SRP's Appeal for financial contribution in view of the preparation for the 2007 commune election

Phnom Penh, 01 February 2007

AN APPEAL TO ALL MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE SAM RAINSY PARTY

Dear Compatriots and Friends,

On April 1, exactly two months from today, Cambodia's second commune election will take place (the first having been held in 2002).

I believe that a great surprise can be expected when the election results come in on the evening of April 1.

In 2002, the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) was leading in only 13 communes out of a total of 1,621, while it obtained 17% of the popular votes at the national level.

During the 2003 legislative election, based on detailed results in each commune, the SRP led all other political parties in 225 communes, with 22% of votes obtained at the national level.

As detailed below, I have good reasons to believe that our party's growth trend has maintained and even accelerated during the past four years, and that we can expect to witness confirmation of this belief in two months.

1. A large number of youths are reaching voting age. Every year, more than 300,000 people reach the age of 18. This means that from one electoral mandate to the next, within a 5-year period, 1.5 million young voters are added to the current 7.5 million eligible voters. These young voters are relatively well educated and mostly jobless. They want political change in order to bring Cambodia to the path of modernity and social justice.
2. Land confiscations, victimizing poor farmers in all provinces of the country, create a major discontent among the population against the ruling party. The victims, numbered in the hundreds of thousands, are turning to the SRP as the body which stands for the anti-corruption fight and social justice.
3. The division within the Funcinpec party, which obtained 21% of votes in 2003, and the party's ensuing split into two infighting groups has caused a disintegration of the "royalist" movement.

For these reasons, the SRP, which becomes the second political party in the country in terms of votes obtained in 2003, is now on the right track to become the first party at the national level. In any case, I truly believe that the SRP will lead over all other parties in a large number of communes come April.

The success of our party in this year's commune election will decisively reinforce our chances for victory during the 2008 legislative election. Let's also not forget that, in 2003, the former communist CPP won the election over the democratic forces (SRP and Funcinpec combined) by only some 200,000 votes. Thus, a sustained effort is required to bring forth the victory for democracy in Cambodia.

In view of this important event, I am launching this appeal to all SRP Members and Friends, who are residing both inside Cambodia as well as overseas, to solicit their help and their active participation for the preparations leading to the April 1, 2007 election. The tasks that we need to achieve include the training of our candidates for the positions of commune chief and commune councilor, the training of about 28,000 party agents who will observe the election operations in more than 14,000 polling stations, and the electoral campaign itself which will extend from March 16 to March 30, 2007.

These preparations require a substantial amount of funding which we are currently working very hard to secure. Thanks to your generous contributions and to the dedication of all patriots and democrats, we will reach our goal.

Please accept, Dear Compatriots and Friends, my sincere regards and grateful appreciation.

Sam Rainsy

Please contact your nearest SRP chapter to send us your contribution. Alternatively, you can send us your contribution by direct electronic bank account wiring transfer to:

Beneficiary: Sam Rainsy Party
Account No.: 800-03-2 15931-6
Bank: Cambodian Commercial Bank Limited
Swift Code: SICOKHPP
Address: 26 Monivong Boulevard, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Telephone: (855) 23 426 145
Fax: (855) 23 426 116
Email: CCBPP@online.com.kh
Please mark "Elections" with your contribution.