Tuesday, March 27, 2007
By Chheang Bopha Cambodge Soir
Unofficial translation from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read Cambodge Soir’s original article in French
Long underestimated because they are submitted to the political ideas of their elders, the youth are starting to be involved in political life, and to put forward their demands to the candidates. This mobilization of the youth segment is being actively pursued by the Youth Council of Cambodia (YCC) NGO.
Since the beginning of the election campaign, Piseth and his friends did not set foot in the their classroom. Packed in trucks and wearing the color of the CPP, they crisscross the roads of the capital with older party members, shouting party slogans. For Piseth, this is his first election campaign and it entertains him. To top it of, his parents are not after him for skipping school. “My parents support the CPP, and they agree that I participate in the election campaign of this party,” he explains. In Cambodia, the majority of people consider that the youth, just like Piseth, vote like their elders and that they are not interested in politics, a field reserved mainly for the older folks. But, according to Kul Panha, the director of Comfrel, the election observation organization, “we note that, more and more youth are no longer remaining indifferent to political issues.” “In Cambodia, the children tend to follow the political choice of their parents. But, things could change with a better distribution of information on the different political choices promoted by the political parties.”
That is exactly what the Youth Council of Cambodia is dedicated to. The council is a NGO which claims to have 650 members, most of them are students in Phnom Penh. The NGO has deployed its members to nine provinces and municipalities to encourage the youth to take interest in politics. “They are confronted by joblessness, and they don’t have access to quality education, or to medical care. They must be aware of what the political parties are saying on these issues, and they should use their voting ballot to find an answer to their problems,” Mak Sarath, the coordinator of the NGO explained. He also calls on the political parties to pay more attention to this voters segment. According to the number provided the National Election Committee, the size of voters between the age of 18 and 25, accounts for 25% of the total number of voters. The NGO claim that this youth number is not negligible. “These youth are new voters, and no one knows for whom they will vote for. The political leaders should integrate this voters segment into their strategy. The parties must discuss about job, for example,” Mak Sarath stressed. His NGO recommends that voters should give their support to political parties whose candidates are not “corrupt and violent.”
Sok Chamroeun Phearak took an education class provide by the YCC. On April 1st, he will vote for the first time, and while waiting for the election day, he shares with his friends the knowledge he learned about the election on how to insert the voting ballot into the box. “Before, they said that the youth should concentrate on their studies, and leave to the elders to take care of politics. I do not agree with that. The youth represents the majority of the population and the more we are, the more we will be listened to,” the young man said.
Some are difficult to convince to go to vote. Yim Saroeun, a 24-year-old member of the Youth Council, tries to spread the good words among the youth in his Stung Meanchey district. “They are confronted by joblessness, lack of security, drugs, for a long time, and nothing has changed. So, some told me that there’s no use to go to vote. I explain to them that if they don’t vote, then there’s no chance for their problems to be taken care of by politics,” Saroeun said.
At 23-year-old, Kunthea, like her sister, are already among those who are deceived by politics. Both sisters have decided not to go to vote. “We don’t want to see the incumbent party winning again at the commune leadership, because its representatives are corrupt and they never stop asking money from us, without paying any attention to the development. We are more inclined towards the candidates from other political parties, but they are not competent. So we have decided not to vote for anybody,” Kunthea explained. No arguments seem good enough to make her change her mind.
For additional information about the Youth Council of Cambodia, click here.
Since the beginning of the election campaign, Piseth and his friends did not set foot in the their classroom. Packed in trucks and wearing the color of the CPP, they crisscross the roads of the capital with older party members, shouting party slogans. For Piseth, this is his first election campaign and it entertains him. To top it of, his parents are not after him for skipping school. “My parents support the CPP, and they agree that I participate in the election campaign of this party,” he explains. In Cambodia, the majority of people consider that the youth, just like Piseth, vote like their elders and that they are not interested in politics, a field reserved mainly for the older folks. But, according to Kul Panha, the director of Comfrel, the election observation organization, “we note that, more and more youth are no longer remaining indifferent to political issues.” “In Cambodia, the children tend to follow the political choice of their parents. But, things could change with a better distribution of information on the different political choices promoted by the political parties.”
That is exactly what the Youth Council of Cambodia is dedicated to. The council is a NGO which claims to have 650 members, most of them are students in Phnom Penh. The NGO has deployed its members to nine provinces and municipalities to encourage the youth to take interest in politics. “They are confronted by joblessness, and they don’t have access to quality education, or to medical care. They must be aware of what the political parties are saying on these issues, and they should use their voting ballot to find an answer to their problems,” Mak Sarath, the coordinator of the NGO explained. He also calls on the political parties to pay more attention to this voters segment. According to the number provided the National Election Committee, the size of voters between the age of 18 and 25, accounts for 25% of the total number of voters. The NGO claim that this youth number is not negligible. “These youth are new voters, and no one knows for whom they will vote for. The political leaders should integrate this voters segment into their strategy. The parties must discuss about job, for example,” Mak Sarath stressed. His NGO recommends that voters should give their support to political parties whose candidates are not “corrupt and violent.”
Sok Chamroeun Phearak took an education class provide by the YCC. On April 1st, he will vote for the first time, and while waiting for the election day, he shares with his friends the knowledge he learned about the election on how to insert the voting ballot into the box. “Before, they said that the youth should concentrate on their studies, and leave to the elders to take care of politics. I do not agree with that. The youth represents the majority of the population and the more we are, the more we will be listened to,” the young man said.
Some are difficult to convince to go to vote. Yim Saroeun, a 24-year-old member of the Youth Council, tries to spread the good words among the youth in his Stung Meanchey district. “They are confronted by joblessness, lack of security, drugs, for a long time, and nothing has changed. So, some told me that there’s no use to go to vote. I explain to them that if they don’t vote, then there’s no chance for their problems to be taken care of by politics,” Saroeun said.
At 23-year-old, Kunthea, like her sister, are already among those who are deceived by politics. Both sisters have decided not to go to vote. “We don’t want to see the incumbent party winning again at the commune leadership, because its representatives are corrupt and they never stop asking money from us, without paying any attention to the development. We are more inclined towards the candidates from other political parties, but they are not competent. So we have decided not to vote for anybody,” Kunthea explained. No arguments seem good enough to make her change her mind.
For additional information about the Youth Council of Cambodia, click here.
4 comments:
There are the future of Khmer Empire.
Piseth and fellow Cambodian Youths:
All of you need to think about the future of Cambodia. Don't follow your parent footstep. If they join the bad party, don't follow them. Vote for the good party that you think will do good for Cambodia and its people. If you vote the wrong party like CPP, your future will depend on you. See the current and past situation on how this CPP had done to Cambodia and its people. Corruption, signed land to Vietnam, Grabbing land from poor people, killing innocent and opponents, let Vienamese people to live freely in Cambodia especially in Tole Sap and on and on.
So vote for the party that make good for your country. Like President Kennedy said "You can do for your country and not what your country can do for you". It's very powerful message.
Only one Piseth doesn't reflect the whole youth of the country. Most youth (major) are concerning to change leader and change strategy of vote and taste new leader.
Youth of Cambodia need their brighter future not sack of rice or sarong like their corrupted elders.
Youth is important for the future of Cambodia.
I think that that Piseth is one of those who got paid from CPP to do this advertisement, his parent is proabbly one of the fucken up currupted family who slaughter others for money, he's just doing it because he's living in a good life, i'm one of the students also, i think that based on history of CPP, it should end here, no more CPP, all the top rank people are their friends and family, it's okay if they are educated, but the facts that they are not, how can you allow ignorance individual like that run a whole damn country, doesn't make sense, does it? I absolutely detest CPP.
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