Friday, August 2, 2013

Cambodian Democracy Alive and Well

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Democracy is not simply defined but lived out by the government in manners that are acceptable and live out by the people. 

What is democracy? Democracy is "the rule of the people" from its root dēmokratía in the Greek language. According Wikipedia, the most prestigious on-line encyclopedia, "Democracy is a form of government in which all eligible citizens participate equally—either directly or through elected representatives—in the proposal, development, and creation of laws. It encompasses social, economic and cultural conditions that enable the free and equal practice of political self-determination."


How does Cambodian democracy square with the above definition? To put it narrowly, what is democracy in Cambodia?  

The following are two perspectives on Cambodian democracy--one from an outsider and other a response from an insider--that deserve careful consideration and introspection. The first article is an Editorial in The Nation, a popular English newspaper in Thailand and the second one is from Cambodia in reaction to the Editorial. This editorials both came out weeks before the national election in the country. 

In Cambodia, Democracy is Stuck in Infancy

Hun Sen's CPP is almost guaranteed victory in the upcoming election, amid criticism of political opponents being victimised and suppressed
Twenty years under a so-called multi-party electoral system should have been long enough for Cambodia's democracy to mature to a certain degree, but this is not the case. The country's strongman ruler, Hun Sen, has done nothing over the past two decades to support the fundamental principles of democracy. 

Cambodia will hold a general election in the final week of this month, with high expectations that his Cambodian People's Party (CPP) will win an overwhelming majority of seats in parliament - as usual. The main opposition leader, Sam Rainsy, is still in exile and has only a slim chance of returning home to campaign for the upcoming poll, although he has said he will do whatever he can to participate in the election.

There were high hopes for the multi-party electoral system to become well established in Cambodia after the first post-civil-war election, sponsored by the United Nations, in 1993. Many political parties registered and campaigned and some won seats in parliament. 

However, it was the CPP and Hun Sen who changed the game. The CPP lost in that first election following the vanquishing of the Khmer Rouge, but Hun Sen bargained his way to a government post. He became co-premier with the royalist Funcinpec party's Norodom Ranaridh - and then toppled Norodom from power.

The CPP began to consolidate its power with the second election, in 1998, swallowing up the majority of parliamentary seats. It has dominated the country ever since. Funcinpec splintered and no longer has the ability to challenge Hun Sen. 

Sam Rainsy held a post in the Funcinpec-led cabinet after the 1993 election but left to form his own party to challenge the dominance of Hun Sen. He has had no success to date, instead paying a high price for challenging the leadership. He has been imprisoned several times, most recently in 2009 for destroying demarcation posts on the disputed border with Vietnam.

Sam Rainsy and his party, which is named after him, nevertheless remain the main challengers to the entrenched CPP. Even in Rainsy's absence, the party has the potential to win seats in many constituencies, notably in middle-class urban areas. 

Although Hun Sen and his CPP seem fearful of their opponent's popularity, it will be almost impossible for the Sam Rainsy Party to win a majority of seats in parliament in this election. Such is the CPP's grip on power that Prime Minister Hun Sen will be able to remain in office until he is 90 years old, if he wishes. However, being the longest-serving leader in Asia isn't good enough. Nor would it bolster Hun Sen's reputation. He was supposed to achieve great things, making Cambodia more open and as democratic as possible after years of civil war, genocide and invasion.

Hun Sen's government is still criticised for its poor human-rights record and the suppression of political opponents. It's now time to change the game by allowing fair play to all who want to participate in the country's political development. Sam Rainsy and many others should allowed to return home for the coming election without fear of arrest or intimidation. 
Cambodians are mature enough for open politics. They know how to cast ballots for good politicians and good policies. If the CPP is really in that category, it should have nothing to fear, since its victory is virtually assured regardless of any challenge mounted.  Source more at: The Nation 

The following is a response by Koy Kuong, undersecretary spokesperson, to the Editorial in The Nation, In Cambodia, Democracy is Stuck in Infancy. 
Koy Kuong

 Cambodian Democracy Alive and Well
by Undersecretary spokesperson, Koy Kuong

 Bangkok (The Nation/ ANN) -- Re: "In Cambodia, democracy is stuck in infancy", Editorial, July 10.

This article is full of lies and manipulations of facts. The intended message is to completely insult and demonize Cambodia, its government and the prime minister of the country.

In response to the editorial, "In Cambodia, democracy is stuck in infancy", I  (Koy Kuong Under Secretary of State Spokesperson) wish to clarify the following points.

First, Cambodia today is not the same Cambodia of yesterday. To state that "Hun Sen has done nothing over the past two decades to support the fundamental principles of democracy" is a calumny. Cambodia has thousands of civil-society organizations and a free press. Please open your eyes and look around at the countries in this region and around the globe. You can also do an introspection of your own society as well, before you judge others.

Second, Cambodia does not have only one opposition leader or one opposition political party, as the article implied. In the upcoming elections on July 28, Cambodia will have eight parties, and many of them are opposition parties.

Third, the Cambodia People's Party (CPP) and Samdech Techo Prime Minister Hun Sen did not change the "game", as the article said in attempting to manufacture facts. He did not topple Prince Norodom Ranariddh from power in July 1997. It was Prince Ranarridh who brought Khmer Rouge soldiers to Phnom Penh in order to grab power. It was Samdech Techo Hun Sen who was the victim of the July 1997 event. Is there a political motivation to rewrite the history of Cambodia?

Fourth, Cambodia has political prisoners? Sam Rainsy has never been imprisoned in a Cambodian jail. Yes, he was convicted on several occasions for the crimes he committed. Despite conviction, it was Samdech Techo Hun Sen who requested His Majesty the King to pardon Sam Rainsy, in the spirit of national reconciliation and democracy, as has been done again in order to allow Sam Rainsy to participate in the upcoming elections. Therefore, to say "he has been imprisoned several times" is a complete lie and a serious act of manipulation.

Fifth, it is ludicrous to state that "Hun Sen and his CPP seem fearful of their opponent's popularity". Neither Samdech Techo Hun Sen nor the CPP is fearful of the opposition in the upcoming elections. All of the parties have been actively campaigning in an open and conducive environment. And with the return and participation of Sam Rainsy, it proves once again that Samdech Techo Hun Sen and the CPP always welcome opposition leaders to participate in the elections.

Sixth, Cambodia today is an open society, with a functioning democracy. Foreign media, such as Radio Free Asia, Voice of America and Radio France International, just to name a few, have been broadcasting freely in the country, including during the present election campaign.

Furthermore, Cambodia is one of the very few countries in the world that has allowed the UN Center for Human Rights and UN Secretary-General's Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to operate. So to accuse the government of having a "poor human-rights record" and "the suppression of political opponents" is either complete defamation or an attempt to paint a bad picture of Cambodia.  Source more at The Cambodia Herald  

First, Cambodia today is not the same Cambodia of yesterday. To state that "Hun Sen has done nothing over the past two decades to support the fundamental principles of democracy" is a calumny. Cambodia has thousands of civil-society organizations and a free press. Please open your eyes and look around at the countries in this region and around the globe. You can also do an introspection of your own society as well, before you judge others. - See more at: http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/opinion/detail/3?token=ZTYwMDE5NmVkMDBlZWU4OTQ0ZjQ1MDllMzY5OGFm#sthash.Q1la10oT.dpuf
First, Cambodia today is not the same Cambodia of yesterday. To state that "Hun Sen has done nothing over the past two decades to support the fundamental principles of democracy" is a calumny. Cambodia has thousands of civil-society organizations and a free press. Please open your eyes and look around at the countries in this region and around the globe. You can also do an introspection of your own society as well, before you judge others. - See more at: http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/opinion/detail/3?token=ZTYwMDE5NmVkMDBlZWU4OTQ0ZjQ1MDllMzY5OGFm#sthash.Q1la10oT.dpuf
First, Cambodia today is not the same Cambodia of yesterday. To state that "Hun Sen has done nothing over the past two decades to support the fundamental principles of democracy" is a calumny. Cambodia has thousands of civil-society organizations and a free press. Please open your eyes and look around at the countries in this region and around the globe. You can also do an introspection of your own society as well, before you judge others. - See more at: http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/opinion/detail/3?token=ZTYwMDE5NmVkMDBlZWU4OTQ0ZjQ1MDllMzY5OGFm#sthash.Q1la10oT.dpuf
First, Cambodia today is not the same Cambodia of yesterday. To state that "Hun Sen has done nothing over the past two decades to support the fundamental principles of democracy" is a calumny. Cambodia has thousands of civil-society organizations and a free press. Please open your eyes and look around at the countries in this region and around the globe. You can also do an introspection of your own society as well, before you judge others. - See more at: http://www.thecambodiaherald.com/opinion/detail/3?token=ZTYwMDE5NmVkMDBlZWU4OTQ0ZjQ1MDllMzY5OGFm#sthash.Q1la10oT.dpuf

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