by Pou Sothirak, for the Cambodia Daily, dated 29 May 2012The political landscape in Cambodia has recently witnessed a latest but not surprised spin-off between FUNCINPCE and Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP). This move marks a political survival instinct from leaders of the splinter royalist groups who were calling for this long- awaited reunification in an attempt to prepare themselves to face off in the national election scheduled for July next year. An agreement to merge the two parties into a party called Funcinpec party was signed on Thursday at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh with the blessing from the prime minister of Cambodia.
This turn of event reminds me of an interesting encounter. On a trip abroad about 2 years ago, I was asked by a concerned and educated-young Cambodian: ”What will be the future of Funcinpec?” I answered “It depends on the leadership”.
I did not elaborate after that as the question was addressed to me during a public meeting. Later, I met the man who asked the question on the sidelines and quietly told him that the political base of Funcinpec has been shattered due to the ongoing bickering among the leadership and misconduct of the core value of Funcinpec.
After a strong start in the U.N. Transitional Authority in Cambodia-sponsored 1993 elections, Funcinpec continually lost votes in the subsequent elections. From winning the election in 1993 until now, Funcinpec has shrunk nearly to oblivion, a decline from 58 seats in Parliament in 1993 (45.47 percent of the votes), to 43 seats in 1998, 26 seats in 2003, and just two seats in 2008 (5.6 percent of the votes).
Those who are sincere with the future of Funcinpec must find out why this decline occurred, and ultimately draw lessons from the continuous defeats.
The party was not only stained with personality clashes, poor leadership, weak organizational structure and a non-committal attitude toward party’s agenda, but also a good dose of personal interest rather than national interest.
This has taken its toll in nearly destroying Funcinpec and diminishing its vitality as the main political party in the country. The grassroots supporters have started to lose confidence and see the party as a mere political instrument of another party. The watershed split before the 2008 election had further weakened Funcinpec, which in turn led to the creation of the NPR.
Anyone is concerned about the future of the Funcinpec party must address the leadership issue, and restore the founding principle that galvanizes the spirit of Funcinpec. Perhaps it must appear more independent from the coalition arrangement, and having its own vision and sincere commitment to tackle national issues may not be a bad idea. After all, the respect of the monarchy among the Cambodians is still alive, and revitalizing a genuine unification and reconciliation among the royalist camp may give a booth to the resurrection of the party.
It is never too late to recognize the shortfalls so long as Funcinpec leaders remain open-minded, learn from their mistakes and are willing to sacrifice personal interest to regain the composure of being a leading party again.
Only actions from the leadership can tell if the new merger will last, and if it can repair the damages that were done, which in turn will inspire more support for the party in the future. The challenges are many and strong, and it is easy to blame external culprits. But it is vital to look deep internally and take full responsibility to correct the past discrepancies, however painful and difficult they might be.
I consider myself as one of the well-wishers for a successful and long lasting merger. May the future of Funcinpec contribute to a modern Cambodia that has an open society with multi- party political system.
Pou Sothirak is a visiting senior research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore
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