Official Earthquake! Cambodian Minister of Agriculture Ong Sakhun was ousted, and Hun Sen publicly warned him

亚洲联合时报 2022-10-11 21:40

On the evening of October 8, at the request of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, King Norodom Sihamoni issued a royal decree to remove Ong Sakhun, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

▲ Weng Sakun

On the same day, Hun Sen issued a decree appointing Cambodian Minister of Finance and Economy (hereinafter referred to as the "Ministry of Finance") Om Ben Monilo to also serve as the acting minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The Cambodian government has decided that the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries will temporarily guide and manage the work of the Ministry of Agriculture and its subordinate units in accordance with existing laws until the Cambodian government officially appoints a new Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
According to media reports, in February this year, when Hun Sen presided over the closing ceremony of the annual summary meeting of the Ministry of the Interior, he publicly criticized Ong Sakun for his ineffectiveness and "perfunctory work". Hun Sen asked Ong Sakun to actively solve related problems.
What Hun Sen called "solving related problems" refers to the issue of rising pork prices.
According to reports, Hun Sen issued a decree requesting the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to hold a meeting to formulate a bidding system for the supply of imported live pigs to stabilize pork prices.
At that time, the Minister of Finance, Um Ben Monilo, invited Ong Sakun to preside over the relevant meeting, but Ong Sakun refused to attend the meeting.

In this regard, Hun Sen angrily rebuked Weng Sakun for his ineffectiveness, the increase in pork prices was not suppressed, and the Ministry of Finance refused to cooperate in inviting him to participate in the meeting.
Hun Sen warned that, as prime minister, he could remove a key ministerial position within 24 hours, demanding that Ong Sakorn must cooperate with ministers in other ministries, because Cambodia's economy is not something the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries can do alone. mastered.

It should be noted that nominally, Cambodia’s current political system is a constitutional monarchy, and the actual ruler of the country is the Prime Minister.
Foreign media have reported that according to Cambodia's current political system, ministers are actually the most powerful people in Cambodia other than the prime minister. According to the Cambodian constitution, although the prime minister has the power to form a government, the appointment and removal of ministers need to be issued by the king to take effect.
Therefore, the removal of Ong Sakhun requires the application of the Prime Minister and then the signature of the king to take effect.