Wednesday 11 November 2020


How Hun Sen Democracy Masterclass Could Save Trump

 

“You know, winning is easy. Losing is never easy, not for me it’s not.”

Out-going President Donald Trump, Forbes, 3 November 2020.

 

Trump and Hun Sen share a similar trait of a sore loser. Trump puts on children pants and throws tantrums when facing the 2020 presidential election loss. Hun Sen becomes hysterical when he loses the 1993 national election. They have no grace to accept defeat.

If Trump attended Hun Sen’s masterclass on the latter’s brand of democracy, he would learn he has failed to apply Hun Sen’s power protection insurance measures. Hun Sen boasts a few years ago that world leaders can learn from him on how to run a country, i.e. hanging on to power.

Trump would learn Hun Sen’s democracy rests on the premise that elections can only proceed if there are pre-determined satisfactory outcomes. The 1993 elections leave the outcomes to chance. But since then, Hun Sen has ensured outcomes of all later elections fall in line with his predictions. The latest one in 2018 renders Hun Sen all the seats in the National Assembly.

The stark difference between the 1993 election and the later ones is the control of the election process. Hun Sen adds a prefix H onto UN that has been responsible for the election that has made him lose. Trump would know he lacks control over the election process and learn how to take over one. Hun Sen ensures his ruling party controls a majority of the National Election Committee members. It is a win-win democratic contest for Hun Sen: head he wins, tail they lose.

Trump now relies on courts to flip the election loss. But many, even among his party, do not like his chance. He produces no evidence to support his persistent claim of election frauds and thefts. They say he has demeaned the American democracy.

Trump would discover from the masterclass another Hun Sen’s effective favourite. He would understand he has failed to adopt a complete stacking of courts with judges who cannot refuse lucrative offers. Trump has applied this strategy, only to a limited extent though. He has packed the Federal Supreme Court but leaving state courts in key election states to run amok, which is a sloppy work by Hun Sen’s standard.

Hun Sen has packed all Cambodian courts with judges who are high-ranking members of his ruling party. They are the kind of judges who, when Hun Sen tells them to jump, will ask him, “How high, Samdech Techo?”. Often, a wink from Hun Sen will suffice for these judges to act. Only brave or stupid ones refuse to curry favour with him. Trump would realise that his court actions without corruption are futile.

Trump must wish he had attended the Hun masterclasses on how to run a bastardised democracy both cherish. He would secure the second, or as many terms as he fancies. There is consolation, though. Like Hun Sen’s opponents, Trump could now embark on disruptive behaviours of nuisance value. After all, Trump has tweeter followers of around 81 million whom he can enjoy tweeting his rants even at wee hours of any day.


Ung Bun Ang

11xi20


Amusement Behind the News


Teenager climate change activist Greta Thunberg tells Donald Trump, in her tweet, to chill after he demands vote counting in the US presidential election be stopped.

Her tweet is verbatim, except the names, to the one Trump tweets in December last year after she is named Time’s Person of the Year.

Well, the young lady does have a long memory and wit, and the old man with a dull mind forgets what goes around comes around.

  

“So ridiculous. Donald must work on his Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Donald, Chill!”

Greta Thunberg, Twitter, 6 November 2020


“So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!”

Donald J Trump, Twitter, 12 December 2019

 


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