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Cambodia – Fractured politics and a culture of monologue
The genesis of the culture of dialogue was the close-run 2013 general election when Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) came within a few hundred thousand votes (in an electorate of nearly 10 million) of losing the popular ballot to Rainsy’s CNRP.
With a youthful population tired of the cronyism, poor services and lack of opportunities available to them under a CPP government – and unreceptive to the ruling party’s mantra that it brought peace to Cambodia by defeating the Khmer Rouge – the trend was towards change.
The opposition is banking on that continuing and, with two-thirds of the population under 35, is confident of its chances in 2018. The CPP is understandably fearful, and has begun improving education (whose budget in 2016 will, at nearly $500 million, be double its 2013 level) while at the same time, perhaps ominously, shoring up the amount allocated to defense and the police (up nearly two-thirds over the same period to a combined $650 million).
Cambodia – Fractured politics and a culture of monologue
Op-Ed: DW
Over a year after Cambodia’s two main parties agreed on a “culture of dialogue,” the deal looks to have unraveled, with the PM warning only his re-election would keep the nation from civil war. Robert Carmichael reports.
The July 2014 agreement between Prime Minister Hun Sen and opposition leader Sam Rainsy was born of a close-run general election the previous year and a subsequent deadlocked, and at times bloody, political process that saw the opposition refuse to take the 55 seats they had won until allegations about electoral fraud were addressed.
But eventually, after months of opposition-led protests and increasingly violent suppression by the authorities, the two sides came to an arrangement. Under its terms, Hun Sen and Rainsy agreed to discuss key issues, while party worthies would resolve lesser disputes.
Political Paradigm of Pragmatism from the Khmer Youth part 40
This part (40), Mr. Sophan Seng continued to analyse the Education Reform in Cambodia through the measure of strict exam for High School students. According to the increase in state budget for Education Sector, it is a good move, but it has remained insufficient to ensure that modernization and standardization of this important part of long term development for Cambodia.
For the strict exam, it has triggered question on genuine reform of Education system in Cambodia. Strict exam might be happened to pressure on students and teachers who have been poorly supported by the state. Or strict exam may be happened to restore popularity after the continual bad reputation occurred inside the school compound.
Corruption has been rampant in Cambodia. Not only the corruption within the administrative and institution body, but the Education Sector has been infested by this social virus. Cambodia needs a bright and clear policy for Education Reform. Strict Exam is not responsive to Education Reform.
Hun Manet speaks to Beverley O’Connor of ABC News
Pragmatically speaking, there are many things to be considered from his speech, but I have not been confident and it shall not buy out on his two points argument: peace and stability, and corruption is a universal human failure.
In front of the 70% Cambodian young voters, Hun Sen has failed terribly on his boast of stability, peace and incremental progress during this 30 years under his power grip. Now his son has inherited such failure argument to aim on what?
Corruption is not a universal practice and it is not a universal value at all. He might not be able to distinguish the difference between institutional corruption and individual corruption (which lean into nature of human greed)? More than this whenever he has never spoken up against corruption, it means he has conspirated it or involved in corruption. This last resort is very unfortunate for Cambodia to be survived on this planet.
At the end, observing from his stance, it is not wrong to attest the public saying: “like father like son” within a general perception. One of the likeness illustrated is the “self-defense” politics… I could assure you all that this self-defense approach has been very outdated. Whenever the incumbent clan of Cambodia politics has never learnt to accept mistakes, failure, reality, and Pragmatism, the navy of Cambodia is remained in the brink of danger.
(Courtesy: Sophoan Seng facebook)
Hun Manet speaks to Beverley O’Connor‘Not no, not yes’ Hun Manet, the son of Cambodia’s prime minister Hun Sen, has declined to say if he wants the top job one day in a rare interview.
Posted by Radio Australia on Friday, October 16, 2015
Hun Sen takes one last shot at Todd
Hun Sen takes one last shot at Todd
Boasting of his more than 30 years’ ruling Cambodia, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Saturday that he could teach a thing or two to the West about running a country while managing demands for change.The premier, who is Southeast Asia’s longest-serving current leader, recalled a conversation he had with former United States ambassador William Todd as the diplomat prepared to leave Cambodia earlier this month.
“I told him, have you forgotten who His Excellency [William Todd] is speaking with?
His Excellency is actually speaking with a professor who can teach him, his president, and the prime ministers of other countries about the issues that come with change,” Hun Sen said, speaking at a dinner held by an association of Cambodia’s most powerful tycoons on the capital’s Koh Pich, or Diamond Island.
“If I didn’t understand change and couldn’t control it, how would it be possible for me to stay in power for over 30 years?”
Hun Sen said he had grown weary of hearing calls for “change” from Western countries, mocking the US for the changes that had come about in some countries in the Middle East.
“I am tired of the advice of some countries telling Cambodia to change,” he said.
“I told [Todd] that because America’s inability to control ‘change’ in Libya, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, ISIS is now active.”
Hun Sen went on to say that Cambodia had undergone successful transformations without outside interference.