Prime Minister Hun Sen said the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) is internally democratic and he does not just order its membership to follow his whims.

Hun Sen was speaking in Koh Kong province on January 3 while presiding over the ground-breaking ceremony for a major infrastructure upgrade project on the 148km National Road 48 running from the Sre Ambel roundabout in northern Preah Sihanouk province’s Kampong Seila district to Koh Kong province’s Khemarak Phoumin town.

Without naming anyone, Hun Sen said some political commentators claimed that he had used his power to threaten the membership of the CPP – something he flatly denied.

“You need to know the inner-circle of the CPP. I can say that the inner-circle of the CPP consists of presidents and vice-presidents and Buddhist patriarchs. So, how could I possibly threaten the CPP’s inner circle?” he asked rhetorically.

“This is very good, because those who misjudge or underestimate me will never defeat me. I will stand here, instead, mocking you. If you are stupid, continue to be stupid. It’s not my job to teach you how to not be stupid,” he said.

Ro Vannak, co-founder of the Cambodian Institute for Democracy, said political analysts and pundits mostly based their theories on the publicly observable behaviour and statements of politicians as well as their past actions, but much always remains hidden or uncertain to those outside of the party’s leadership.

Their analysis, he said, can be right or wrong because politicians can change their strategies and policies over time. The one thing that does not change, he added, is power.

“Politicians can say that the analysts are wrong or right in their predictions, but the public can also see whether that prediction is right or wrong for itself,” he said.

Vannak said that in a democratic country, the voicing of one’s opinions or views was a reflection of the freedom of expression, which is protected by Cambodian laws and Constitution and that a healthy democracy has a high tolerance for political dissenters, especially for views which contradict those of the government or high-profile politicians.

Referring to the unnamed critics, Hun Sen continued that some people want to find inner peace, which he said is already within an individual unless they commit wrongdoing such as crimes.

“Such criminals never have inner peace because they are afraid that they will be arrested by the police. If you want to have inner peace, just do things right by respecting the law, then you will find your inner peace,” Hun Sen said.

“If you’ve committed crimes, don’t look for inner peace because your mind is unmoored,” he said, adding that he had brought peace to Cambodia and had ensured that the country would not fall back into war.

Kin Phea, director of the Royal Academy of Cambodia’s International Relations Institute, said the CPP has strict hierarchical discipline and that the decision-making process used a top-down approach. If the party leaders or the Standing Committee makes a decision, that must be followed by all of the other party members.

“Therefore, I don’t think there is a threat within the party to his base of power because of the traditional way they do things with strict party discipline and strategies, principles and plans,” Phea said.