The new rotating chairman of the Supreme Council for Consultation and Recommendations, Mam Sonando, plans to create an internal law for the council to prevent the termination of other members after the president of the Khmer Rise Party, Sok Sovann Vathana Sabung, was sacked from the Council.
Sonando, the president of the Beehive Social Democratic Party, said the proposal to create an internal law will be discussed with more than 10 political party members next Monday at a monthly meeting that he will chair.
“We will have this meeting to prevent problems that can lead to the removal of other members. We don’t want to have this problem happening again.
“In terms of administration work, we have to make an internal law that we all must respect in order not to affect the honour of the supreme council or harm the reputation of Samdach (Hun Sen),” Sonando told The Post on Thursday.
Acting head of state Say Chhum on Monday terminated Vathana Sabung, the president of the Khmer Rise Party from the Council following a request by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Sonando said the meeting would discuss the removal of Vathana Sabung. The goal is only to discuss mistakes that happened in the past and to correct them so other members of the Council can continue their activities smoothly.
“It is clear that the removal of Vathana Sabung from his position has ‘influenced’ other members in doing their jobs. So that’s why I have to have this internal law,” he said.
The proposal, he said, was just a request from him as the rotating chair leading the monthly meeting. But he expects it will be supported by members of the other parties.
Council member and Cambodian Nationality Party president Seng Sokheng told The Post on Thursday that he had not yet received the meeting agenda.
However, he said he understands that a proposal to create an internal law will certainly not be possible because the institution’s role is just to monitor law enforcement.
“The performance of the Council is in accordance with the law. If every member of the fulfils his duties, I don’t think there is anything to worry about. The supreme council’s job is to work with the government to eliminate irregularities,” Sokheng said.
Khmer Power Party president Soung Sophorn also said on Thursday that the Council has many laws that already state their mission clearly, so proposing further legislation would not be possible.
But as president of a political party, he said he supported all laws made to benefit the people.
Council secretariat head Chhim Phal Virun told The Post that the monthly meeting is under the authority of each rotating chair who is entitled to set the agenda and deadlines they want.
“This is the right of the rotating chair because an institution has to have a chairman. The head of the secretariat is just the administrative position to convene the meeting,” he said.
