The son almost rises: Cambodia’s Hun Sen still holds the throne

PHNOM PENH (AFP): Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet kept a low profile at the ASEAN summit in Vientiane, holding meetings on the sidelines with other leaders but making no public statements to the media.

As a former military man, he marched straight past waiting reporters as he arrived for the summit sessions, and his most animated moment was a jovial conversation with Singapore’s foreign minister.

More than a year after inheriting power from his father, Hun Sen has yet to hold an open press conference to explain how he will deal with challenges including balancing China and the West.

Hun Sen, in turn, regularly comments on government policies to his millions of followers on social media.

Analysts say the father remains the power behind the throne in the Southeast Asian country.

Hun Sen officially stepped down last year after nearly four decades of iron-fisted rule, passing the baton to his eldest son after a landslide victory in nationwide polls conducted without significant opposition parties.

Hun Manet will turn 47 on October 20, having been in office for 14 months. At that age, his father had already been prime minister for 15 years.

In February, Hun Sen took over as president of the senate, the country’s second most important ceremonial position after King Norodom Sihamoni, and since then he has hosted every foreign dignitary who visits the country – just as he did when he was prime minister.

A few months later, he openly declared that he had unshakable power.

“I have not ended my political life,” he told an audience of government officials and foreign dignitaries.

“I am the father of the prime minister.”

In one May video, he wondered whether the groundbreaking ceremony for the billion-dollar canal project could be pushed back from the end of the year proposed by the government.

It was then moved to August 5 – Hun Sen’s 72nd birthday.

– Family business –

Hun Sen, a former member of the Khmer Rouge, came to power in 1985 and helped modernize a country devastated by civil war and genocide.

By the time he stepped down, he was Asia’s longest-serving leader, supported by a class of loyal elites and with almost all opposition crushed by state-sponsored repression and politicized courts.

His youngest son Hun Many is deputy prime minister, his third son is head of military intelligence, and several of his allies’ children also hold top positions.

Hun Manet “represents a new face of an old system,” said Sebastian Strangio, author of “Hun Sen’s Cambodia.”

“The past year has made clear that Hun Sen remains the most powerful and influential political figure in Cambodia and continues to play an important role in the decision-making process,” he told AFP.

He added that the Senate presidency “has transformed from an honorary position into an alternative axis of power in Cambodia’s political system.”

– The trial lasted –

Hun Manet graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1999, and his father spent years preparing him for the top position.

His warm smile and gentle tone contrast starkly with Hun Sen’s stern face and often bombastic rants against reporters covering human rights and corruption.

Manet the Hun presented a “more technocratic and balanced approach” compared to his father’s authoritarian style, said Sophal Ear of Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management.

“We appear to be dealing with a dual leadership dynamic in which Hun Sen retains significant influence over key decisions, particularly in sensitive areas such as foreign policy and security,” he said.

“Hun Manet may handle most of the day-to-day management, but the more important strategic decisions likely involve both father and son.”

However, the repression of rivals and critics of the government continues.

Mech Dara, an award-winning journalist known for reporting on human trafficking in the online fraud industry, was arrested last month on charges of inciting civil unrest.

In July, the opposition leader was also fined $1.5 million after noting that under Hun Manet’s leadership, the situation in Cambodia was “getting worse and worse in terms of democracy.”

Analysts say Hun Manet faces a number of challenges, including economic recovery, dynamics within the party and balancing relations with China and Western countries.

Sophal Ear warned: “Whether he can cope with these challenges without relying too much on his father remains an open question.” -AFP