October 19, 2006
On October 17, because independent observers and the opposition had expressed concern that the voter registration process would likely not be completed as expected, the National Election Committee (NEC) accepted to extend the registration deadline from October 20 to 24.
Today, on behalf of an unexpectedly large number of potential voters who have been so far unable to register because of countless administrative problems, opposition leader Sam Rainsy wrote a letter to thank NEC president Im Suosdey for the 4-day extension.
However, he points to a problem that has been paralyzing most voter registration offices over the last ten days throughout the country: a systemic shortage of administrative forms (# 1018 and particularly # 1022) that need to be filled in order to get registered. The letter says: "The extension is useless if registration remains stalled because of the form shortage."
Besides, Sam Rainsy denounces the arbitrary restrictions on the delivery of certificates of residence by commune chiefs. These forms (# 1019) are necessary for the registration of persons who have moved from their native communes to new communes where they now live and work (factory workers, migrant workers, students, victims of land grabs and evictions). According to public announcements printed and broadcast with the financial support of the UNDP, any displaced person can get registered in his/her new commune of residence provided he/she can produce two witnesses who can be ordinary citizens living in the same commune. But most commune chiefs have recently decided that village chiefs in their communes have the final say on the delivery of certificates of residence. Because all village chiefs are CPP- affiliated, they tend to block the registration of people who they know are not CPP members. This arbitrary decision is in contradiction with the UNDP-financed public announcements. [The UNDP is the coordinator for all international assistance to the organization of elections in Cambodia].
Finally, Sam Rainsy demands that an additional extension of the registration period be granted to some very large communes. While the smaller communes have only a few hundreds voters, the larger ones have tens of thousands voters. [Cambodia's largest commune is Poipet with about 60,000 potential voters]. Whether small or large, any commune has only one secretary with only one stamp to do all the registration work. The secretary and the stamp have to move from one village to another. When there are more people than the secretary (and possibly a few assistants) can handle, the situation becomes chaotic and leads to the exclusion of a large portion of citizens from the registration process. The people who are excluded are those perceived as not supportive of the ruling CPP while all CPP members have already been registered since the early stage of the process thanks to the discrimination operated by CPP-affiliated state and election officials.
SRP Members of Parliament
To read Sam Rainsy's letter in Khmer click here.
NEC FOOLS UNDP AND PUBLIC OPINION
On October 17, because independent observers and the opposition had expressed concern that the voter registration process would likely not be completed as expected, the National Election Committee (NEC) accepted to extend the registration deadline from October 20 to 24.
Today, on behalf of an unexpectedly large number of potential voters who have been so far unable to register because of countless administrative problems, opposition leader Sam Rainsy wrote a letter to thank NEC president Im Suosdey for the 4-day extension.
However, he points to a problem that has been paralyzing most voter registration offices over the last ten days throughout the country: a systemic shortage of administrative forms (# 1018 and particularly # 1022) that need to be filled in order to get registered. The letter says: "The extension is useless if registration remains stalled because of the form shortage."
Besides, Sam Rainsy denounces the arbitrary restrictions on the delivery of certificates of residence by commune chiefs. These forms (# 1019) are necessary for the registration of persons who have moved from their native communes to new communes where they now live and work (factory workers, migrant workers, students, victims of land grabs and evictions). According to public announcements printed and broadcast with the financial support of the UNDP, any displaced person can get registered in his/her new commune of residence provided he/she can produce two witnesses who can be ordinary citizens living in the same commune. But most commune chiefs have recently decided that village chiefs in their communes have the final say on the delivery of certificates of residence. Because all village chiefs are CPP- affiliated, they tend to block the registration of people who they know are not CPP members. This arbitrary decision is in contradiction with the UNDP-financed public announcements. [The UNDP is the coordinator for all international assistance to the organization of elections in Cambodia].
Finally, Sam Rainsy demands that an additional extension of the registration period be granted to some very large communes. While the smaller communes have only a few hundreds voters, the larger ones have tens of thousands voters. [Cambodia's largest commune is Poipet with about 60,000 potential voters]. Whether small or large, any commune has only one secretary with only one stamp to do all the registration work. The secretary and the stamp have to move from one village to another. When there are more people than the secretary (and possibly a few assistants) can handle, the situation becomes chaotic and leads to the exclusion of a large portion of citizens from the registration process. The people who are excluded are those perceived as not supportive of the ruling CPP while all CPP members have already been registered since the early stage of the process thanks to the discrimination operated by CPP-affiliated state and election officials.
SRP Members of Parliament
To read Sam Rainsy's letter in Khmer click here.
2 comments:
Fuck the UN, looking for way to save ourselve!
Chess dupp minn smear procupp muoy
Hun Sen vs Ranaiddh or
Sam Rainsy vs Hun Sen
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