PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced that he will use the power he has to protect his position and the power it grants him which was gained through the trust of the people. "To be in power and not use it is to be powerless," he told his critics.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony for students at the National Institute of Business, the Prime Minister said this was not an insult to critics, but simply a fact. He then responded to allegations that he is leaving the prime minister seat to his son, saying that as a father he did not raise his son to be a thief.

"The opposition says I am transferring power from father to son!” he said, “I did not raise my children to be thieves! My son is qualified for the position.”

Gen. Hun Manet, the Prime Minister’s eldest son, was elected by the CPP Central Committee on 24 December 2021 as the party's future candidate for Prime Minister after his father retires.

The Prime Minister stated that Gen. Hun Manet must gain the approval of the party and the National Assembly, be elected as a member of parliament, and be appointed by the King to form the Council of Ministers in order to assume the role of Prime Minister.

This morning, the Prime Minister revealed that Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim denied permission to the opposition who planned to use his country as a meeting place.

"I did not raise the issue, but he (Anwar Ibrahim) confirmed that the [opposition] side wanted to come, but he told them not to. Some of his MPs asked him to allow the meeting," he said. “But he (Anwar) answered ‘no’. I added that if it were to happen, we could not honestly look each other in the eye.”

The Prime Minister confirmed that he knows all the tricks of the opposition groups and suggested they learn more.

Prime Minister Hun Sen came to power at the age of 40 in 1985 and is one of the longest-serving heads of state in the world, with 38 years of leadership.