Cambodian Politics: The true Democratic Party Vs the fake ones

The battles have begun, but who will win the war?

Picture from KI media
The banner in the background in Khmer says: Ture Democracy!

There are 28 months to go for the next general election to be held in July 2013. Cambodia's Democrats or the non-CPP political parties have begun their series of fighting to become the number 2 spot.


Some leaders of the oppositions are hoping to become Hun Sen's partner in the next Cambodian government. It is one of the promises used to string along those gullible members who can come up with large sum of money.

The hot battle this month is the struggle for Kg Cham's province where verbal artillery between Kem Sokha and Sam Rainsy had been launched. Cell phone or personal discussions are unsuitable; thus, both leaders exchanged their punches via open mails.

Kampong Cham belongs to top leaders of all parties. Kem Sokha ran as the number one candidate in 2008 and “won” without having to spend much of his own money. The person who spent most money in that province didn’t win and subsequently defected to the CPP. If you could ask him about the democratic processes inside HRP, he would tell you how much he needed to spend to be listed as a top ranking candidate in that province.

Kampong Cham is the most populated province in Cambodia. It is one of SRP’s strongholds besides Phnom Penh where SRP also holds 5 seats. 18 congressional seats will be up for grab in 28 months. For this mandate, the CPP holds 11 seats, SRP 5, NRP 1 and HRP 1.

CPP’s big gunners Heng Samrin and Hor Namhong and 9 others are in Kampong Cham making this province a must win for the CPP. Meanwhile Sam Rainsy, Kem Sokha and You Hokry, the heavyweight from the Non-CPP parties, are struggling to maintain their presence there. Every ones are hoping to maintain their current seat or to win more votes in July of 2013.
Picture from SRP Website

There is a slim chance for non-CPP parties to get more votes from the CPP's members; hence, it is easier for Kem Sokha to target SRP’s voters, especially when this party’s leaders are in trouble with the CPP.

It is necessarily for HRP to push for a few thousands more votes to get an additional seat. Otherwise, there will be no chance for others besides Kem Sokha to pay for the campaign in Kg Cham. In 2008, HRP got 72,772 votes and won only one seat. Some 30,000 votes were wasted.

The Absence of Sam Rainsy from Kg Cham may have contributed to the internal or personal fighting that caused Mao Monyvan to be expelled and later on defected to the so-called "true Democratic Party." People may wonder if there is such a true Democratic Party, then the rest of Democrats are the fake ones.

In 2013, Mao Monyvan will probably be appointed "democratically" by Kem Sokha to run in Kg Cham. More than likely he will be listed as one of the top candidates for he claims that most of SRP members will follow him. It would be interesting to know what will happen to those hopeful HRP candidates who have already been promised to be listed as one of the top contenders as well.

According to RFA news, the recent reception held by Kem Sokha in Kg Cham before the Cambodian New Year brought in about 500 new members for HRP. They were not all SRP members. It was included those dubious "hidden members" from the ruling party and other parties.

Why such a small number if the majority of SRP members in Kampong Cham were so unhappy about Sam Rainsy? Was it because of the Khmer Rouge styled system (accused by Mao Monyvan) that made SRP members decided not to defect en mass?

As reported by Soy Sopheap, there were about 90 percents of SRP signs were supposedly bought down. People may scratch their head for there must be something wrong with the above figure.

What Party the CPP would use to break up SRP?

The CPP’s interest is to see the fight goes on; especially, between the "true" Democratic and the “fake” ones. The best party for the CPP to support or employ in the fight against SRP is HRP. It knows that Kem Sokha and Sam Rainsy will never get along. NRP and FUN are already tainted as CPP’s allies. Some clues are found with Soy Sopheap's suggestion to Kem Sokha and to Mao Monyvan as seen on Bayon TV's Special program recently. Please click here.

If the CPP and HRP succeed in chopping down SRP, HRP will not hesitate to become a partner of the CPP in the next Cambodian government. This will leave SRP to remain the biggest opposition for the next 5 years.

While the battles between the so-called True Democratic Party and the fake ones go on, the real winner in the political warefare will be the CPP.

Cambodian Politics: The enemy of my enemy is my friend

"The enemy of their enemy is their friend"

Perhaps Kem Sokha is taking Soy Sopheap's advice.

Please see: http://youtu.be/6J60RKfpAUo for Soy Sopheap's comment.

Soy Sopheap urged SRP members to follow Mao Monyvan wherever he goes.

If we read between the lines, it appears that Soy Sopheap is siding with HRP and Mao Monyvan in their efforts to chop down SRP.

Knowing that Soy Sopheap has better relationship with the CPP than with any other parties, his advice to Kem Sokha brings HRP closer to the CPP not to SRP. This makes Sam Rainsy’s statement relevant when he questioned Kem Sokha’s motives behind all activities done by Kem Sokha.

The lingering and dubious questions behind such motives started even before HRP was created. It will linger indefinitely until the issues of HRP’s relationship with the ruling party are clarified. I doubt that all questions can be explained satisfactorily given the nature of HRP’s business activities and Kem Sokha’s family and personal connection with the CPP. However, most SRP members know Kem Sokha and his HRP’s operation better than many of us do.

Realistically speaking, (if the politic is real) in the tightly controlled political arena where it is tough for HRP to compete, HRP has nowhere to go besides trying to take some advantages over SRP’s problems. Hence, Mao Monyvan’s case was boasted to drum up for monitory support. The excitement will not last when those defectors learn more that there is no different between the two parties.

Undoubtedly, only the CPP will benefit from all of this—with or without the political UNITY between SRP and HRP.

Leaders of the CPP know this quite well; hence the enemy of their enemy is their friend.

Prime Minister for Life

With the current electoral processes where people vote for a party not for an individual candidate, Premier Hun Sen will surely be the next prime minister until or unless: 1) he die, 2) is too old for the CPP, 3) he quits or else-- until he is forced out of the office like other dictators in other countries.


Many people in the oppositions and some observers probably bet or hope that Hun Sen will be forced out of power, but that chance is slim to none.

Looking at the top leaders of the CPP, it is unlikely that any one of them will be able to challenge PM Hun Sen without having a green light from Vietnam first.

Regardless how Cambodians feel about the Vietnamese, Vietnam does have great influences over the Cambodian People's Party. Whoever is skillful enough to promote special ties with Vietnam will have a bright future in this party.

Premier Hun Sen has also made it known that Cambodia owes so much to Vietnam for helping Cambodia from being wiped out by the Khmer Rouge--the former ally of Vietcong and North Vietnamese.

With the principle of virtuous gratitude or “Kunnathor” instilled in Cambodian’s frame of mind for generations, they will always be indebted to the Vietnamese. Likewise, the CPP members are thankful to their respective leaders as well as to Premier Hun Sen for giving them what they have so far.

With gratitude and personal interests in mind, the majority of voters will not mind to have Premier Hun Sen ruled Cambodia as long as he wishes. They deserve him.

Meanwhile, to date, the majority of Cambodian voters don’t see anything in store given by the oppositions; they have seen only empty promises. In additions the news and special events created by the oppositions are more of the same—disunity and disorganize.

The real obstacles to politcal unity

The main reason SRP changed its name was to avoid the internal coup that could split the party. We had seen such a coup in the past when internal fighting within a party split the party into pieces. It has been suspected that the split was the work of the ruling party which had the “ways and means” to buy out some greedy opposition’s leaders. But, you can't buy without a seller, can you?

Whether the work has been done by the ruling party or not, a self-named political entity can only last as long as the person with that name lives provided that he can hold on to his duty.

However, with the entire political arena controlled and monitored by the ruling party, the same can find the way to dismantle its opponents with little or no problems. The important thing is whether politicians truthfully believe in their own principles and are honest with their party and to themselves.

Being a father who is away from home, the family can be shattered; hence the concerns over Sam Rainsy Party without Sam Rainsy being home are understandable. It becomes clearer now that the theory behind naming a political party after one’s own name in order to stay united or to win does not work given that there is no proper democratic process in the political theater.

With the current electoral procedures, the oppositions have no chance to succeed. The political opportunity is set by the ruling party for the oppositions to play in order to legalize its rules. Many years ago Sam Rainsy said he would not become an alibi to the CPP, but as of today Sam Rainsy still wants to continue the same processes. His party has asked to the King to pardon Sam Rainsy so that he would be able to play again in the same uneven political ground. This reason proves that politicians use whatever tactics they can to stay in politic for it is their lifetime career.

Yim Sovann is rational enough for saying that some SRP defectors would only use other political parties such as HRP as a parking lot to move on. Some politicians have already done that. After all, Premier Hun Sen said he would always welcome more defectors to his party.

Learning from Yim Sovan meandering statements as well as my own experience, it is ashamed to find out that certain politicians are deceitful. A number of politicians are playing game by double-dealing having their family members working in different political parties to secure their family’s businesses and their own profession. Using the pain and suffering of Cambodian people as baits, some leaders mix up political and personal businesses at the expenses of innocent donors.

With regard to a mass defection, if it happens at all; it is not because one party is better than the other democratically. HRP is not democratic. Defection is about whether politicians see their potential in a certain party or not. Some people jump ship to seek a better position and/or for a better opportunity. After a while, when they learn about the new leadership and the lack of opportunity, they would do it again—and the final destination would be at the party that can offer them some money, security and position.

It is therefore reasonably concluded that, it’s not about the name of the party, nor about the democratic processes within a party that are the real obstacles for political unity. It’s about the attitude, level of commitment and moral obligation of many Cambodian politicians toward Cambodia’s national interests and toward their party’s principles.

Cambodian politic nowadays is nothing more than just a form of profession which is banking on the pain and suffering of the Cambodian people. However, if ones are mentally corrupted and blinded by money, sex and nepotism; no types of party on earth can help them win for Cambodia.

Regardless of what many corrupted politicians promise to the people, the smelling is too strong for most of them to believe.

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia youths boost cooperation

Another boost of the cooperation of the three countries is unfolded. This time they focus on youths--the younger generations. The event held by Ho Chi Minh Communist  Youth Union. 

This reminds us of the creation of the Indochinese Communist Party formed by the Vietnamese great man Ho Chi Minh back in 1930.   Ho Chi Minh Youth Union was founded in 1931.

Some of us may want to learn why Cambodian youths are still interested in communism and what the future of Cambodia will look like.

While the so-called democrats or democracy loving leaders are fighting each other, the communists are united.

Learn from them! Point your arrow on the above red and blue organization then click and learn.

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NATIONAL

Thursday ,Mar 24,2011, Posted at: 15:09(GMT+7)

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia youths boost cooperation

Young people from regional countries of Vietnam, Laos and  Cambodia joined in a friendship meeting in Hanoi on March 23. The event, held by the Hanoi ’s Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, aims to create a forum for youths from the three countries to meet and exchange experiences in educating the young generation to treasure solidarity, promote traditional friendship as well as maintain peace and boost cooperation in the future. The exchange, taking place on the occasion of the 80 th founding anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Year 2011, is a chance for Vietnamese youths to promote the country’s image as well as introduce their Lao and Cambodian counterparts achievements that Vietnamese young people have contributed to the country’s construction and defence. In the framework of the event, participants will take part in a talk themed “Vietnam- Laos- Cambodia youths promote traditional solidarity and friendship for mutual peace, cooperation and development” to update each other on mobilising youth and promote youth’s roles in cooperation for socio-economic development of the three countries. During the event, which will last till March 30, Lao and Cambodian youths will meet with Vietnamese students and visit the country’s historical sites and landscapes.

Source VNA

Opposition dilemma --The Unity is still in the clouds

Defection is nothing new...

Merging, cooperating, uniting, working together, etc. begin with the right attitude of all parties involved.

Nothing in their work now indicates that the Human Rights Party and Sam Rainsy Party can work together. It begins with the attitude of both men—the leaders.

However, if our national interest is not their number one priority they will never have the right attitude to unite. Given their personal records, I know Sam Rainsy is right—the Unity is in the clouds. I will elaborate later when I have the time.

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Opposition dilemma
phnompenhpost.com

Human Rights Party President Kem Sokha has invited members of the Kingdom’s largest opposition group, the Sam Rainsy Party, to defect to the HRP following the announcement this week that ex-SRP lawmaker Mao Monyvann would join the party.


Mao Monyvann, formerly an SRP parliamentarian from Kampong Cham province, resigned from his post earlier this month before holding a press conference this week to criticise the SRP leadership, accusing lawmakers Yim Sovann and Eng Chhay Eang of wielding excessive control over the party. In the aftermath of his comments, the SRP asked him to resign from the party and he joined the HRP.

SRP head Sam Rainsy now lives abroad to avoid a pair of jail terms totalling 12 years that were handed down against him last year in connection with a protest he staged at the Vietnamese border in 2009. He was stripped of his parliamentary seat earlier this month as a result of his convictions.

“The HRP will become the biggest opposition party in Cambodia if Sam Rainsy cannot return,” Kem Sokha said.

“We do not want him to be absent – I want to have him here as a partner,” Kem Sokha added. “But if he is not present, I believe the HRP will play an important role in pressing for a change from the current leadership.”

Yim Sovann said Kem Sokha was “dreaming” if he thought the HRP could become the Kingdom’s largest opposition party, noting that the HRP only holds three seats in the National Assembly compared with the SRP’s 25.

The spat raises questions about the proposed merger between the parties, which have been in talks for months but have yet to reach an agreement.

Merger talks between the HRP and SRP have stalled in part due to disagreements about the leadership structure of a unified party. SRP lawmaker Son Chhay said yesterday that his party was still committed to the negotiations, but that Mao Monyvann’s public criticisms this week had prompted a reassessment of the proposal.

“The HRP used Mao Monyvann’s attack and broadcasted it on the radio, and it is not right to act this way,” Son Chhay said.

Senior CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said the recent bickering among the opposition parties showed that a merger was unlikely.

“They cannot live together, and it has been this way for a long time,” he said. “The SRP has 25 parliamentarians and they do not allow a party with three parliamentarians to control them.”

Can Sam Rainsy Party survive without Sam Rainsy?

It is a real test for SRP, as this headless organization is trying to weather a violent storm. 

Internal power struggling (for positions and money) is generally the main factor. 

Without Sam Rainsy, SRP sooner or later will be crumbled.

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 This article is from The PPP:

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

Mao Monyvann, a former Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian who represented Kampong Cham province, speaks to reporters yesterday in front of the National Assembly in Phnom Penh.

Former Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Mao Monyvann has blasted the SRP leadership one week after announcing his resignation from parliament, charging that a handful of opposition leaders have monopolised control of the party.

Mao Monyvann, formerly an SRP parliamentarian representing Kampong Cham province, stepped down from his post last week, citing “personal reasons” and a promise he said he had made to his supporters that he would leave his post if he failed to increase support for the party in other provinces.

At a press conference held yesterday morning in front of the National Assembly, Mao Monyvann told reporters that the families of lawmakers Yim Sovann and Eng Chhay Eang had taken an excessive amount of control of the party in the absence of SRP president Sam Rainsy, who fled the Kingdom in 2009 to avoid a court case against him and remains in self-exile.

“Sam Rainsy has national ideals and bravery, but this cannot liberate him from the power of these two families,” Mao Monyvann said. “Do we have any hope at all if Sam Rainsy cannot liberate himself from the grasp of these two families?”

Yim Sovann’s wife, Ke Sovannaroth, is also an SRP lawmaker and serves as secretary general of the party. Eng Chhay Eang’s brother-in-law, Kuoy Bunroeun, is currently a lawmaker representing Takeo province who is set to replace Mao Monyvann in Kampong Cham as part of a parliamentary reshuffle announced earlier this year by the SRP.

Mao Monyvann was set to move to Takeo as part of the reshuffle, which was originally supposed to go into effect on Thursday but has since been postponed indefinitely. Mao Monyvann rebuked the party for this postponement, calling on it not to “return the words to its tongue”.

Mao Monyvann strongly denied having plans to defect to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party or any other party, though he said he preferred the leadership of the opposition Human Rights Party to that of the SRP.
Yim Sovann denied yesterday that his family wielded inordinate control over the party.

“In the SRP, a few individuals cannot do whatever they want,” he said. “There are millions of supporters – a few people cannot do whatever they want without a collective decision.”

Yim Sovann added that Mao Monyvann was within his rights to raise complaints, but that the SRP was confident in its strategy to take on the ruling party.

“It is normal that every decision will not make everyone happy,” he said.

Give rooms to the younger generations

Cambodian political landscape is now being divided into two main playing groups: the CPP and the Non-CPPs. While the CPP is still the “CPP,” the Non-CPPs are alienated into smaller parties including those which side with the CPP and those who claim to be democratic and nationalistic. For many years there have been speculations that the CPP would be crumbled, the rumors, however, have been falsely used to drum up supports for the Non-CPPs.

Both--the CPP and the Non-CPPs-- have been working hard to discredit their opponent(s.) The opponents to the CPP see nothing that the CPP does right and merely looking to count on what the CPP does badly so that they can gain popularity. The CPP, on the other hand, is trying to restrain its oppositions from pointing out what it does wrong and has used Cambodian legal system quite effectively to curb it opponents. The Non-CPPs seems to learn quite slowly not to walk into the CPP's legal trap.

While both sides are trying so hard, the CPP has the advantages over its opponents on all fronts. It has better financial backups, stronger infrastructures, and superior managerial skill. In addition, nearly all media networks favor the CPP and have had better relationship with the ruling party because of their financial ties and rewards. Many of us like to think that the CPP controls the media, but in reality, the media have been friendlier to the CPP because of their social ties, political ties, and financial interests. It should be noted that many newspapers in Cambodia belong to certain members of political party and independent newspapers do not exist.

Recently, the CPP has also infiltrated into overseas Cambodian communities and has done well in building its political and social networks in the US, Australia and in Europe. Pictures from Cambodia via Karaoke machines, television shows and tourists certainly make many overseas people think that Cambodia is now acceptable; hence they believe that Cambodia has been drastically improving. The CPP has managed to soften many hearts with their repeated propaganda and the help of overseas Khmers who have produced all kinds of entertainment products.

While the CPP has achieved its goals in many areas, the Non-CPPs are running out of valid reasons to effectively oppose the CPP. The passage of the anti-corruption laws will make the CPP smell better and it spells bad news for the oppositions. Those who look to get rich by becoming politicians or public officials to oppose the ruling party will have to think twice about their investments in Cambodian politics. Those who belong to the CPP have already achieved their financial riches and will continue to use their financial strength to protect their party's and personal interests.

What is left for the oppositions to attempt is their concentration on the emotional issues which strongly relate to Cambodia’s borders with Vietnam, human rights abuses, illegal immigration and political oppression. The key to their success will rest on what the majority of the Cambodians think. Will these particular issues matter to them on a daily bases? What matters to the oppositions might be irrelevant to ordinary Cambodians who have lived hand to mouth for many years.

Confrontation against the CPP will continue. Sam Rainsy and his party’s leaders have been working hard to expose Hun Sen and the CPP weaknesses, especially in the areas of border issue with Vietnam. Sam Rainsy even terms the arrest of the Thai engineer as being plotted by Hun Sen (and the Pheu Thai Party) in order to “divert public attention on Phnom Penh’s inaction against Vietnam's encroachment on thousands of square kilometers of Cambodia's territory.” Meanwhile Mme Mu SocHua has tried to win over Hun Sen on another issue- -the Women Rights issue. The leaders of the international community and NGOs seems to be very sympathetic and impressed with Mme Mu and her mission, unfortunately, Hun Sen also knows quite well that they are not Cambodian voters.

In reality, it’s the voters and the general gelection in the future that count. Most Cambodians do not care about some complicated issues that do not immediately affect their own pocket. They live day by day along with the ones whom they see the most--members of the CPP. Cambodian cultures have bonded those people together for many years and loyalty is the best policy for members of local Cambodian community.

With the current system in place the “déjà vu” of the electoral process will happen again. The CPP will employ their tricks and treats to win the heart and soul of Cambodian voters once more. With its financial strength, well established organizational structures at all levels and the “50% plus 1” system, the CPP will rule Cambodia for another 5 years from the next general election date. By then some kinds of the opposition party or parties continue to exist for just the alibis of the Cambodian People’s Party. The lack of organizational skill, manpower, and financial supports will drive members of the oppositions to defect to the ruling party. Cambodia and Vietnam will complete most of their tasks and there is nothing that ordinary Cambodians can do about that.

A few of those new and old professional politicians will manage to convince some susceptible overseas Khmer people to help support their life style in Cambodia for being heroic to fight against the CPP and its political machine. However, in real life there is not enough new blood Cambodians or resources to help support any viable political or non political movement to successfully challenge the CPP.

There will be no other alternative to help Cambodia better than the political processes which require all Cambodians to unite. This is the new challenge that the younger Khmer generations have to figure out. The older generations have had their opportunity to save and serve Cambodia, but for the most part, they have only saved and served their own personal interests. A drastic change is needed. Those who have failed to achieve true success for Cambodians and Cambodia need to step aside to make room for a fresh set of leaders to truly save and serve Cambodia. They cannot go on doing the same things and expect the difference.