Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday publicly lashed out at Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith and other top government officials for not being responsive to his online messages – and also called out Kanharith for a sexist online comment that recently caused an uproar.
“I want to talk about the ministers’ Telegram group,” the prime minister said at a Phnom Penh hospital, referring to an instant messaging app. “When I sent my messages in the group, it took them seven days to get it. And they just responded ‘thank you.’
“These kinds of people, why do they need a phone? Some of the ministers are lazy.”
Hun Sen said the 71-year-old Kanharith was the worst, sometimes taking 15 days to answer a message.
“He is the minister of information but he doesn’t read the news,” the prime minister said. “I don’t know what to say. He posts on Facebook constantly but doesn’t look at WhatsApp and Telegram.”
Kanharith, a former newspaper editor and legislator who has served in top roles at the ministry for nearly 30 years, was heavily criticized on his Facebook page this week after he posted a photo showing a man spraying a water toy gun at a woman’s breast while she drove a motorbike during Khmer New Year.
His comment next to the photo said: “What a really nice shot!” The post received over 15,000 reactions, 1,300 shares and 870 comments.
‘Not just this photo’
Kanharith’s posting negatively affects the dignity of women, said Mean Lisa, a member of the Mother Nature NGO.
“It’s not just this single photo,” she said. “In the past, this information minister has posted photos implying sexual harassment on women. He shouldn’t make fun out of that. It creates a bad example.”
Information Ministry spokesman Meas Sophoan couldn’t be reached for comment. Radio Free Asia sent several messages to Kanharith but didn’t receive a response.
Khmer Student Intelligent League Association president Keut Saray urged Hun Sen to re-educate his ministers by prohibiting Kanharith from posting any more inappropriate photos.
“He is a public figure who is the servant of the people and an example for his subordinates. He should act as a good role model for Cambodians in general, especially journalists,” he said.
‘People are disappointed’
Additionally, the prime minister should also be blamed when his ministers don’t respond in a timely fashion to his messages, Keut Saray said. It looks like Hun Sen doesn’t effectively manage his ministers but instead runs the government like a family, he said.
Hun Sen on Thursday also called out Soy Sokha, the secretary general at the Office of the Council of Ministers, for being slow to reply. He also said that Minister of Planning Chhay Thorn and government adviser Ek Sam Ol were quick to respond to his messages but didn’t seem to closely read the content of the messages.
If ministers can’t respond to Hun Sen on time, how can they be trusted to respond to the needs of the people? asked Vorn Pov, president of the Independent Democracy of Information Economic Association.
The prime minister should look into reshuffling inactive ministers after the upcoming July parliamentary election, if the CPP wins, he said.
“People are tired of lagging services. People are disappointed in relying on ministers,” he said.
Translated by Samean Yun and Keo Sovannarith . Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.