There was another war of words Wednesday between Prime Minister Hun Sen and his political rival Sam Rainsy, but this time there was a victim.
Opposition party member Kuoy Bun Roeun’s candidacy to the National Election Committee had earlier been recommended by Hun Sen in a letter to National Assembly President Prince Norodom Ranariddh.
But he failed in his bid for a seat on the government body after opposition leader Sam Rainsy blasted the NEC immediately before the ballot.
He received just 42 votes of support in the National Assembly. There were 65 votes against him, 4 abstentions and 3 voided votes. He needed 62 votes to be elected to the body, which will oversee the 2002 commune elections.
The vote came after Sam Rainsy attacked the Constitutional Council and National Election Committee for politically biased activities.
His comments came after only 15 members of the National Assembly voted for Sam Rainsy Party member Phi Thach’s election to the Constitutional Council.
Sam Rainsy said the Constitutional Council has not performed its duties to solve electoral disputes, and that the NEC “has been functioning illegally” in its staff recruitment and decision making.
“As democrats, we can’t accept this even if our candidate is elected in a matter of minutes,” Sam Rainsy said.
Hun Sen, who was in attendance, called Sam Rainsy’s criticism “a scornful warning to the parliament.”
“I have fulfilled my duty to introduce [the] candidate, but whether the National Assembly votes for him or not, this is democracy, not dictatorship as you said,” added the irritated premier.
The CPP-dominated body then voted down Kuoy Bun Roeun. The Assembly did approve a switch of Funcinpec members on the NEC, as 105 parliamentarians voted for Uong Kheng as a replacement for Tea Chamrath.
Outside the National Assembly, Prime Minister Hun Sen bluntly said it was Sam Rainsy’s fault that his candidate was not selected.
“I came here to ask the National Assembly to vote for [Kuoy Bun Roeun], but the scorn of Sam Rainsy on the parliament made it difficult for me to ask for enough votes for his candidate.
“This was an unimaginative act that [he] dare to look down on the parliament. I don’t understand this democrat from the West.
“This is a lesson for the Sam Rainsy party to learn,” he said. “The opposition party and government party are like white blood cells and red blood cells. The opposition party needs the government party to help achieve its work.”
Hun Sen said he would accept another opposition party candidate for the position at a later date.
Prince Ranariddh, who voted against Kuoy Bun Roeun, ordered Sam Rainsy to appoint a new candidate.
After the session, Sam Rainsy said his words were “not scornful, but the truth.”
“We can’t hide in the dark. I feel sorry that the parliament showed itself as a scarecrow that gets its orders from one party,” he said
Sam Rainsy said the CPP doesn’t want the opposition to have a member on the NEC.
“What Hun Sen said was a pretext, and a game he plays to undermine the parliament and make people lose confidence,” he said.
In other action, the National Assembly approved the draft mining management law which is designed to help protect Cambodia’s mineral deposits, but does not cover any petroleum or natural gas deposits.
