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Political Analysis: State and Society, Power Kills
I would like to call for those participants in the upcoming demonstration to chant this mantra together “Natthi Santi Param Sukham, Nibbanam Paramam Sukham នត្ថិ សន្តិ បរំ សុខំ និព្វានំ បរមំ សុខំ”.
This is the stanza of nonviolence and tolerance!
As I am contemplating on the “Political Leadership”, this analysis will elaborate on new paradigm shift of Cambodia’s political challenges and the reflection of its leadership. The two premises will be discussed here: State and Society and the “Power Kills” perspective.
State and Society
30 years have been swiftly passed, Cambodian politicians are gradually influenced by the Cambodian people especially the young energetic and innovative youth. The 30% of Cambodian population is the “youth bulk” which is considered the never-dry force of society. Politicians from both parties must listen to the demand of the youth. They must not miss the important episode of youth movement to chapter new page of history in this country.
While the CNRP has been clearly confirming its goal on setting public mass demonstration, the ruling party is likely running around the bush. The goal is to demand for an independent body of a commission to investigate the Election Irregularities. However, the rhetoric is still dichotomous between the CNRP and the CPP. As the set date of demonstration is looming, the rhetoric is somehow out of context. CNRP has firmly stood on its principle of civility and the mass power of non-violence. The need for the reform as well as the independent body of the National Election Committee (NEC) is their impetus. To reach that independent solution, CNRP has called for the participation of civil society and the United Nations to co-host this investigation. But the CPP has seen the Cambodian National Constitution has allowed only NEC to task this election and the participation from other groups including the United Nations is a infringement to the National Constitution.
Nonetheless, the CPP has been seen as taking for grant from the Royal Message dated on August 30th, 2013 that it is paralleling with its former argument. Recently, the Royal Message has been criticized on its originality and authenticity.
Hence, the argument made by the CNRP has absorbed more intellectual and liberal approaches:
1. The public demonstration is guaranteed by the National Constitution. Cambodian nationals of both sex can exercise their freedom on things they have seen irregular or injustice. Their freedom of expression including the freedom of assembly and demonstration must not be deprived by any mean or restriction.
2. The democracy has been built by the concept of State and Society in which these two components are inseparable. State roughly means Elected Government from a free and fair electoral mechanism and it is distributing authority and power through servant leadership as the people are considered their master. Society legally means civilians who are actively engaging in monitoring as well as questioning the wrongdoing of the state. The important ingredient of a successful democracy is the competent participation of the civil society. I can say that Cambodian civil society has not only discouraged from the government, this important country pillar has been neglected by the government in helping to solve the national disputes.
At the moment, the Cambodian politicians must develop their political maturity by implementing rightly the provision of the National Constitution, the Principle of Democracy and the Demand of the Youths.
Power Kills
When I was enrolling “Political Leadership” for my Master’s Degree in Political Science at the University of Hawaii, I was struck by the term “Power Kills” coined by R. J. Rummel for his book “Democracy as a Method of Nonviolence”. Further to this descriptive and qualitative research of this long life masterpiece, he observed that authoritative, dictatorship, or totalitarian regimes have been gradually defeated by the growing up of democracy. Some of his examples are Idi Amin of Uganda, Augusto Pinochet of Chile, Muammar al-Qaddafi of Libya, or Park Chung Hee of South Korea.
He endorsed the nonviolence which has been successfully conducted by previous leaders such as Ghandi or Luther King. Of course, this nonviolence approach is not new, Lord Buddha utilized it effectively during his period to counter with those dictators and greedy powerful entities.
I would like to call for those participants in the upcoming demonstration to chant this mantra together “Natthi Santi Param Sukham, Nibbanam Paramam Sukham នត្ថិ សន្តិ បរំ សុខំ និព្វានំ បរមំ សុខំ”.
This is the stanza of nonviolence and tolerance!
By Sophoan
More resourceful reading:
Political myth and the reality on the “return”
When I was young, I saw the best man (key actor) of the local opera always lost at the beginning but won at the end. The endurance during this loss-win intermittent is their exit trip by escaping from the palace to explore knowledge (ចំណេះដឹង) and authority (បារមី) from the jungle.
Cambodian political leaders have significantly accumulated their authority and galvanized their supporters from the sampling of this Khmer local opera. Remarkably, the historical myth of this story tells us following:
King Norodom Sihanouk returned immediately from his school “Lycée Chasseloup Laubat” in Saigon, Southern Vietnam, to accept the coronation in 10 days after the previous Crown (his maternal grandfather King Sisovath Munivong) passed away on 23 April 1941. He is known as enthusiastic young prince. His knowledge and experiences accumulated from outside Cambodia partly factored the popularity for his successful non-violence mass demonstration to free Cambodia from French colony. He succeeded the mission on 9 November 1953.
For Pol Pot, his attempt for revolution from inside the city likely yielded in vain. Pol Pot traveled to the jungle and built up his reputation from there. In this fact, once I heard ex-professor Keng Vansak made a joke among Khmer Rouge revolutionists that if they wished to succeed, they must accumulate power from the forest by an analogy comparing to key actor(s) of Khmer opera who can liberate the kingdom only after he returned back from the forest.
The myth of this story re-iterated in Cambodia again when Sam Rainsy, the key leader of opposition party (CNRP) returned back to Cambodia on 19 July 2013 after nearly 4 years of self-imposed exile in French. The return was remarked by the largest rally of supporters (majorly youths) in the history of Cambodia politics, to greet him.
At the moment, while the preliminary results of national election declared by NEC, the two key political parties are contesting on the free and fair, and the credible performance of the NEC, Sam Rainsy is on his trip to the US to participate with his daughter’s wedding including other permissible opportunities.
Hence, the return of Sam Rainsy from this trip will surely surprise Cambodian people, if not little, it would be gigantic.
Peace,
Sophoan
NEC is the bridge but plays its role towards destruction
If Cambodian leaders can put aside personal view, and put the interest of the nation first, the recommendation of Special Rapporteur Surya Subedi is the win win approach for this nation.
