Repression fear as king anoints strongman Hun Sen’s son

Hun Manet, son of strongman leader Hun Sen, declared PM by royal decree on Monday but it’s no guarantee of stability.

Hun Manet after casting his vote in Phnom Penh last month. Picture: AFP

The eldest son of Cambodia strongman Hun Sen was anointed Prime Minister by royal decree on Monday, ending one of Asia’s longest and increasingly repressive rules and throwing the country into a new era of uncertainty.

Hun Manet, a Western-educated former army chief, was declared “Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia for the 7th mandate of the parliament” by King Norodom Sihamoni on Monday at the behest of the outgoing 71-year-old leader, who steps down after a record 38 years in power. “This is the greatest honour in my life, receiving a great opportunity to serve my most-loved motherland and people in this noble position,” Dr Manet is reported to have said in a thank-you letter to the king.

While the decree must still be ratified by parliament on August 22, the vote of confidence is considered a formality after the election commission at the weekend confirmed the results of last month’s election, which delivered a thumping victory to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.

The CPP captured all but five seats in polls widely denounced by Western powers as neither free nor fair, after the sole opposition Candlelight Party was disqualified on a technicality and activists calling for a vote boycott were threatened with jail.

The actions follow a decade-long pattern of democratic backsliding under the CPP government, which has shut down independent media, intimidated civil society activists and arrested or exiled senior leaders of an ascendant opposition.

Many critics see Monday’s handover of power to Hun Manet as the final nail in the coffin of Cambodia’s long-failing democratic experiment after four decades of one-party rule. The 45-year-old takes a seat in parliament for the first time this month alongside fellow princelings who will also inherit ministerial positions or governorships from their fathers. But he will not easily step out of his father’s shadow.

Hun Sen has issued numerous public assurances – since first announcing plans for a dynastic succession in 2021 – that he will retain significant control as party president and leader of the Senate.

“I will still have the ability to serve the interests of the people and help the government oversee the country’s security and public order, as well as joining them in guiding the development of the country,” he said in a televised address late last month. He has also warned opponents he intends members of his family line to rule Cambodia for decades to come – an assertion analysts have questioned in light of its flagging economic fortunes.

While few expect significant policy reforms under Hun Manet’s leadership in the medium term, analyst Ou Virak says the weight of Cambodia’s political patronage system may eventually force his hand. “That patronage – in the sense of ensuring allies and loyalists receive benefits from their networks – is becoming unsustainable. For every single father, there are two or three sons who all think they deserve more,” Mr Ou, who runs the Phnom Penh-based Future Forum, told The Australian. “That means there will be tensions within the CPP. People will be pulling in different directions, which could mean an opportunity for reforms because there will be no other way. The only way to resolve those tensions is to shift the blame (by imposing) rule of law.”

Hun Sen, a one-time Khmer Rouge soldier, defected to Vietnamese forces in 1977 amid a purge by the murderous communist regime blamed for the deaths of 1.7 million Cambodians.

He returned to Cambodia after its defeat in 1979 and quickly rose through the ranks of the Hanoi-installed government to become prime minister in 1985. He has been credited with ushering in a free-market economy that raised the standard of living for many Cambodians, but also blamed for allowing systemic corruption at all levels of government.