2019 Annual Awards

The year has come and almost gone. It is time to dish out some awards to well-deserved personalities and institutions in Cambodia politics.

Outstanding Bagman – Hun Sen

Easy cash has poured in as if Bank of China burst – thanks to Hun Sen for giving away Cambodia’s resources China finds irresistible. There is so much of cash that a high-profiler wonders, without it, “who would have invested” in Cambodia’s electricity, which gives an impression the country has suffered no power blackouts.

Hot Air Momentum Builder – Sam Rainsy

Sam Rainsy’s plan to return on 9/11 and take Hun Sen into custody has been hyped up as another dramatic regime change. It is a momentum that sees internal supporters scramble to mobilise people power. Hard-core overseas supporters rush to Thailand, waiting for a much-anticipated march with their leader across the border. Some are arrested, and some are still waiting.

However, the momentum balloon fizzles out. It is uncertain if the return is just hot air from the start, or it is punctured by Hun Sen’s sharp wit.

Win-Win Award – Hun Sen & Sam Rainsy

Both antagonists claim victory post 9/11. Hun Sen wins for all he wants is to keep Sam Rainsy out. Sam Rainsy also wins for all he wants is to stay out; he claims a “huge success” that Indonesia and Malaysia reject Hun Sen’s request for his arrest and extradition to Cambodia. Thus, the return plan seems nothing more than to embarrass Hun Sen.

Ranariddh Toothpick Award – CNRP Leadership

First, background to this Award. If PhD law professor Ranariddh were to make a toothpick, he would need a log. He inherits from his dear Papa election-winning party Funcinpec, and over time, he manages to shrink it, like chiselling the log into a toothpick.

The CNRP leadership deserves the Award; similarities between the CNRP and Funcinpec leaderships are striking. Both are well-educated, facing the same high-school leaver antagonist. While Funcinpec lets Hun Sen cheat them out of power after its 1993 elections win, the CNRP lets Hun Sen outsmart them out of winning power. Like Funcinpec, the CNRP is now dwindling despite a persistent all-is-one rhetoric. Two main CNRP fractions are trading insults, not ideas. Several members have walked out from the two and establish at least three new parties.

Hope Award – Unspecified Recipients

Many are so hopeful that they treat hope as a plan. CNRP supporters hope Hun Sen will let Sam Rainsy in and Kem Sokha out to oppose him and that an EBA loss will bring down Hun Sen. NGOs hope Hun Sen will take his foot off their throat. Commuters hope for a less chance of getting killed on the road. A prosperous few hopes for a status quo and Chinese easy cash… The list of hopes is endless.

Meanwhile, Hun Sen does not rely on hope. He has a plan – with a killer instinct – to weaken his opponents and move towards a dynasty.

Overall, 2020 will be another year of status quo with Hun Sen’s blessings.

Ung Bun Ang

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Memorable Photo You Can Use

This front row siesta must be very catching, regardless of glorified titles and positions of these sleep-deprived officials. Besides deputy prime ministers snoozing while the prime minister yapping, these police captains enjoy an equal opportunity with same rest time after all the hard work.

However, the captains’ master has no sense of humour and decides to reprimand – not the three captains – but their mate who has taken the shot perhaps just for fun and published it on social media. The punitive action is rather sad but consistent with modus operandi of a mentality that must take out messengers and reward culprits with at least impunity, if not promotion.

 The front row siesta, 8 June 2018

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PhD Quality That Serves Hun Sen Well

«បណ្ឌិតច្រើនពេកហើយ! អ៊ីចឹងចំណុចនេះ ក៏ជា ចំណុចដែលត្រូវពិនិត្យឱ្យបានច្បាស់ ដែលខ្ញុំនិយាយកាលពីពេលមុន ថាតើអ្នកណែនាំនិក្ខេបទ នោះ ក្នុងម្នាក់ទទួលនិស្សិតប៉ុន្មាន?... តើអ្នកណែនាំនិក្ខេបទនេះគ្រប់លក្ខណសម្បត្តិ មាន ចំណេះគ្រប់គ្រាន់ ដើម្បីនឹងបណ្តុះបណ្តាល ដែលជានិស្សិត ដែលខ្លួនទទួលការបណ្តុះបណ្តាលទេ? នេះជាចំណុចដែលយើងត្រូវឃើញ។… ចម្លងតគ្នាអ៊ីចឹង វាទៅជាជាប់ទាំងអស់ទៅ បរិញ្ញាជាន់ខ្ពស់អ៊ីចឹងទៅ។ ទៅជារបៀបសារណា នៅតែសារណា ទៅចម្លងតាមគ្នាទាំងអស់ ហើយដាក់ទៅ (គ្រូ) គ្រូមានពេលឯណាមើល ហើយចេះតែឱ្យជាប់។ យើងចេះតែទៅប្រគល់សញ្ញាបត្រឱ្យទៅ។ រឿងវាអ៊ីចឹង។ ដល់អ៊ីចឹង វាអត់មានគុណភាព។»

នាយក រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ថ្ងៃ​ទី២២ ខែ​  វិច្ឆិកា ឆ្នាំ២០១៩ភ្នំពេញប៉ុស្តិ៍

“If Cambodia (intellectuals and professionals) can manage to play smart (with Chinese money), it will be on a faster track to catching up with neighbouring countries, an objective that many want but is almost impossible to meet within the next 50 years, mathematically, economically speaking.”

Centre for Policy Studies Director Chan Sophal, 18 November 2019, Campro (Cambodian Professionals) Network

After handing out certificates at countless university graduations, Hun Sen’s rant and rave about a substandard higher degree education is rather amusing, if not theatrical. He makes it sound as if those certificates come from a toilet roll that everyone is welcome to pull out for usage after a vital bodily function. He speaks of how easy it is to pass examinations with a widespread plagiarism and inadequate supervisions; as if he does not know corruption that he has bred knows no boundary.

Nevertheless, like the way he often tirades against corruption, Hun Sen offers simplistic solutions based on numbers: less graduates, more supervisors, and more examiners. He infers his own PhD thesis in science is respectable after he passes an oral examination with 15 examiners, not the current 7, that lasts for two hours.

He overlooks a core problem a corrupt regime usually produces, in this case, inadequate qualified staff. A simplistic reduction of graduates now may only exacerbate the skill shortage later. Given that corruption underlines all facets of life under his rule, the 15 examiners at his oral defence of his science dissertation may just be there for the two hours to ingratiate themselves with him. Who would have a spine to scrutinise whatever Hun Sen puts in his paper?

Despite being a target of Hun Sen’s diatribe, higher degree graduates have served him rather well. Many of them are a Hun Sen cheer squad. The Royal Academy of Cambodia president and his colleagues waste no time in applauding and bending over backward to justify every Hun Sen’s words and moves. The Centre for Policy Studies director is in full support of Hun Sen’s China policy though he doubts if Cambodian intellectuals can play smart to get more out of the Chinese money than the Chinese do.

Besides playing up to Hun Sen, these graduates have grown an economy that leaves almost 6 million citizens, according to a 2019 UNDP multidimensional global poverty index, in poverty doldrums waiting for a trickle effect that would come slowly. Most of the economic gains has built up three percent of the population that World Bank classifies as being prosperous.

Their latest economic move to enrich the three percent is to initiate and secure a free trade agreement (FTA) with China and South Korea with whom Cambodia has huge chronic trade deficits, especially with China (7 to 1 ratio).

They must know the FTA will not necessarily increase Cambodia’s exports as there are many non-tariff measures, like sanitary and phytosanitary standards, local production capacity, etc. that can also stifle exports. Thus, while there is no certainty that the FTA will raise exports, it will surely lower tariff incomes for Cambodia. This cut-Cambodia-throat economic policy must render a quid pro quo for someone somehow.

Like corruption that Hun Sen pretends to be disgusted, the substandard degrees will continue to roll out from his toilet roll factories to offer benefits to him and his personal interest groups at the expense of the rest.

Ung Bun Ang

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Funny News You Can Use

One can wonder why the Royal Academy of Cambodia (RAC) chooses to publish the below photograph in one of its many websites.

One possible story is that the two deputy prime ministers in the photo are very hard at work. While Hun Sen is ranting and raving about Master and PhD degree rolls produced by the RAC, the one in colourful robe is so exhausted, perhaps from gruelling tasks of nailing the FTA with China and South Korea, that he is meditating for some inner peace and self-admiration for the job well done; the other is catching up on his mobile phone with whatever he cannot afford to miss, like ensuring their lemmings stay on the track they have laid out.

Then, again it may well just want to become the Royal Laughing Academy of Cambodia.

Deputy Prime Ministers Dr Aun Pornmonirath and Ke Kim Yan 21 November 2019 Inauguration of an RAC Indradevi Building

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Pseng-Pseng is published irregularly. Previous issues are archived at pseng-pseng.blogspot.com