Cambodia's National Assembly Approves

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PHNOM PENH 000671

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SENSITIVE

STATE FOR EAP/MLS; GENEVA FOR RMA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM CB
SUBJECT: Cambodia's National Assembly Approves
Opposition Inclusion in NA Commissions



1. (U) Summary. The National Assembly approved on
April 7 internal reforms that will allow the opposition
Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) to chair two of nine National
Assembly commissions and to have one deputy Secretary
General. The Assembly's internal rules were also
modified to improve SRP participation in open debates.
Cambodia's PM Hun Sen called the reforms a reflection
of election results and national reconciliation. End
Summary.

National Assembly Votes for 5-2-2 Formula
--------------


2. (U) Following the National Assembly's approval to
reform the chairmanships of its commissions, Cambodia's
PM Hun Sen, who had attended the session, lauded the
NA's decision. "The division of the nine commissions
is based on the 5-2-2 formula," Hun Sen told reporters
outside the National Assembly. "Of the nine
commissions, the CPP will chair five, FUNCINPEC two
commissions and the SRP two. The division reflects the
results of the 2003 elections, the democratic process
as well as the national reconciliation."


3. (U) Although FUNCINPEC still retains two
commissions following the redistribution, the royalist
party lost two important commissions - the Commission
on Foreign Affairs and Information and the Commission
on Interior, Defense, Investigation and anti-
Corruption. SRP parliamentarian Son Chhay will chair
the Commission on Foreign Affairs that FUNCINPEC MP
Princess Norodom Vacheara formerly chaired, and SRP's
Yim Sovann will chair the Commission on Interior,
Defense and Inquiry that FUNCINPEC MP Monh Saphan had
chaired. Monh Saphan will become the deputy chairman
of the Assembly's legislative commission, while
Princess Vacheara will remain a member of the Foreign
Affairs commission. FUNCINPEC's loss of the two
commission chairmanships coincided with the NA's
approval to add SRP MPs to all nine commissions. Of
108 MPs attending the session chaired by the NA's
President Heng Samrin, over 90 MPs cast their secret
ballots in favor of the inclusion of additional MPs
into each of the commissions. Former National Assembly
President Prince Norodom Ranariddh, Princess Norodom
Vacheara, Sam Rainsy, and Tioulong Saumura were absent
in the session.


4. (U) During the same session, the National Assembly
voted on the RGC's proposed replacements for two
secretaries of state. PM Hun Sen nominated Tep Nonary

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(former governor of Kandal province) as Secretary of
State for Interior to replace outgoing Kong Hunthirith,
and Sim Son (former governor of Siem Reap) as Secretary
of State for Rural Development to replace outgoing Dorn
Samuon. Ninety-nine MPs voted in favor of Tep Nonary
and 97 in favor of Sin Son. Following the vote, PM Hun
Sen reaffirmed that the coalition government of the CPP
and FUNCINPEC would continue until 2008 despite some
personnel changes. "It is not appropriate for the CPP
to give up its coalition partner as the government
needs human resources right now," Hun Sen said.
"Though the CPP is able to form a government alone, it
is not the CPP's desire to do so. The constitutional
amendments on the 50 percent plus one system are aimed
to avoid a political deadlock. Despite some
reshuffling, the coalition still goes on until 2008."


5. (U) The majority of the parliamentarians approved
amendments to the NA's internal rules that will allow
the Assembly to have additional deputy secretaries
general and to remove the restriction that limited the
ability of the opposition party to debate issues within
the National Assembly. Prior to the change, 13 MPs
from any party were needed in order for one party
representative to address the Assembly, according to a
rule the CPP and FUNCINPEC had approved. Given the SRP
membership at 24 members, they could only form a single
group for each session and have one voice. The
reduction to 10 MPs will allow the SRP to put forward
two spokespersons for the opposition view, the same as
FUNCINPEC. In addition, based on a compromise between
the CPP and the SRP, the SRP will receive a deputy
secretary general post within the National Assembly.

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6. (SBU) Comment. The National Assembly's action
reflects a fulfillment of the Prime Minister's promise

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to Sam Rainsy, allowing the opposition to play a
stronger role in the affairs of the National Assembly.
With respect to the Assembly's approval of two
Secretaries of State (Tep Nonary and Sim Son),both are

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former FUNCINPEC governors recently removed in very
public manner by the PM for alleged incompetence. A
senior opposition official has told us that their
removals were due not to incompetence, but because the
CPP wanted to place people in leadership positions in
those provinces in order to help lay the groundwork for
upcoming elections, and to ensure CPP victories in
Kandal and Siem Reap (which are comparatively wealthy
provinces). End Comment.

MUSSOMELI