the people” decide whether he should. He says,
“For
me I think I let the people decide, … regardless of whether small or big,
people decide on how I do because I believe it’s wrong, again that is immoral…
that it does impact on the people [sic].”
This appears
consistent with his benign assessment of the current level of corruption. He
claims corruption in Cambodia is not “rampant” – pointing out it is not at the
level where the country is not attracting investments. He fails to appreciate
many investors can only thrive in corrupt environments where they have secured
connections in government that allows them to turn anything they touch into
gold.
Ung Bun Ang
20vi14
Updated: “Best
of One”, Pseng-Pseng, 10 June 2014
In less than
four hours on 12 June 2014, the legal trio controlling the court system sails
through the SENATE, which some say is an acronym for “State Enterprise for
National Theatrical Entertainment”.
The legal
trilogy is now at the Constitutional Council, which is supposed to review all
legislations before passing them on for the King’s signature. It would need a
miracle for the Council to see any flaw in it.
And the King
will sign it with an understanding that he will be held responsible for
anything that he has no control over. How thrilled would he be?
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