A Change of Guard

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Monday 3 August 2015

General’s Comments Still Sparking Debate


Picture of Gen. Chea Dara.

Khmer Times/Jonathan Cox and Ros Chanveasna

Sunday, 02 August 2015

PHNOM PENH (Khmer Times) – Deputy military commander Chea Dara’s comment last week that the “army belongs to the CPP” has placed the military’s ties to the ruling party under scrutiny, and left voters concerned about the possibility of a military coup if the CPP is ousted from power in the 2018 election.
 
In comments at a Wednesday meeting at the Peace Palace, General Dara said that prime minister Hun Sen – who was commander in chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) until 1999 – deserves their loyalty.

Gen. Dara himself used to have personal ties to Hun Sen, serving in his personal bodyguard before being promoted to the rank of deputy military commander.

Members of the opposition Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP) were quick to condemn Gen. Dara’s remarks. “The army and police forces...belong to the nation and people, and they must be neutral for the parties,” said CNRP spokesman Yem Ponhearith.

“In a real democratic country, the army should not care which party wins in a free and fair election.”

CPP officials have also distanced themselves from Gen. Dara’s comments, though they have not criticized him as harshly as the CNRP. Instead, government representatives emphasize that the military must protect the ruling party from a “color revolution” like the peaceful protests that toppled governments in Ukraine and Georgia.

“I can’t comment directly on General Dara’s speech,” said CPP spokesman Sok Eysan, “but the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces belongs to the nation, and the army must defend the legitimately elected government. It must stop any attempt the topple the government.”

Gen. Dara himself has not publicly retracted his statement, and could not be reached to comment on this article.

There are several laws aimed at keeping the military establishment separate from politics. But military officers routinely sidestep the regulations and take leading positions in the political party structure. The commander of the RCAF, Ke Kim Yan, is a member of the CPP’s 34-member standing committee, and many other central committee members belong to the military.

Article 34 of the Law on Election of Members of the National Assembly states that members of the military cannot run for a position in the National Assembly, and Article 15 of the Law on Political Parties says that military officers should not take part in party administration.  “The law says that you cannot carry out political activity in favor of one party or another,” said Koul Phana of the Committee on Free and Fair Elections. “Their loyalty to the party could interfere with their duty to the military.”

Analysts say the links between the ruling party and the military are not only illegal, but discourage voters from casting a ballot for the opposition. “They are creating an environment of intimidation rather than fair competition,” said Mr. Phana. “They openly show their power to threaten the opposition and to threaten voters.”

Gen. Dara’s comments have caused some concern that the military would not allow the CNRP to peacefully take power if they win the 2018 general election. “In the minds of most Cambodian voters, when they cast their ballots, they’ll know the risk of coup/instability. Many of the voters will keep that in mind and choose to vote for the CPP for that reason.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Prett chea Dara seem to be prett hun sen look at his mouth he also was a serial killer during Khmer Rouge too,I believe some day they're all dictators will be in justice never free for ever example cadaffi, Sadam Hussen,,Sudan leader and more they were going to thr heel ,just Hun sen never change ,he already sold his own head to Vietnam ,if you hear any worth from him better it will be negative one thing can be change except he die .