Prime Minister Hun Sen has lashed out at opposition leader Kem Sokha for “deceiving citizens” after the acting CNRP president recently claimed several government initiatives as having been inspired by his party.

On Saturday, Sokha told supporters in Kampong Speu that the ruling party’s efforts to raise the salaries of civil servants and cancel the toll fares on National Road 4 stemmed from opposition ideas and were made in response to the increasing political clout of the CNRP.

In a post on his Facebook page yesterday, the premier cautioned Sokha to stop taking credit for the government’s achievements. “This is deceiving citizens completely, which the opposition party can do without shame,” Hun Sen wrote.

He said that the government has achieved much more than the CNRP cared to acknowledge.

Hun Sen went on to accuse the opposition of calling on international donors and investors to boycott Cambodia, an apparent reference to a European Parliament resolution last year, backed by self-exiled CNRP president Sam Rainsy, that suggested aid to Cambodia could be cut.

In recent Facebook posts, Rainsy has also called on the government to ensure it implements democratic reforms attached to foreign aid.

Sokha could not be reached yesterday, but CNRP lawmaker Eng Chhay Eang said that his party provided an alternative vision to the government, which he said contributed to government decision making.

“The opposition party is a mirror to the ruling party,” he said, adding that sometimes the government chooses to heed what it sees, and sometimes it doesn’t. “[The CNRP] is not the enforcer.”