New website sees Cambodia PM play populist card

By Lauren Crothers

PHNOM PENH

Cambodia’s long-serving prime minister, Hun Sen, has added two more weapons to his arsenal with the launch of a new website and mobile phone app featuring him in populist poses akin to those of another of the world's long-serving leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At 63 years old, Hun Sen occupies a place among the ruling Cambodian People’s Party’s “old guard”; however, he has recently begun wholeheartedly embracing the reach of social media platforms such as Facebook, often posting live speeches on anything from power outages to criticism of his political opponents.

Last week, he posted some candid snapshots of himself at the beach, and on Wednesday more “man of the people”-style pictures were uploaded, this time showing the strongman decked out in a tracksuit for a soccer game and surrounded by a gaggle of children.

Putin, meanwhile -- at 64, a year older than the Cambodian leader -- has been photographed riding horses shirtless, tracking polar bears, leather-clad at a bikers' rally and showing off his judo skills.

The Khmer-language website -- http://www.samdechhunsen.gov.kh/ -- features photos and news updates of Hun Sen’s activities. The app, which is currently only available on Android, will be available to IOS users once that version is complete.

“[W]herever the technology goes, I will be there,” the Phnom Penh Post quoted Hun Sen as saying Wednesday.

Although Hun Sen’s propaganda machine has seen him photographed with his sleeves rolled up in rural settings before, his recent ramping up on social media is a change in tactics and a good PR move according to political analyst Ou Virak, founder of the Future Forum think tank.

It also means Hun Sen has taken stock of what needs to change, after his party suffered an unprecedented 22-seat loss in parliament, holding on to 68 seats versus the opposition Cambodia National rescue Party’s 55 seats, in the 2013 national election.

“He understands that the election of 2013 was mainly about the opposition depending on social media for their direct messages, and I think he is starting to understand social media more and more as a political tool,” Virak told Anadolu Agency on Wednesday.

“The election was a wake-up call for him that it’s not just a few kids playing around on smartphones. Secondly, he is starting to enjoy it, as much as the kids do.”

It’s likely to sway more middle-of-the-road voters toward Hun Sen, he said, as the self-exiled leader of the opposition, Sam Rainsy, seems out of touch with his supporters after he posted a number of images to Facebook that showed him enjoying what seemed to be an expensive holiday in the Philippines.

“[T]o show a softer side of a strongman is eventually going to have an impact,” Virak said. “The more playful he gets and personal he gets, I think it will eventually have an impact on himself as well. He will understand he doesn’t always need to rule with an iron fist.”