A shake-up within the highest positions of Funcinpec at the end of this month will see governors, ministers and secretaries of state fired and reassigned as the party continues to search for solid footing after suffering heavy losses in the Feb 3 commune council elections.
Those affected include embattled co-Minister of Interior You Hockry, who will be removed from his post to appease Funcinpec members who were calling for his demotion. He will be allowed to remain in the party.
“We have to withdraw Funcinpec officials who are not active in their work and change officials who are not holding the right positions,” a top Funcinpec official said, requesting anonymity.
Funcinpec was not yet releasing the names of those who will be reassigned, or making public comment on the changes in its highest ranks.
“We have not yet released an official letter on this, but in a meeting we already agreed to do this,” the high-ranking Funcinpec official said. “We will do an official letter and a ceremony for the signature in the near future. We are late because everybody joined Khmer New Year. [Now] we will push this work to happen sooner.”
The shakeup is designed to appease party members who called for drastic actions after the party lost badly in the commune council elections. Among the party’s problems was the failure to find enough people to lead campaigning in each of the nation’s 1,621 communes, instead relying on a system in which a party member was assigned a handful of communes to manage.
You Hockry drew especially strong criticism from both Funcinpec members and Funcinpec military leaders, who accused the co-minister of Interior of engaging in nepotism and corruption to further his own causes while selling out the party.
The Funcinpec official characterized the military leaders as among the core decision makers within the party.
The shakeup is seen as the best hope for the party to consolidate its power and prepare for the national elections tentatively scheduled for July, 2003. Funcinpec leaders fear defections to the Sam Rainsy Party by more pro-active Funcinpec members who feel their party is not reacting strongly enough to internal complaints.
“If we do not prepare this on time, we will be too late for the [2003] campaign,” said a Funcinpec general who requested anonymity. “What we are doing is to help the Funcinpec party survive. If we want Funcinpec to lose and die, we should ignore this matter and just say it’s time to play.”
One possible replacement for You Hockry is Khan Savoeun, an RCAF deputy commander who is seen as a strong leader with a solid foundation among the Funcinpec electorate. He led Funcinpec forces against Hun Sen’s armed forces in the July 5-6, 1997, fighting at O’Smach.
