Khmer Times, Opinion, 19 December 2022 (Link)
As a prime minister, Hun Sen has travelled a lot both domestically and internationally.
Wherever he goes, he has a popularity like a “Rockstar” that triggers love, support and envy, the charismatic leader who gathers crowd and attention. The frequency and intensity of his travelling is beyond compare and it is very hard to find any international leaders, young or senior, that can travel as much as he does.
This is not leisure traveling. These are travels that are full of agenda and energy to create an impact, some even creates history. The traveling that requires heavy physical and mental stamina. The word “healthy” alone may not be sufficient to describe the capability to carry out these heavy duties, the like of Hun Sen’s style of work and travel.
There are many examples of his intensive travel and working style.
Just before the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits, Hun Sen made a tour to northwestern provinces of Cambodia in late October to meet with Cambodian flood victims.
On 21 and 22 October, he met with 1,853 families and 3,200 families in two separate occasions in Siem Reap province. On 23 October, he met with more than 5,000 families in Banteay Meanchey province.
On 24 October, he met with 11,528 families in Battambang province. On 25 October, he met with 5,145 families in Pursat province. On 26 October, he met with 3,460 families in Kampong Chhnang province. On 29 October, he visited Kampong Thom province and met with 6,844 families. On 30 October, he met with 6,112 families in Prey Veng province.
This is an example of his extremely hectic schedule. And that did not include the schedule that he set for meetings with local authorities and armed forces after meetings with the flood victims.
At the meetings, he used sacks of rice as a table to put his microphone as he delivered his trademark long speeches to the people, followed by the distribution of rice seeds, medicines and emergency food supply to those victims.
He recalled the time back on 14 January 1985 when the Kampuchea People’s Representative Assembly under the People’s Republic of Kampuchea voted for him as prime minister, after drought and flood in 1984.
“God is testing my capability as prime minister”, he said as he was elected to lead the country that was emerging from war and genocide, and were facing natural disaster and calamity.
From that moment onward, he has set an important principle that he holds dearly until today that he will not allow people to die of hunger without the knowledge of and solution from the government.
He remembered the time when he saw his father who dived under the boat to view his own paddy field that was totally destroyed by the flood at Toul Sambour, Kampong Cham province. He remembered his father’s tears and how his family fell into debt as they needed money to buy rice seed to renew the plantation.
To describe that hardship, he even used to compose a song called “chivit neak chamkar, veasnar neak srea” meaning “life of the peasants and destiny of rice farmers”. He feels the pain of the people as he relates them with that of his own.
After that intensive travel, he chaired the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits. He had to chair/co-chair 12 Summits in the course of 4 days and conducted many other bilateral meetings.
He said he had to work for 15 hours a day during the Summit that he needed to stay at Sokha Hotel, the venue of the summits to reduce time of traveling. After the ASEAN Summit and the receiving of the State Visit of the Sultan of Brunei, he flew directly to Bali for the G-20 Summit although he had to return the next day as he was infected with Covid-19 probably due to his lowering of immunity following the heavy working schedule he had a week before.
In his recent visit to Europe for the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit on 14 December, he had his three days stay full of programs, in which he had to fly back and forth between Brussels and Paris.
He arrived in Brussels on 12 December morning; he met with more than 1,000 Cambodian fans and supporters, and then flew to Paris arriving at 1:00AM. He conducted one full day, or even full night working visit in France and flew back to Brussels on 13 December, again at 1:00AM to prepare for the ASEAN-EU Summit on 14 December in which he had to co-chair with his European counterpart.
In Europe, he carried the agenda of peace, cooperation and multilateralism. The peacemaker in his own country, now he is trying to spread the message of peace beyond the continent. His work is a conviction that is much stronger than the simple desire to win popularity or election.
His conviction is much stronger than the desire to win people’s hearts, because once you are dependent on others’ encouragement, there is a limit that may stuck you from moving forward. That desire and conviction must be internally generated.
The desire for humanity, and the great attachment to the people. The desire that is based on principles and compassion. This is akin to Khmer ancient leadership’s philosophy, “the pain of the people is the pain of the leader”.
It is hard to find Cambodian leaders who can spread political message of peace across the globe like he does. His horizon of diplomacy is large, from English speaking to French speaking world, the larger world that seems to be in far distance from Cambodia.
But with Hun Sen, Cambodia was put on the spot light for global peace diplomacy. French President Macron held his hand like husband and wife, and they hugged each other like a long-lost friend after the official dinner prepared in his honor at the Élysée Palace.
Both leaders issued a common statement entitled “Ukraine: Appeal from France and Cambodia” after the Paris Conference for Solidarity with Ukrainian People held on 13 December. The Khmer message appeared on French president’s official Facebook page calling for peace and end of suffering from war waged by Russia in Ukraine.
Hun Sen walked through the icy cold winter on the half-frozen red carpet, and the midnight moon can be seen from the airplane window above European sky as he flew from Paris to Brussels.
His passion and dedication are well received by the people, not just of his own but also by European leaders, and they responded to him back with similar tone of peace and affection.
His traveling style leaves many footprints. The traveling style that leaves legacies for the next generation to carry forward, and to hold to their hearts the pride of Cambodia, a small nation with a big heart. The footprints that mark many significant moments of history that contribute to peace, stability and prosperity; domestic, regional and global.
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