Candlelight Party councilors are being asked by ruling party commune officials to thumbprint petitions denouncing opposition leader Sam Rainsy for allegedly insulting the king.
The development comes a day after Prime Minister Hun Sen told all Candlelight commune officials to leave the party “as soon as possible,” and previously made a thinly-veiled threat to dissolve the party for its links to Rainsy.
Opposition commune officials said they were at council meetings on Thursday when CPP commune chiefs were asking them to thumbprint letters denouncing Rainsy. The controversy stems from an undated video of Rainsy posted recently on Fresh News criticizing King Norodom Sihamoni for signing a border treatise with Vietnam.
Sok Sreynuon is a second deputy commune chief from Preah Theat commune in Tbong Khmum’s O’Reang Ou district. She attended a meeting with her commune chief Thursday morning, where the chief talked about Hun Sen’s speech and asked all council members to thumbprint a joint and individual petitions condemning Rainsy.
She was not forced to thumbprint the petition but the chief was trying to persuade her to change her mind.
“I have my own stance that I do work for freedom and democracy. So no one can threaten or pressure me to follow them. I cannot do that because it is my will and I do politics and participate with Candlelight without anyone forcing me,” she said.
Try Pov, Preah Theat commune chief and Sreynuon’s colleague, said he had prepared the petition after hearing Hun Sen’s speech and said it was a natural reaction to the “curse” words used by Rainsy.
He estimated around six to seven Candlelight councilors had signed the letters from three communes in the district, and that no one was being forced to join the petition.
“If someone cursed our father and we did not make a petition to fight against those who cursed the king, we will become a person eating rice but breaking the pot,” he said.
Mey Sophorn, second deputy commune chief from Svay Ralum commune in Takhmao city, said he had been called to join a meeting this afternoon with the rest of the council but did not go because he knew from opposition councilors in nine nearby communes that ruling party officials would want to talk about the Rainsy incident.
“I don’t know who I have to condemn. My party leader is Teav Vannol and I am also with the Candlelight Party and not with CNRP,” he said.
He said Hun Sen’s comments on Wednesday were political rhetoric and found no reason to leave the Candlelight Party. He wasn’t concerned about losing his position either.
“I got this position from the people. So we do something for the people. I will not run away from the people. I am willing to lose my position rather than run away from them,” he added.
Ly Meng, Candlelight’s provincial head in Kandal, said party councilors in the province were being summoned to similar council meetings but was not sure how many had signed the petitions against Rainsy.
He said the current controversy was between Rainsy and Hun Sen and that Candlelight was not involved.
“I hope the authorities who serve the people think of serving the people, and don’t think much about these unimportant things. This is a personal matter and is now involving others. It looks so bad.”
Around 100 petitions — some signed by individuals and others by groups of councilors from both parties — were published on government-friendly Fresh News as of Thursday evening.
At Wednesday’s speech, Hun Sen singled out three senior opposition leaders — Teav Vannol, Son Chhay and Thach Setha — asking them to publicly state their position on Rainsy’s comments about the king.
On Thursday, the party released a statement stating that the party was not linked to Sam Rainsy, the party respected the king’s constitutional role in the country, and condemned anyone who insulted or abused the king.
Party vice president Setha said the party would follow relevant laws, respected the king and was working independent of any outside interference. But if the party were to be dissolved there was little they could do about it.
“We tried to show our innocence and if [they] continue to do the same before, it is a kind of abuse against us.”
He was critical that CPP commune officials were approaching his party members and appealed to Hun Sen to stop the practice.
“Samdech’s subordinates are over-implementing this. They are not just asking for thumbprints or persuading people but they are going and threatening them,” he said.
The Candlelight statement likely had the desired effect, with Hun Sen thanking opposition leaders for “condemning those who have the intention to insult the king” in a Facebook post on Thursday afternoon.
