COMMENTARY: The royal thanks and gratitude and words of praise bestowed upon Prime Minister Hun Sen by His Majesty the King, Preah Sihamoni and Queen Mother
On 9
February 2013, His Majesty the King Preah Boromneath Sihamoni and Queen Mother
Preah Boromneath Sihanouk officially expressed their very sincere royal thanks
and gratitude for Prime Minister Hun Sen’s generosity and wisdom and his wife,
Lok Chumteav Bun Rany Hun Sen for having had an elaborate royal funeral
dignifying the late King Father to fit His colossal honor and reputation of the
Heroic Greatest King of the Cambodian Nation. They warmly congratulated Prime
Minister Hun Sen for his leadership in serving the interests of the nation, the
country and the people and for realizing many great achievements. True to their
kind words of praise, in silence millions of Cambodian people join their
beloved King and the Queen Mother to express their thanks, gratitude and praise
to Prime Minister Hun Sen, and his wife Lok Chumteav Bun Rany Hun Sen as well.
The
elaborate ceremony to carry the golden casket of the body of King Father, Preah
Sihanouk, on 1 February 2013 from the Main Chamber of the Royal Palace to be
mounted on a motorized majestic float that left the Main Gate of the Royal
Palace in the early hours of the morning marked the last and final departure of
King Father from his beloved Kingdom. The more than 6 km procession route from
the Royal Palace, around Wat Phnom, to the Monument of Independence, before
passing in front of the Main Gate of the Royal Palace one more time was the
King Father’s last symbol of expressing his caring and loving for his subjects,
among those there were older people who travelled from the farthest and nearest
provinces, as well as his gracious act allowing his subjects to bid farewell to
their revered King Father. The last leg of the procession going from the front
of the Main Gate to the cremation site was highly emotional for His Majesty
King Sihamoni and Queen Mother. Millions of Khmer people who came to pay
respect to the body of King Father along the procession route or watched
television at home fully appreciated the wisdom of Samdech Techo Hun Sen, Prime
Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia for having organized such an
elaborate ceremony to honor King Father.
It was totally
untrue and irresponsible when some indecent and ill-intended people told and
then it was reported by the Cambodian Daily on 9-10 February 2013 publication,
saying “the royal family never organized anything,” or “as far as the King
Father is concerned, one of his wishes was to organize a humble and modest
funeral so that people would not spend too much money”. In so saying and
reporting as such, the pair seemed to know nothing about the recent Cambodian
history and they seemed to be ignorant as who was King Father, Preah Sihanouk.
He was King, twice. He was Prime
Minister, many times. He was Chief of State. And more, as this is what Denis D.
Gray of the Associated Press wrote during the week before the cremation date:
“For over half a century, Sihanouk bestrode this Southeast Asian country like a
colossus, wresting independence from France, keeping the opposing Cold War
powers at bay while maneuvering adroitly through domestic minefields. A
larger-than-life character, Sihanouk survived wars and the Khmer Rouge reign of
terror before succumbing to a heart attack last October at the age of 89. The
King-Father, as he is called, will be cremated Monday.” It was thought along
those lines that Prime Minister Hun Sen came up with those elaborate ceremonies,
from the day when the body of King Father returned home from Beijing, the
People’s Republic of China to Phnom Penh on October, until and during the
cremation ceremony, on 4 February 2013.
There were
“National Mourning Weeks” during which the Cambodian people, including people
in some segments of the country business community took the mourning to their
heart without complaining about the slowdown of the business. There were
traffic inconveniences but the people were more patient. On the other hand, there
was great sense of urgency, respect, gratitude and pushing to the limit by the
organizers, fearing that they have not done sufficiently to honor their late greatest
King, their late active Prime Minister, their late astute Chief of State, their
Father of National Independence and National Unity. Prime Minister Hun Sen, as
he is no different than millions of other fair-minded Cambodians would likely agree that the Royal Government of Cambodia
avoided extravagance but pushed to the limit to honor King Father.
It was
brutally indecent, abnormally ill-intended to voice such a shameful and
irresponsible opinion as to say that: ““the royal family never organized
anything”. This is bigger than a lie. This is slanderous. Speaking only about
the Royal Funeral of the King Father, everything from A to Z, including every
tiny detail were consulted with and were getting the nod of approval by His
Majesty the King and Queen Mother. During the moment of profound sadness of His
Majesty the King and Queen Mother, Prime Minister Hun Sen, out of his great
concern about their well-being, out of his deep respect and admiration of the late
King Father, His Majesty the King Preah Sihamoni, the Queen Mother and the
monarchy had pushed for the perfection in every aspect, architecture, sequences
of the event, the mood and the conduct of the ceremony.
Prime Minister Hun Sen deserves the
royal recognition of his wise leadership, the royal thanks and gratitude and
words of praise bestowed upon him by His Majesty the King Preah Sihamoni and
Queen Mother.
18 February 2013
Professor Pen Ngoeun
Advisor,
University of Putisastra, Phnom Penh, Cambodia