CNRP must not neglect this absorbing activity through concessioning various political means such as accepting to reform the NEC within a jargon paper contract (while deviling in details), giving TV channel (while strictly regulating inside the application form (អញ្ញាប័ណ្ណ)), and upgrading opposition party to officially recognize through the constitution in mandating power of opposition leader paralleling to that Prime Minister (while the leverages and obligations of this post are not yet detailed) etc.
Today is January 1, 2015. I am staying home for this year holiday. This holiday should accommodate me inside couch to read or to watch movies rather than keyboarding to express view on the blog. Actually, I cannot abstain to pen idea and paint vision for the collective interests of Cambodia at all.
CNRP is the opposition party that has been built within democratic principles while CPP has been born from different wombs of political spectrum. Opposition’s obligations are to criticize the government. Criticizing government doesn’t mean you are going to oppose everything that government has been doing, or to say the least, if the government is continuing to jail opposition activists and civil rights activists, opposition leaders must not only say this activity is not to create the culture of dialogue or politics of cooperation. Deploying this rhetoric doesn’t translate the duties and obligations of the opposition at all.
Why CNRP must slow down or low down its criticizing crusade towards the government? Because the opposition wants a new NEC to be reborn first, or waiting for other appropriate circumstances etc.? No. No. Criticizing the government in failure to implement the laws, to develop economic equally, or to fail to put the interest of the nation first etc. is a must. Opposition CNRP must continue to criticize and furthering its critics authority by bringing professionalism to its table through doing scientific researches and compiling those research findings into dossiers or documents to educate the public.
Whenever, CNRP stopped criticizing the government (ruling party), it means the life of the CNRP shall also perish.
2559 or 2015?
According to Cambodian lunar calendar, the new year shall likely start in the first moon day of Vishakha each year. This adoption owing to the birth of Lord Buddha on the Full Moon of Vishaka, so from that day should be considered the first day of the year calendar. However, Cambodia norm and costume have adopted Gregorian lunar month to follow the phase of the moon by calculating according to bright moon night (ខ្នើត)and dark moon night (រនោច). The first month Khmers have started to count is likely first moon day (១ កើត) of Magha (មាឃ) fallen into around ending of November and middle of December. This lunar month calendar has been using among Buddhist temple congregations and rural Cambodians. But as probably adopted by French colony, the city dwellers and government including school teachers and students are using Solar Calendar system like Western culture by adopting January (មករា), February (កុម្ភៈ) etc. and use the A.D. year.
Since the protectorate French till now, no one and no government has initiated exact standard of Khmer calendar for Cambodians to use. In Thailand, the same manner has been once adjusted by a Thai leader Phiboun Sangram who changed from Siam to Thailand, and adopted Thai calendar that is paralleling to that of Western calendar system.
The two-ways practicing of calendar in Cambodia has troubled a lot for this country. It has also created unresponsiveness on culture aspects, the working hours, the holidays, and the punctuality of the people.
CNRP & CPP
Talking about calendar, it is an expression indicating action plan and grand policy of the two political parties. For CNRP, its action plan and grand policy would be “Culture of Dialogue, Non-violence, Cooporation, Peace, Rule of Laws, Democracy, and Sustainability etc.” by “transforming its stand from confrontational approaches to partnering for unity and sustainable development of Cambodia (ផ្លាស់ប្តូរជំហរពីការប្រឈមមុខដាក់គ្នាអោយទៅជាដៃគូដើម្បីសាមគ្គីជាតិនិងការអភិវឌ្ឍន៍ជាតិប្រកបដោយនិរន្តរភាព)”. For CPP, its action plan and grand policy have probably inscribed within the triangular policy; as the party is the government-led one, its leader publicly stated on carrying in-dept reform through the philosophy of “showering, cleansing body, and mirroring (ងូតទឹក ដោសក្អែល ឆ្លុះកញ្ចក់)”.
This new action plan and grand policy have its own sources of power and failure. For CNRP, it shall face a challenge from those senior Cambodians or baby-boomer generation whose mentality have been strongly embedded in confrontation attitude to seek victory over their rivals. As evidence, since ascending to engage in accepting parliamentarian seats and following political deals with Hun Sen to aim at lasting political institutionalization, CNRP has likely been applauded by the post-baby boomers and younger generations or among those educated and pragmatic citizens. But CNRP has been condemned by those hardliners or group of senior and baby-boomer citizens (read more on perception of different demographic impacts on Cambodia politics). For CNRP, this grand policy has diffused absolute goal of changing the political attitude of their political rival from inside rather than strengthening their bond by working to excessive confronting against them from outside. For CPP, the political rhetoric of in-dept reform and triangular policy have been observed as the political advertisement to advocate support from both voters and international aids donors. In fact, the CPP has gripped everything in hand to control but the party just needs morale support from both voters and foreign aids donors. In the meantime, the CPP has seen opportunity to absorb CNRP through the new grand policy of this party. It is not merely described but it has been implemented by the CPP strategists in hope to gradually debase this party.
CNRP must not neglect this absorbing activity through concessioning various political means such as accepting to reform the NEC within a jargon paper contract (while deviling in details), giving TV channel (while strictly regulating inside the application form (អញ្ញាប័ណ្ណ)), and upgrading opposition party to officially recognize through the constitution in mandating power of opposition leader paralleling to that Prime Minister (while the leverages and obligations of this post are not yet detailed) etc.
In contrast from efforting to conduct in-dept reform, the observers are closely understanding the continual uses of “divide and conquer, or carrot and stick” tactic of the ruling party. As evidence, the jailing of those political and land rights activists, the forcing to jail Buddhist monks, and the court questioning on those activists non-stopped, all are truly an attempt to silent them, or politically motivated. The creation of new Khmer for Khmer Network contempting to creating a grassroots political party, or recent defecting campaign of Mrs. Lak Sopheap etc. have been seen as one of the causes levied by the ruling party.
On the other hand, the newly married CNRP from SRP and HRP have been easily fragile in term of its historical background, human resources, and not-in-place merging mechanism. As evidence, the Khmers overseas supporters have already been regrouped into two models: formerly recognized CNRP chapter networks, and newly recognized as supporting group.
Pragmatically speaking, CNRP has merged by marrying two democratic leaders who have shared different experiences, different level of social acceptance, and political maturity. But the regrouping of overseas Khmers supporters is a good model to allow them competing among themselves and gain credentials from their own merits and hard working, rather than through favoritism and corrupted bureaucrats.
Political Common Sense of Cambodia
While Cambodia has become two parties state, the political rhetoric to engage in in-dept reform have been common from both parties. The aim to strengthen the rule of laws, respect of human rights, fair distribution of nation wealth, and democratic processes, all are common from both parties.
CNRP has leverage to criticize policy carried out by the ruling party solely to achieve this reform. As parliament is the law creation, the executive (ruling party) must genuinely implement and enforce it. CNRP must bear in mind that the new culture of dialogue doesn’t mean the party cannot criticize the government. In civilized democratic countries, the vibrant opposition means that party can engage in “effective criticizing crusade”.
While both CNRP and CPP have aimed to achieve common goals, the unlawful practices and outcomes must be probed or punished. But several decades ago, the political culture of unresponsible unlawful activities have never been changed. Why? It is because of lacking mechanism and political wills in place?
CNRP and CPP is in contrast and its strength
CNRP is the opposition party that has been built within democratic principles while CPP has been born from different wombs of political spectrum. Opposition’s obligations are to criticize the government. Criticizing government doesn’t mean you are going to oppose everything that government has been doing, or to say the least, if the government is continuing to jail opposition activists and civil rights activists, opposition leaders must not only say this activity is not to create the culture of dialogue or politics of cooperation. Deploying this rhetoric doesn’t translate the duties and obligations of the opposition at all.
Why CNRP must slow down or low down its criticizing crusade towards the government? Because the opposition wants a new NEC to be reborn first, or waiting for other appropriate circumstances etc.? No. No. Criticizing the government in failure to implement the laws, to develop economic equally, or to fail to put the interest of the nation first etc. is a must. Opposition CNRP must continue to criticize and furthering its critics authority by bringing professionalism to its table through doing scientific researches and compiling those research findings into dossiers or documents to educate the public.
Whenever, CNRP stopped criticizing the government (ruling party), it means the life of the CNRP shall also perish.