Reunion of the royalist party hits an impasse

(Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

25 Dec 2010
By Pen Bona
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Soch

Two weeks after returning to politics by Prince Ranariddh, the progress of the unification between the two royalist parties is hitting an impasse. Funcinpec which belongs to Nhiek Bun Chhay still refuses to join with the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP). Nevertheless, Prince Ranariddh is still looking for a way to achieve this unification, but up to now, only verbal dispute is being exchanged between the pair.

The fighting brother-enemy parties are not looking for a unification as of yet. Nhiek Bun Chhay, Funcinpec secretary-general, claimed that he is not supporting the return of Prince Ranariddh to politics and does not believe in the ability to unite with the prince’s party.

To Nhiek Bun Chhay, the formation of Funcinpec-81, as proposed by the prince, is tantamount to starting politics from scratch again. This is why Nhiek Bun Chhay’s clan in the Funcinpec refused to join the NRP under the new banner of Funcinpec 81 at this time.

Nevertheless, Pen Sangha, the NRP spokesman, claimed today that the prince is continuing his mission to unite the royalists without any change yet. The NRP spokesman called on Nhiek Bun Chhay’s Funcinpec clan to signal their intention to start the negotiations in this issue. He warned that if Funcinpec still refuses to unite, then the Prince has no choice but to bring in the royalists to his party’s side.

Prince Ranariddh was voted in as the leader of the NRP party which bears his name once again on 11 December, following his 2-year hiatus from politics and his nomination as supreme advisor to the king. Immediately after becoming the NRP president, the prince publicly announced to high-ranking NRP officials to prepare a letter of intent with the Funcinpec in order to form the new Funcinpec-81 party with the merger of the current Funcinpec party and the NRP.

However, Funcinpec, which is now in an alliance with Hun Xen’s CPP party, immediately turned down the prince’s proposal. Since then, the brother-enemy parties could no longer find a way to talk to each other anymore.