Election in Cambodia (Photo: AFP)09 August 2006
By Mao Sotheany
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
The Sam Rainsy Party is planning to hold a press conference on Friday 11 August at its headquarter in Phnom Penh to present the irregularities in the ongoing preparations for the commune council election scheduled for 2007.
Kuoy Bun Roeun, SRP MP from Takeo, told RFA on 08 August about irregularity problems as well as money extortion from the population for issuing election registration.
Kuoy Bun Roeun said: “In this [upcoming] election, the National Election Committee (NEC) no longer allows people to use their voter registration from 1998, 2000, and 2003 to vote, and they need identification card to vote. However, we have observed that in cities and in provinces, not all the population has received their ID card yet. In some regions, it is true that ID cards are being issued, but the information [about the issuing of ID card] has not been passed on broadly to the population. Secondly, people are not seeking to obtain an ID card because the officials issuing ID cards are demanding them money, this is contrary to the promise made by H.E. Sar Kheng, the vice-prime minister, who promised the National Assembly that the issuing of Cambodian ID card to the population will be done without fees.”
When asked whether the SRP has any solution to these problems in order to pave the way for a just, free, and equitable commune council election, Mr. Kuoy Bun Roeun discussed about the following activities: “The first solution is we are trying hard to follow of the directives of the party at the local level, that’s the first step. Secondly, we are recalling the NEC, an organization in charge of preparing the elections, to practice [its duty] justly and according to the law, and it also should act as an independent institution, not according to orders issued by the ruling party. Thirdly, we want to have international community, in particular, donor countries to pay attention or to impose a number of conditions in order to guarantee a fair election in accordance to the aid of $13 million the NEC is currently asking from a number of foreign countries. The $13 million aid should be used to bring true democracy to our country.”
RFA cannot contact NEC officials yet regarding the issued raised by the SRP MP.
Kuoy Bun Roeun, SRP MP from Takeo, told RFA on 08 August about irregularity problems as well as money extortion from the population for issuing election registration.
Kuoy Bun Roeun said: “In this [upcoming] election, the National Election Committee (NEC) no longer allows people to use their voter registration from 1998, 2000, and 2003 to vote, and they need identification card to vote. However, we have observed that in cities and in provinces, not all the population has received their ID card yet. In some regions, it is true that ID cards are being issued, but the information [about the issuing of ID card] has not been passed on broadly to the population. Secondly, people are not seeking to obtain an ID card because the officials issuing ID cards are demanding them money, this is contrary to the promise made by H.E. Sar Kheng, the vice-prime minister, who promised the National Assembly that the issuing of Cambodian ID card to the population will be done without fees.”
When asked whether the SRP has any solution to these problems in order to pave the way for a just, free, and equitable commune council election, Mr. Kuoy Bun Roeun discussed about the following activities: “The first solution is we are trying hard to follow of the directives of the party at the local level, that’s the first step. Secondly, we are recalling the NEC, an organization in charge of preparing the elections, to practice [its duty] justly and according to the law, and it also should act as an independent institution, not according to orders issued by the ruling party. Thirdly, we want to have international community, in particular, donor countries to pay attention or to impose a number of conditions in order to guarantee a fair election in accordance to the aid of $13 million the NEC is currently asking from a number of foreign countries. The $13 million aid should be used to bring true democracy to our country.”
RFA cannot contact NEC officials yet regarding the issued raised by the SRP MP.
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TO REACH A STAR IN THE SKY!
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