The Man Behind the Symbol

For almost 30 years, flamboyant Prince Norodom Sihanouk was revered as a "god-king" by what he called his "7,000,000 little Buddhas." Now it seems as if the same role has fallen, unbidden, upon ascetic Premier Lon Nol. Soon after he resigned last month, still semi-paralyzed in the wake of a near-fatal stroke, it became obvious that no one could even come close to forming an acceptable government without his mystically legitimizing presence. So last week, Cambodia resolved its 18-day government crisis by keeping Lon Nol on as a purely symbolic premier.

The real rule of the country falls to a "Premier-Delegate." He is Sisowath Sirik Matak, 57, the shrewd and ambitious administrator who had been virtually running Cambodia anyway as Vice Premier and Lon Nol's closest confidant. Sirik Matak is not only a cousin, but also an old foe of Sihanouk, and he is widely assumed to have been the chief architect of the plot that ousted the prince 15 months ago.

Sirik Matak promised that he and his new 14-man Cabinet would work vigorously to win the war, produce a new constitution and right various wrongs in Cambodia's economy, courts, transportation and supply systems. He then asked the National Assembly to "honor us with its confidence by granting us full power." They did by a vote of 50-6.

Sirik Matak's zeal may eventually cause trouble in a country that reveres Buddha, not St. George. But his decisive style pleases Westerners, particularly the U.S. embassy officials who have already funneled $252.5 million in military and economic aid into the embattled country.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.