The “passion” of young Cabinet ministers will be needed to tackle the many issues and priorities after the new government led by Hun Manet is sworn in next month, the Khmer Times reported on July 28.
According to the Cambodian newspaper, General Hun Manet, 45, will begin his role as Prime Minister of the Southeast Asian country on August 22 – the day the National Assembly officially accepts the newly formed government. Before that, on August 7, the King will issue a decree appointing the new Prime Minister.
However, analysts, scholars and even senior members of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) still have doubts about the new Cabinet that Mr. Hun Manet will lead.
In an interview with the Khmer Times earlier this week, CPP spokesman Sok Eysan admitted that the younger successors have “less experience” in their fields.
Mr. Eysan said that 90% of General Hun Manet's Cabinet will be new, while 10% of the old Cabinet will be retained to ensure the sustainability of government work.
“Some cadres are inexperienced, but if they pay close attention to the grassroots, connect with the masses, apply their existing knowledge, and have higher education, I think they will do their job well,” Mr. Eysan said. “This is why the CPP is letting older officials guide them.”
General Hun Manet, Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, after casting his vote in the general election on July 23, 2023. Photo: Al Jazeera
Big challenges ahead
Mr. Chheang Vannarith, President of the Asian Vision Institute (AVI), a leading think tank on geopolitical risk analysis and governance innovation, noted that some of the major challenges ahead for the new government include fighting corruption and building clean and strong state institutions.
“Therefore, transformational leadership is needed. Courage to innovate is needed,” said Mr. Vannarith.
According to Mr. Vannarith – a public policy analyst and government relations strategist, the main basis of the new government's legitimacy is "how and when it can deliver concrete results to meet the needs and expectations of the people".
Meanwhile, Mr. Kin Phea, Director General of the International Relations Institute of the Royal Academy of Cambodia – a top government advisory body, highlighted several key issues that the new government should prioritize.
“The stability and growth of the past decade need to be further optimized and reformed to open up the economy more widely. However, external headwinds such as the Ukraine crisis, Myanmar and US-China competition are making it difficult for smaller countries, including Cambodia,” said Mr. Phea.
In a live interview on Cambodian National Television (TVK) on July 26, caretaker Prime Minister Hun Sen called on those in their 70s and 80s who will leave the Cabinet to continue guiding his younger successors.
Mr. Hun Sen said he transferred the position of Prime Minister for the long-term political stability, peace and development of the country.
Despite leaving the executive branch, Mr. Hun Sen said he would continue to be a lawmaker and would be appointed president of Cambodia’s Supreme Privy Council, an advisory body to the king. He will also become president of the Senate after Cambodia’s Senate elections on February 25 next year, in which the CPP is confident of another landslide victory.
General Hun Manet (right), Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Army and eldest son of Prime Minister Hun Sen, and Defense Minister Tea Banh, during a promotion ceremony in Phnom Penh, April 20, 2023. Photo: Online Citizen
Mr. Hun Sen also promised not to interfere in the work of the new Prime Minister and government. The veteran Cambodian leader believes that new Prime Minister Hun Manet will receive the support of the people.
He also added that General Hun Manet’s appointment as Prime Minister did not skip any procedures. “My son did not inherit this role without a legal process. He participated in the election as a parliamentary candidate, and this is a fundamental step in our democratic system,” he said.
Firm foreign policy
The eldest of Prime Minister Hun Sen's five children, Hun Manet was born on October 20, 1977. He is married to Pich Chanmony, the daughter of a prominent Cambodian politician. The couple has three children.
Mr. Hun Manet grew up in Phnom Penh and joined the Cambodian military in 1995, and later attended university in the United States and Britain.
He was the first Cambodian to graduate from the US Military Academy at West Point in 1999. He then received a Master's degree in economics from New York University (USA) in 2002 and a PhD in economics from the University of Bristol (UK) in 2008.
In parallel, he has gradually risen through the ranks of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces, from his father's deputy bodyguard to commander of the anti-terrorism force, and is currently a four-star General holding the position of Army Commander and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Army.
He also became head of the ruling CPP's Youth Committee and joined its Standing Committee.
In December 2021, Mr. Hun Sen appointed his eldest son Hun Manet as his successor as leader, and the CPP soon considered Mr. Hun Manet as the “future prime minister.”
General Hun Manet has given a few media interviews and given little insight into his vision for Cambodia and its more than 16 million people. He has largely avoided lengthy speeches on the campaign trail, limiting himself to smiles and hand-waving.
Mr. Hun Sen and his son Hun Manet at the graduation ceremony of the US Military Academy at West Point, 1999. Photo: ABC Net News
At a key election rally on July 21, Hun Manet said voting for the CPP was voting for a bright future, and warned of “extreme” plots to sabotage the general election taking place two days later, on July 23.
In 2015, Mr. Hun Manet told Australia's ABC that Cambodia must maintain peace, stability and security “at any cost.”
Some observers have commented that General Hun Manet, who received a Western education, is likely to tilt Cambodia more towards the West once he fully replaces his father.
“General Hun Manet went to West Point, so it is likely that when he succeeds his father in all positions, Cambodia will lean a little more towards the West,” said Paul Chambers, a lecturer and special adviser on international relations at the ASEAN Community Studies Center, Faculty of Social Sciences, Naresuan University in Thailand.
However, CPP spokesman Eysan dismissed the idea. He said he believed Cambodia’s foreign policy would not change under the new government, adding that the ruling CPP had set out a political platform for the government to implement.
“The new government must translate the party’s political platform into reality so that the country’s foreign policy remains unchanged. For example, Cambodia welcomes all investors, not just China, but also the US and other countries,” Mr. Eysan said.
“Just because someone graduated from a university in the United States does not mean that he or she will lean toward the United States,” the CPP representative said. “We will continue to adhere to a steadfast foreign policy of neutrality and non-alignment, as well as a policy of valuing equality, respect and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs . ”
Minh Duc (According to Khmer Times, Reuters)
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