Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has sent congratulatory and valedictory letters to the newly appointed Prime Minister of Cambodia, Hun Manet, and the outgoing Prime Minister, his father Hun Sen on Aug. 7.

Transition

Cambodian king, Norodom Sihamoni, approved Hun Manet's nomination on Aug 7, finalising the country's political transition from his father Hun Sen, according to Reuters.

PM Lee has sent two letters, one congratulating Hun Manet upon his taking up the office of PM, and the other a valedictory letter, lauding Hun Sen's time in office and Singapore-Cambodian relations.

Both letters emphasised Singapore and Cambodia's "longstanding and friendly ties" .

PM Lee recalled meeting with Hun Manet in 2018 when he visited Singapore as the 64th Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellow.

PM Lee also noted the increased cooperation in trade and investments, technical assistance, and military-to -military exchanges that occurred under Hun Manet's tenures, first as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces and then Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Cambodian Army. 

He looked forward to expanded collaborations between the two countries, especially in areas such as climate change and digitalisation, saying that in  new and emerging areas, such as the export of renewable energy, the two countries had already expanded collaboration.

He concluded by saying he looked forward to working with Hun Manet, as well as meeting him at the 43rd Asean Summit in Jakarta, due in September.

Unprecedented times

PM Lee opened his valedictory letter to Hun Sen by congratulating him on his electoral victory, and sending him best wishes as he stepped down as Cambodian PM.

Hun Sen has been Cambodian PM for nearly 40 years, and PM Lee acknowledge Hun Sen as one of the longest-serving leaders in the world, "having steered Cambodia through challenging and unprecedented times".

PM Lee thanked Hun Sen for his strong support for strengthening bilateral ties, saying cooperation had grown across a broad spectrum of areas; and looked forward to continuing to working closely with Hun Sen and incoming PM Hun Manet in the future.

Landslide

It appears that Singaporean leaders will in fact be working with outgoing PM Hun Sen for a while yet, with Reuters quoting him as saying that he would "continue serving in other positions at least until 2023".

Reuters also reported that Hun Sen was planning on taking up a key role within the Cambodian People's Party, from which both he his 45 year-old son Hun Manet hail from.

The CPP won a landslide electoral victory on Jul. 23, where they won 120 out of 125 seats in parliament, while claiming 96 per cent of the vote.

But this success came after the banning of Cambodia's main opposition party immediately prior to the election.

 

Ebb and flow

Hun Sen's 38 year reign saw his political fortunes ebb and flow, but always managing to retain the top post, although for a number of years  he shared the role of PM with Prince Norodom Ranariddh, half-brother of the current Cambodian monarch.

Hun Sen's humble beginnings saw him rise from being a member of the Khmer Rouge to becoming a critical part of the Vietnam-backed government that swept them out of power.

His son Hun Manet has had a much smoother road to power, receiving a Western education that included studying at the premier military school West Point in the United States, and attaining a PhD at the University of Bristol.

According to the BBC, Hun Manet was first officially mooted as the next Cambodian PM in 2021, and is expected to install a newer, younger cabinet.

According to the Khmer Times, Hun Manet has said that his government will have "five strategic goals", such as maintaining peace, national sovereignty, and building a "prosperous, strong, liberal multi-party democracy".

It also said that it intends to build a social protection system that is environmentally efficient and financially sustainable"

Foreign policy

Cambodia has attained a reputation in recent years for it closeness to China.

Some characterised it as a 'spoiler' within Asean, with the 2012 failure to achieve a joint Asean communique being laid squarely at Cambodia's feet, although understandably it has never accepted this depiction.

During its 2022 Chairmanship of Asean, there were worries that Asean unity would be tested again, with Cambodian being seen as more friendly to Myanmar's junta.

Hun Sen attempted to reach out to the Junta, and was the first Asean leader to visit Myanmar since its 2021 coup.

But his outreach was met with a cold response from Myanmar, and Cambodia's chairmanship continued to back Asean's insistence on adherence to the Five Point Consensus.

It remains to be seen if Hun Manet's Western education will lead to any change in approach to China and the West.

But given Hun Sen's remaining presence in Cambodian politics, it likely signals that change, if any, will likely be very gradual.

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Top image vai Hun Manet/Facebook