Promises and Reality-Can the oppositions run Cambodia?

Promises and Reality

In theory, SRP and other opposition parties offer great campaign promises for Cambodia. Democracy, justice, freedom, social services etc… are very good and pleasant for Cambodians to hear. But, practically, can SRP and other parties with its current intact infrastructures run the country without the support from the CPP? Can they put together a group of competent and honest leaders to run Cambodia?

Perhaps, my unbiased answers to these questions will not sit well with the diehard supporters of the oppositions or the CPP, but I know that without the support of the current members and leaders of the CPP no opposition party will be able to run Cambodia. The CPP are better equipped and unfortunately all opposition parties lack human resources, intellectual resources, and financial resources, etc...Organizational structures of these parties are not even strong enough to run their own party effectively. Political structures of SRP combined with any other opposition party are still very weak. Division within each party exists and morality among most party leaders at all levels is still unacceptable. Many of them are worse than or equal to some CPP members.

With current political mood, the way all politicians behave and their personal interests at stake; the CPP will never support the oppositions nor relinquish its power. So the dream that one day the oppositions will run the country within the next few decades is illogical.

What do we need to do to make Cambodia a better place for Cambodians? Every Cambodian, (especially members of political parties,) needs to stop being a yes-man and demand that their politicians be accountable for their works and promises. The opposition leaders must clean up their act, stop their rethorics and become better than the CPP leaders so that their voices are respectable and taken seriously by the ruling party. The CPP leaders, on the other hand, need to keep their mind open for reasonable alternative proposals.

However, with the understanding that both, the CPP and the non-CPP, need each other to survive on; one may want to reconsider their expectation that much changes will be done in the near future. Especially, when Cambodia is under heavy influences of other countries.

Sathonne Chhim
New York
Timothychhim.blogspot.com