Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-45l2p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-27T21:28:51.769Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Symbolic Safeguard: Royal Absence in Cambodia’s Constitutional Monarchy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2022

Ben Lawrence
Ben Lawrence*
Affiliation:
National University of Singapore Faculty of Law
*
E-mail: lawbgl@nus.edu.sg
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The product of an internationalized peace process, Cambodia’s 1993 Constitution restored the monarchy and endowed the Crown with a political safeguarding role that successive kings have been unable to fulfil in practice. After a brief survey of the tragic modern history of Cambodia’s monarchy, this paper outlines the formal constitutional role of the king, highlighting the central dichotomy between the provisions that promise that the king “shall reign but shall not govern” and those that provide the king a more active role as “guarantor.” The paper highlights how this fundamental ambiguity has been borne-out publicly, by focusing on a handful of specific instances in which both King Sihanouk and King Sihamoni are understood to have been strategically absent from the country to avoid signing controversial legislation. Short of providing a veto power in the legislative process, the king’s safeguarding role is shown to manifest in the symbolic denial of royal legitimacy.

Keywords

Cambodiamonarchyconstitutional lawlegitimacypolitics
Type
Monarchy and Society in Asia
Information
Asian Journal of Law and Society , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , October 2022 , pp. 382 - 398
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Asian Journal of Law and Society

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Cambodian Center for Human Rights (2015) “Civil Organisations Urge His Majesty the King Not to Sign the LANGO,” https://www.cchrcambodia.org/index_old.php?url=media/media.php&p=press_detail.php&prid=566&id=5&lang=eng (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar
Chan, Kim (2004) “King Delays Return Until Stalemate Ends,” https://english.cambodiadaily.com/news/king-delays-return-until-stalemate-ends-39887/ (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar
Chandler, David (1991) The Tragedy of Cambodian History: Politics, War, and Revolution Since 1945, New Haven: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Chandler, David (2007) A History of Cambodia, 4th edn, Colorado: Routledge.Google Scholar
Curley, Melissa (2018) “Governing Civil Society in Cambodia: Implications of the NGO Law for the ‘Rule of Law’.” 42 Asian Studies Review 247–67.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dara, Mech (2013) “On Independence Day, King Sihamoni Calls for Unity,” https://english.cambodiadaily.com/news/on-independence-day-king-sihamoni-calls-for-unity-46800/ (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar
Doyle, Michael W. (1995) UN Peacekeeping in Cambodia: UNTAC’s Civil Mandate, Colorado: Lynne Rienner Publishers.Google Scholar
Duffy, Terence (1999) “‘Uncertain Democracy’: Cambodia Since the July 1998 Election.” 36 Representation 334–45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Findlay, Trevor (1995) Cambodia: The Legacy and Lessons of UNTAC, Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Hughes, Caroline (1996) UNTAC in Cambodia: The Impact of Human Rights, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.Google Scholar
Hughes, Caroline (2003) The Political Economy of the Cambodian Transition, London & New York: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hunt, Luke, & Hayes, Michael (2004) “New Government Formed after Chea Sim Leaves the Country,” https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/new-government-formed-after-chea-sim-leaves-country (accessed 18 February 2022).Google Scholar
Jennar, Raoul M. (1995) The Cambodian Constitutions, 1953–1993, Bangkok: White Lotus.Google Scholar
Lawrence, Benjamin (2020) “Outlawing Opposition, Imposing Rule of Law: Authoritarian Constitutionalism in Cambodia.” 15 Asian Journal of Comparative Law 225–49.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawrence, Benjamin (2021) “Authoritarian Constitutional Borrowing and Convergence in Cambodia.” 43 Contemporary Southeast Asia 321–44.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levy, Marc (1998a) “Assembly Expected to Ratify New Gov’t,” https://english.cambodiadaily.com/news/assembly-expected-to-ratify-new-govt-12006/ (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar
Levy, Marc (1998b) “Monarch, Activists Weigh in on Senate Plans,” https://english.cambodiadaily.com/news/monarch-activists-weigh-in-on-senate-plans-11925/ (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar
Loughlin, Neil, & Norén-Nilsson, Astrid (2021) “Introduction to Special Issue: The Cambodian People’s Party’s Turn to Hegemonic Authoritarianism: Strategies and Envisaged Futures.” 43 Contemporary Southeast Asia 225–40.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marks, Steven (2010) “The Process of Creating a New Constitution in Cambodia,” in Miller, L. E., ed., Framing the State in Times of Transition: Case Studies in Constitution Making, Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace, 207–44.Google Scholar
McCarthy, Stephen, & Un, Kheang (2017) “The Evolution of Rule of Law in Cambodia.” 24 Democratization 100–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgenbesser, Lee (2019) “Cambodia’s Transition to Hegemonic Authoritarianism.” 30 Journal of Democracy 158–71.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norén-Nilsson, Astrid (2016a) Cambodia’s Second Kingdom: Nation, Imagination, and Democracy, New York: Cornell University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Norén-Nilsson, Astrid (2016b) “The Demise of Cambodian Royalism and the Legacy of Sihanouk.” 31 Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia 1–36.Google Scholar
Osborne, Milton (1994) Sihanouk: Prince of Light, Prince of Darkness, Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.Google Scholar
Peou, Sorpong (1998) “Cambodia in 1997: Back to Square One?” 38 Asian Survey 69–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peou, Sorpong (2019) “Cambodia’s Hegemonic-Party System: How and Why the CPP Became Dominant.” 4 Asian Journal of Comparative Politics 42–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Radio Free Asia (2004) “Cambodian Head of State Chea Sim Out,” –https://www.rfa.org/english/news/politics/140914–20040713.html (accessed 18 February 2022).Google Scholar
Radio Free Asia (2013) “Cambodia’s King Invites Hun Sen, Sam Rainsy to Talks,” https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/cambodia-09122013180350.html (accessed 18 February 2022).Google Scholar
Radio Free Asia (2018) “Cambodian King Leaves Signing of Controversial Constitutional Amendments to Ruling Party,” https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambodia/cambodian-king-leaves-signing-of-controversial-consitutional-amendments-to-ruling-party-02222018161013.html (accessed 18 February 2022).Google Scholar
Reynolds, Luke, & Samean, Yun (2004) “King Says He Will Give Up Throne,” https://english.cambodiadaily.com/news/king-says-he-will-give-up-throne-41749/ (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar
Roberts, David (2002) “Democratization, Elite Transition, and Violence in Cambodia, 1991–1999.” 34 Critical Asian Studies 520–38.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roeun, Van, & Sokhean, Ben (2017) “King Away; Senate President to Sign Party Law,” https://english.cambodiadaily.com/news/king-away-senate-president-to-sign-party-law-126142/ (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar
Saito, Mhari (1998) “CPP Seeks King’s Help with Talks,” https://english.cambodiadaily.com/news/cpp-seeks-kings-help-with-talks-11086/ (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar
Samean, Yun (2004) “King Refuses to Sign Off on Package Vote,” https://english.cambodiadaily.com/news/king-refuses-to-sign-off-on-package-vote-41797/ (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar
Samean, Yun, & Chandara, Lor (2004) “Prince: Sam Rainsy Must Back Vote,” https://english.cambodiadaily.com/news/prince-sam-rainsy-must-back-vote-41709/ (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar
Sokchea, Meas (2017) “Rainsy Claims King Left ‘to Avoid Signing Law’,” https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/rainsy-claims-king-left-avoid-signing-law (accessed 18 February 2022).Google Scholar
Sokchea, Meas, & Handley, Erin (2017) “Controversial Party Law Signed, Though King Declines to Ink Changes,” https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/controversial-party-law-signed-though-king-declines-ink-changes (accessed 18 February 2022).Google Scholar
Sokhean, Ben (2020) “State of Emergency Draft Signed into Law,” https://www.khmertimeskh.com/718535/state-of-emergency-draft-signed-into-law/ (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar
Sotheary, Pech (2015) “King Signs Law on NGOs,” https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/king-signs-law-ngos (accessed 18 February 2022).Google Scholar
Transparency International (2021) “2021 Corruption Perceptions Index—Cambodia,” https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2021/index/khm (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar
Un, Kheang (2009) “The Judicial System and Democratization in Post-Conflict Cambodia,” in Öjendal, J. & Lilja, M., eds., Beyond Democracy in Cambodia: Political Reconstruction in a Post-Conflict Society, Copenhagen: NIAS Press, 70–100.Google Scholar
Un, Kheang (2019) Cambodia: Return to Authoritarianism, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
West, Lucy (2019) “The Limits to Judicial Independence: Cambodia’s Political Culture and the Civil Law.” 26 Democratization 537–53.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
World Justice Project (2021) “2021 Rule of Law Index—Cambodia,” https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/pdfs/2021-Cambodia.pdf (accessed 27 February 2022).Google Scholar