By Yun Samean
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
The National Assembly is scheduled to vote on a controversial draft law Tuesday that would require Cambodian men aged 18 to 30 to serve in the military for 18 months. CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said mandatory conscription was important to strengthen the military. "If we have strong military forces, neighboring countries would not look down on us," Cheam Yeap said. SRP lawmaker Yim Sovann said SRP parliamentarians would not support the law unless military service was made voluntary and the government stated the exact number of recruits needed. Cheam Yeap said the number of recruits would vary from year to year, depending on the money available to pay them.
2 comments:
What is Cheam Yeap's notion of strong military forces? In term of quantity or quality? Military forces that protect and serve the CPP only? Military forces that are only used against their own people? Large military forces whose members are only thinking about feeding their poor families while carrying their rifles? If Cambodia cannot even produce rifles and ammunitions, and no money to buy expensive hi-tech military hardware (the government could not even pay for the repair of the MIGs, so they are grounded), is Cheam Yeap going to scare our neighbours with a superior number of skinny and hungry conscripts with aging AK-47 rifles?
While more and more Western nations (France is the latest one) are moving away from mandatory conscription to smaller but professional armed forces, the CPP has chosen to implement the mandatory conscription while the military officers are still taking a cut from the salaries of the existing soldiers. Perhaps, it is just another way for the CPP top brass to earn more monies, now that the trees are almost gone.
Traders and business people are more likely to offer bribes to the military officials to keep their sons working for their businesses. Farmers may have to sell their live stock to bribe the military officials to keep their sons in the farms. Military officials are likely to take a cut from the monies for the conscripts. Sons of prominent CPP members will be exempt. There is no transparency to ensure that the mandatory conscription will be conducted properly and fairly. Actually, there is a general lack of transparencies in all public institutions right now.
To Cheam Yeap,
Nobody look down on us, Cheam Yeap. Let's just use your brain little bit. Don't just open your mouth and bark like dog.
You should not be a Lawmaker. Every comment you make, it doesn't make sense.
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