Citizenship is a contract between a person and a country that allocates specific rights, duties and benefits such as the right to vote, the duty to pay taxes and the benefits to enjoy social welfare. A person can obtain at least five citizenships by birthright, family, marriage, residency and investment program. Technically a government cannot prevent a person from adding another citizenship but they can strip that person of citizenship within their jurisdiction if he/she holds multiple citizenships. Japan allows dual citizenship until the age of 21 when a citizen must choose one citizenship only. If the person fails to choose within a time frame, Japan will strip that person of Japanese citizenship. In Germany the age limit for choosing German citizenship is 23 and naturalized citizens need to relinquish prior citizenship.

When Sam Rainsy wrongfully quoted the Guardian article that Prime Minister Hun Sen secretly holds a Cypriot passport, he did not realize that having dual citizenship is a privilege granted by the Cambodian government. Cambodia is one of the few countries in the world which allows dual citizenship with very few restrictions, in particular to run for elections.   

Sam Rainsy holds both French and Cambodian citizenships. This means that he can travel freely between the two countries without visas and stays there indefinitely. He can also escape to either one when he commits criminal activities. French passport allows Sam Rainsy to travel within the 27 European Schengen states and to North America for tourism and political activities without visas, while at the same time by holding Cambodian citizenship he represents a Cambodian opposition when meeting with US lawmakers and Cambodian Americans. If Sam Rainsy is to renounce his French citizenship, it would be harder for him to travel between Cambodian diasporas across the world. If he is to renounce Cambodian citizenship he cannot represent Cambodian people.

In the past twenty years Sam Rainsy spent much of his time​ living in Paris. For his unfortunate party members, they would have to seek political asylum in a foreign country which is a lengthy process fraught with uncertainty and economic difficulties. Dual citizenship has been a privilege for Sam Rainsy and he is the person who enjoys its benefits much more than any politicians in Cambodia. Yet, he voluntarily raised it up based on “three uncorroborated lines” in a Guardian article which has now been amended for errors.

Abolishing dual citizenship in Cambodia for highest government positions is still lenient. Even if Cambodia does not recognize dual citizenship altogether, it is a common practice for many countries. A third of all countries in the world allows only single citizenship. In Asia, Japan, South Korea, China, Egypt, Israel, and Indonesia, among other countries, prohibit dual citizenship. In the European Union, 12 countries among the 27 members prohibit dual citizenship. For the European countries which allow dual citizenship, those running for senior government offices must choose a single citizenship before participating to ensure highest loyalty and responsibility from the candidates.  

Kokthay ENG, Ph.D.

Director

Cambodian Institute for Peace and Development