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Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: TV CAMBODIA New Leader
HEADLINE: In Cambodia, Hun Sen’s Legacy Includes Passing Rule to His Son
TEASER: Hun Manet will become prime minister later this month. The West Point graduate belongs to a new generation of the ruling party’s leadership.
PUBLISHED AT: 08/11/2023 at 8am
BYLINE: Chetra Chap and Pin Sisovann
DATELINE: Washington
CAMERAPERSON: Pin Sisovann
CONTRIBUTOR:
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA original, wires, Microsoft Teams
SCRIPT EDITORS: Beth Hughes, Jepsen
PLATFORMS:
TRT: 3:15
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE: ))
((INTRO))
[[After ruling for 38 years, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen is transferring power to his son Hun Manet. ((PRON: HOON MAN-EYE'T)) The heir is expected to be confirmed by the National Assembly on August 22. He’s inheriting a changing nation. VOA’s Chetra Chap reports.]]
((NARRATOR))
Three days after what many call a sham election, Asia’s longest serving leader, Hun Sen, announced he will let his son Hun Manet take the Cambodian prime minister seat in August.
((NAT – Hun Sen announcing that his son will be the next prime minister))
((NARRATOR))
The 70-year-old leader has ruled Cambodia with a tight grip for 38 years. Before the July 23rd election, he banned the main opposition Candlelight Party, saying it misfiled paperwork. His ruling Cambodian People’s Party won with a margin of 78% against 17 small parties.
((Son Chhay, (SUN CHaii) Candlelight Party Vice President)) ((In Khmer))
“With the absence of a party that has a lot of support in the country, the election was not a legitimate process. It was neither democratic nor constitutional.”
((NARRATOR))
With China as his closest ally, Hun Sen has said losing Western trade and tax benefits doesn’t worry him. What concerns him now, analysts say, is the smooth transfer of power to his son.
((Sebastian Strangio, ‘Hun Sen’s Cambodia’ Author)) ((In English))
“Queuing up this transition, while Hun Sen still has some energy and the ability to shape politics behind the scenes, was important for him.”
((NARRATOR))
Strangio said Hun Sen’s legacy is the longest spell of peace and growth in Cambodia's history of upheaval, discord, revolution and civil war. This has come with a cost of a wide gap between the powerful rich who operate with impunity and the ordinary Cambodians who lack access to justice and public accountability.
((NARRATOR))
Cambodia enjoyed an average annual growth of 7% between 1998 and 2022, according to the World Bank. The nation’s population of 16.7 million people is young, more than 70% are under 30 years old, according to Oxfam.
This younger population, who were not directly affected by the wars, has been a challenge for Hun Sen. In the 2013 election, they supported the now-dissolved opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party.
((NARRATOR))
Strangio said the future prime minister and the CPP won’t be able to rely on the so-called, “Thank you, Peace” strategy to claim legitimacy.
((Sebastian Strangio, ‘Hun Sen’s Cambodia’ Author)) (In English)
“The party's going to find itself facing another upsurge of opposition, whether or not that opposition can find its voice through a competitive election.”
((NARRATOR))
But 45-year-old Hun Manet, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a Ph.D. in economics, is one of a new generation of CPP leaders.
((Sok Eysan, (SOK Aii-SAN) Cambodian People’s Party Spokesperson)) ((In Khmer))
“Young leaders selected from the CPP share the party’s spirit of loving the country and the people. They are equipped with qualified education and experience fitted for the modern age.”
((NARRATOR))
And while critics see Hun Manet’s advancement as evidence of the family’s grip on power, many younger Cambodians appear excited by the coming change.
((Prak Keorithy Ek, (PRAK KæV-RIT-TEE-EK) Royal University of Phnom Penh Student)) ((In Khmer))
“There is a high chance of betterment with the new-generation leader who is familiar with modern facilities.”
((Chetra Chap, VOA News, Washington))
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)Washington
Embargo DateAugust 11, 2023 08:30 EDT
BylineChetra Chap and Pin Sisovann
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
