King appoints Sokha’s daughter as PM’s special envoy

Prime Minister Hun Manet met with Kem Monovithya, daughter of former opposition leader Kem Sokha, shortly before her appointment as special envoy. STPM

His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni has appointed Kem Monovithya, daughter of former opposition leader Kem Sokha, as a special envoy to Prime Minister Hun Manet, formalising a government role for the former senior opposition figure just days after she and her family met with the leader of the Kingdom’s ruling party.

The appointment was made by an August 17 royal decree, at the request of Manet.

Under Article 1 of the decree, Monovithya was appointed as Special Envoy to the Prime Minister. Article 2 instructs the prime minister to implement the decree according to his duties.

Manet shared that he had met Monovithya and said the two, as members of a new generation of politicians, had areas in which they could cooperate for Cambodia’s national interests, particularly on the international stage.

“Today, I met and talked with sister Kem Monovithya. As members of the new generation of politicians, there are certain tasks on which we can cooperate and work together for the supreme interests of our nation, especially on the international stage,” Manet said, in an August 14 post accompanying a photograph of the two.

The prime minister did not disclose details of potential areas of cooperation or announce an official position for Monovithya at the time.

The meeting represented a rare public engagement between the head of government and a prominent figure from the family of Cambodia’s former main opposition leader. Monovithya previously served as deputy director-general of public affairs for the now-dissolved Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP).

Two days after meeting Manet, Monovithya accompanied her mother and father mother to a meeting with Senate president Hun Sen at his residence on August 16.

Hun Sen described how discusssions lasted for three hours and revealed that much of the conversation was with Monovithya, whom he praised as a valuable human resource for Cambodia.

It was Hun Sen’s second recent meeting with Sokha. The Senate president, who serves as president of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) said Sokha had visited him at his home several weeks earlier, before travelling to meet the border to meet with Cambodian troops and displaced civilians.

The August 16 gathering brought together two men who for years stood on opposing sides of Cambodia’s political divide, Hun Sen’s unusually public praise of Monovithya also drew attention.

The royal appointment came the following day.

The decree does not suggest that Monovithya’s appointment resulted from either her meeting with Manet or the subsequent meeting between her family and Hun Sen. Nor does it detail the specific responsibilities she will carry out as a special envoy.

The sequence of events, however, marks a significant public shift in Monovithya’s political role.

-Phnom Penh Post-