Unexpected NEC nomination from PM

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Cheang Sokha, Alice Cuddy and Meas Sokchea

Hang Puthea, head of Cambodian election-monitoring group Nicfec, has been selected to fill the ninth position of the reformed National Election Committee, according to a letter sent from Prime Minister Hun Sen to opposition leader Sam Rainsy.

The letter, dated Sunday, says that, as per “the conversation between you and I on the phone on March 29, our parties have agreed to take Mr Hong Puthea, executive director of Nicfec, as the ninth candidate of the NEC.”

“To fulfill this procedure, both of our parties have prepared a joint official letter to the Permanent Committee of the NA [National Assembly] to confirm our agreement on this candidate.

“I have already prepared this joint letter and already signed on it, so I would like Your Excellency [sam Rainsy] to inspect and sign this letter to send to the Permanent Committee of the NA before the NA closes the deadline for accepting applicants,” it says.

Rainsy could not be immediately reached to confirm Puthea’s selection.

Contacted on Tuesday evening, Puthea, who has recently expressed interest in taking on the role, said he had not received any official letter from either party.

“I just hear maybe, but not [officially] from the CPP or CNRP, just from normal officials,” he said.

Puthea added that he had not yet made any firm decision about whether he would accept the role.

News of Puthea’s selection follows a public announcement this morning from Licadho president Pung Chhiv Kek – who was offered the role in July – that she had turned down the position.

In a statement, she explained that the role was described to her as “an independent member [who] will bring to this institution the neutrality it needs to organize elections in conformity with the Constitution and the national laws”.

“Today, I conclude that this task has become impossible,” she said.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/unexpected-nec-nomination-pm

More about the same story in the same newspaper

Head of election watchdog tapped for NEC post

Wed, 1 April 2015

Meas Sokchea and Alice Cuddy

Hang Puthea, head of election-monitoring group Nicfec, has been selected as the ninth member of the reformed National Election Committee (NEC), it was announced yesterday, just hours after Licadho president Pung Chhiv Kek officially turned down the role.

A letter obtained yesterday, which was signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday and sent to opposition leader Sam Rainsy, revealed the decision.

“[As per] the conversation between you and me on the phone on March 29, our parties have agreed to take Mr Hang Puthea, executive director of Nicfec, as the ninth candidate of the NEC,” the letter says.

“Both of our parties have prepared a joint official letter to the Permanent Committee of the [National Assembly] to confirm our agreement on this candidate. I have already prepared this joint letter and already signed on it, so I would like Your Excellency [sam Rainsy] to inspect and sign this letter … before the NA closes the deadline for accepting applicants,” it adds.

Rainsy confirmed the decision yesterday evening, explaining that Puthea was an obvious choice for the role.

“Hang Puthea is the second best after Pung Chhiv Kek … [he] commands the same respect,” he said.

But a high-level source in the Cambodia National Rescue Party told the Post that Rainsy had “made the decision alone”.

Puthea said yesterday evening he had not yet received an official letter from either party confirming his selection. “I just hear maybe, but not [officially] from the CPP or CNRP, just from normal officials,” he said.

Puthea added that it was likely he would accept the position, but wanted to “discuss it with Pung Chhiv Kek first to know the real reason” that she turned it down.

Puthea’s Nicfec has long criticised the Kingdom’s elections, and often clashed with the government.

In the aftermath of the disputed 2013 election, the government accused Electoral Reform Alliance (ERA) – of which both Nicfec and Licadho are members – of conspiring with the CNRP to mislead the public about election irregularities.

Dr Markus Karbaum, an independent consultant specialising in Cambodian politics, said Puthea’s selection was “an excellent choice regarding free and fair elections in Cambodia”.

“Puthea is an utmost capable expert, and he fulfills all qualifications to play an important role within the NEC,” he explained.

Independent analyst Ou Virak said that Puthea could be a “decent choice” for the role. But added: “We’ll see what he can do … the devil’s in the details.”

He said he wasn’t surprised by Puthea’s selection or Kek’s announcement that she had rejected the role. “I’m almost certain they [the CPP] didn’t want Pung Chhiv Kek.… It was set up so she wouldn’t agree to it.”

Pung Chhiv Kek talks during a press conference last year at a Licadho office in Phnom Penh, regarding the ninth seat on the NEC. Heng Chivoan

In a statement released yesterday morning, Kek said that “although it was a great honour to have been chosen for this very important position, I deeply regret I have to decline the offer”.

She had accepted the role in July on the basis that she would “enjoy immunity and full autonomy and independence in decision making and other activities.”

But, she said yesterday, this had not been possible.

“They want me to get in the home to arrange the house to make it better, but when I arrived in front of the home, they locked door and will not to allow me to get in,” she said.

After Kek conditionally accepted the role, a new rule was introduced banning dual citizens from sitting on the NEC.

Kek, who is a citizen of Cambodia, France and Canada, said it was unfair that she was being asked to revoke any citizenship, when senior government officials are allowed to maintain their own dual-citizenships.

CNRP spokesman Yem Ponharith said his party had not objected to the conditions set out by Pung Chhiv Kek, but the CPP had.

During “discussions, we disagreed with [the CPP]. At last it was deadlock on this point, and later Mr Sam Rainsy agreed [with the CPP]. So it does not come from the [CNRP].”

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Hang Puthea deal sealed: PM

Thu, 2 April 2015

Meas Sokchea and Alice Cuddy

Prime Minister Hun Sen drew a line in the sand yesterday on the choice of Hang Puthea, head of election-monitoring group Nicfec, as the “neutral” member of the reformed National Election Committee (NEC), while rifts seemed to remain among the opposition over the selection.

In a speech delivered during a road inauguration ceremony in Stung Treng province, the premier revealed that Cambodia National Rescue Party president Sam Rainsy had asked for other candidates to be considered, just hours after espousing Puthea’s suitability for the role.

The opposition leader, he added, had reasoned that Puthea has diabetes and would need to go for treatment in Vietnam.

“The CPP disagrees [with calls] to take the disease as a problem to change Mr Hang Puthea’s candidature according to His Excellency’s proposal,” Hun Sen said.

Addressing Rainsy directly, he warned that the Cambodian People’s Party would not budge on its selection now that Rainsy had agreed to it.

“I would like to offer two choices to your excellency. The first is to continue to support Mr Hang Puthea’s candidature according to our agreement on March 29, and the second is [it is] not necessary to vote to select a new NEC on April 13, because both parties disagreed on the choice of the ninth candidate,” he said.

Under the recently negotiated NEC law, if a new NEC cannot be formed due to disagreements over members, the existing and much-maligned NEC will continue to function.

“I do not have a choice [to offer] besides this, [so] I hope that your excellency will consider this responsibly and respect the agreement between both of us,” he added, before going on to question Rainsy’s seeming change of heart.

“He agreed with me in Paris, so why when he arrived in Phnom Penh does he not agree? Does [the CNRP] have internal problems?”

The premier also took aim at the former front-runner, Licadho president Pung Chhiv Kek, who turned down the role this week.

“If we are patriots, can we give up foreign citizenships to come to serve the nation, or not? Or let the nation serve only you?” he asked, referring to the NEC’s single-nationality restriction, to which Kek, who holds Canadian, French and Cambodian passports, had refused to cede.

Contacted after yesterday’s speech, Rainsy maintained that his party was resolute on the selection of Puthea, making Hun Sen’s warnings “irrelevant”.

“We heard some rumours that he [Puthea] might have some health problems, but we have checked those rumours and everything has been cleared,” he explained. “Everything is settled now”.

After it was revealed on Tuesday that Puthea had been selected as the crucial ninth member of the NEC, a CNRP official told the Post that Rainsy had “made the decision alone”.

Rainsy confirmed yesterday that he had agreed in principle to Puthea before consulting the rest of the party.

“I was in Paris, so it was hard to get in touch with everybody,” he explained, adding that upon his return to Phnom Penh this week, he discussed it with other CNRP members in detail before reaching a formal agreement.

He said that while some party members were disappointed that Kek had turned down the role, they were supportive of Puthea’s selection.

“The second best is less good than the best … but we are still happy,” he said.

But, contrary to Rainsy’s assurances, CNRP spokesman Yem Ponharith said yesterday evening that the party was still undecided on who should take the role and wanted to review all the candidates before making a final decision.

“We understand that the agreement on July 22 is to reform elections and resolve the political deadlock, so we hope that there will be a resolution,” he added.

In an interview in Phnom Penh yesterday, Puthea said he had not yet received official letters from the two parties about his selection but had already decided to accept the role, vowing to “share knowledge, share experience, and discuss and focus on free and fair elections” with the rest of the NEC.

“I will not support these two parties, but support the principle of the election,” he said, before dismissing rumours of ill health.

“If they want to change me out, they should use a [reason] which is different from this,” he said, adding that he was confused as to why the CNRP were making such claims.

“I have a lot of contact with CNRP officials but the accusers are officials of the CNRP. It should be that the CPP” is making the accusations.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/hang-puthea-deal-sealed-pm

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Cambodia’s Hun Sen Says No Electoral Body Reform Lacking Nominee Deal

Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday threatened to overturn reforms to the country’s National Election Committee (NEC) if the opposition refuses to accept his nomination of the head of a local election watchdog as a ninth, “neutral” member to the electoral body, based on health concerns.

Hun Sen said that if the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) does not accept Hang Puthea, director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (NICFEC), as the ninth member to the NEC, the current body will remain the same.

“If we don’t reach an agreement, we will keep Im Suosdey as the NEC president,” he said, speaking at an inauguration ceremony for a Chinese-funded bridge in Stung Treng province.

“If the new NEC is not established, the old one must continue.”

Hun Sen said CNRP President Sam Rainsy had expressed reservations about the selection of Hang Puthea because the NGO leader suffers from diabetes.

But while some 50 candidates have applied for the position, the prime minister said his ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) would not back down from its selection of Hang Puthea to head the NEC, whose other eight positions are split equally between the CPP and the CNRP.

He urged the CNRP to “refrain from lofty demands,” noting that the opposition controls fewer seats than the CPP in the country’s National Assembly, or parliament.

In a letter addressed to Sam Rainsy, and released by the CPP to the public on Tuesday, Hun Sen confirmed that the two political adversaries had agreed two days earlier to select Hang Puthea, though no CNRP statement was immediately available at the time.

Sam Rainsy could not be reached for comment Wednesday, but CNRP spokesman Nhem Panharith told RFA’s Khmer Service that the opposition had not made a decision on who to nominate since Pung Chhiv Kek, founder of local rights group Licadho, announced she would not accept the position a day earlier.

“Up until today, the party’s leaders have not made any decision on a candidate yet,” he said, adding that any nominee “must be approved by the two parties that control the seats of parliament.”

Nhem Panharith acknowledged that Sam Rainsy had reservations about Hang Puthea’s health, but only with regard to the continuity of the new NEC.

“When Sam Rainsy raised concerns about Hang Puthea’s health, it was not meant to insult him,” he said.

Post rejected

The CPP’s public release of Hun Sen’s letter to Sam Rainsy followed an announcement Tuesday by Pung Chhiv Kek that she would not serve as the NEC’s ninth member, citing concerns that the new body would lack independence of government control, and calling the job “impossible.”

Pung Chhiv Kek had been offered the post shortly after a deal in July 2014 which saw opposition lawmakers return to the National Assembly following a 10-month boycott protesting a disputed national election the year before.

The CPP was declared victorious in the 2013 election, sparking widespread protests and allegations of government control of the NEC, which oversees polls in the country.

On March 19, 2015, Cambodia’s parliament unanimously approved a proposed law establishing a new NEC with nine members—four each from the CPP and the CNRP, together with a neutral ninth member to serve as tiebreaker.

Future Forum President Ou Virak told RFA he believes that the revamped NEC will function better than the existing body, regardless of who is selected as the ninth member, adding that the CPP stands to benefit if no deal is reached on a nominee.

“We have observed that, right now, the CPP has more leverage than the CNRP, because if there is no solution, the NEC must continue as it exists now,” he said.

“I don’t think the CNRP has any other choice than to accept Hang Puthea.”

Speaking to RFA on Tuesday, Hang Puthea said that he had applied for the position on Monday after learning that Pung Chhiv Kek would decline the post.

“If I have the opportunity to serve as the ninth NEC member, I will contribute to a better election process in Cambodia,” he said.

Nominations for the other eight positions on the NEC were opened last week, and officials from both parties have said they hope to establish the body before Khmer New Year, which begins on April 14.

NGO restrictions

A second law approved last week also amends Cambodia’s current election law. However, it contains provisions stipulating that local and international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in Cambodia must remain neutral in elections and forbids them from participating in political campaigns, prompting complaints from rights groups and NGOs.

Hun Sen on Wednesday lashed out at NGOs critical of the new election law and the NEC.

“Some NGOs and foreigners who like to interfere with the government’s affairs attacked us, saying the new law is worse than the existing law,” he said.

“If it is worse than the previous law, should we go back to using the old law?”

Hun Sen said that the government wouldn’t backtrack just to honor the NGOs’ recommendations and urged the groups to be mindful of their boundaries.

“Please understand your roles—I would like to announce that the NGO law will be adopted very soon and I won’t let you run wild.”

Reported by RFA’s Khmer Service. Translated by Samean Yun. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.

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