kompong leng district, Kompong Chhnang province – A year and a half after announcing his retirement, former Prime Minister Prince Norodom Ranariddh cautiously suggested in an interview yesterday that he had not ruled out a return to political life in Cambodia.
In a rare public appearance, to inaugurate a Kompong Chhnang province pagoda, Prince Ranariddh, 66, told a gathering of around 200 supporters from the Nationalist and Funcinpec parties that he had on Saturday visited his father, former King Norodom Sihanouk, who he said was “still very strong” at 87. The former King returned to Cambodia from China last week.
In the address, Prince Ranariddh recalled his victory in the 1993 elections but said his former party, Funcinpec, had only grown weaker after he was ousted from its leadership in 2006.
He called on the party to merge with the Nationalist Party, formerly known as the Norodom Ranariddh Party.
“They always criticized me, but after serious reform in the party, they won almost no seats to sit on,” he said of Funcinpec, which was reduced from 26 seats to two National Assembly seats in 2008.
“In Kompong Chhnang, if we all join together, we will be strong,” said Prince Ranariddh.
“Politics is a very addictive thing, more addictive than drinking wine. When they barred me from politics for a long time, I felt not well.”
Prince Ranariddh announced his retirement from political life in October 2008, bringing to a close a political career that reached an early summit with his victory in the 1993 elections, and then quickly spiraled downward after his ouster as first prime minister in armed street battles with the CPP in 1997.
After campaigning in the prince’s absence, the Norodom Ranariddh Party fared poorly in the 2008 elections, winning two seats in the National Assembly. The Prince returned in September that year following his Royal pardon on breach of trust charges stemming from the sale of Funcinpec headquarters in Phnom Penh.
In an interview, the prince praised what he called the “successes” of the government and said that political activity was inconsistent with his current position as president of the Supreme Privy Advisory Council, or chief adviser to King Norodom Sihamoni.
“I must adhere to a conduct of political neutrality just as the King, who reigns but does not govern,” said Prince Ranariddh when asked if he harbored the intention to revive his political career.
However, the prince said if he were faced with popular demand for his return, he would contemplate such a call to action. Anyone presented with such a demand would be confronted with a choice of inaction, joining a fractious opposition or working with the government, he said.
A fourth possibility would be to lead a political movement, he said.
“If they overwhelmingly asked me to return, I am a person and I am a politician who has served the country. I must take their request into consideration. I would merely consider what they had requested,” he said.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said yesterday that a return to political activity would be the prince’s prerogative but might not be assured of success.
“It is his right to return or not to but it would not be sure of winning or losing,” said Mr Kanharith.
Lu Laysreng, deputy president of Funcinpec, which removed the prince over allegations that he had embezzled the proceeds from the sale of the party headquarters, said yesterday he was surprised to hear of Prince Ranariddh’s public appearance.
“In his speech, he not only referred to Funcinpec and the Nationalist Party. He called upon all former Funcinpec royalists, such as the SRP and Human Rights Party to be united,” said Mr Laysreng, who was not present for the speech.
Only with difficulty can politicians such as the prince resist the desire to continue in politics, he said.
“The gamblers and the drinkers and politicians are the same as addicts,” said Mr Laysreng.
After arriving in Phnom Penh on Friday, Prince Ranariddh was due to return to Malaysia yesterday afternoon.
