By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Sam Rainsy, Cambodian opposition leader, blamed the fact that more than 2 million people did not vote during the commune election was because the National Election Committee (NEC) serves the ruling party’s interest.
On Saturday morning, Sam Rainsy said: “In the analysis [performed] not just by the Sam Rainsy Party, but also by the civil society, and all national and international observers, we believe that the low turnout of the voters was the CPP’s design by using the NEC as its political tool to prevent and discriminate against those who do not support the CPP from voting by creating hurdles: such as not being able to find their names on the voting list, telling them they lack documents, and even the location of the polling stations was changed. People were confused and didn’t have the proper documents, for some who have all the documents [necessary to vote] and they could find their names on the voting list, but they found out that somebody else already voted in their name. These are the tricks prepared by the NEC to serve the interest of the CPP.”
NEC officials did not react or comment on these accusations.
Tep Nytha, NEC secretary-general, declined to comment on these issues saying that all the problems have already been resolved and have been positively evaluated by national and international observers.
Tep Nytha said: “I have no comment because he always said that. The legislative procedures have been published beforehand by the NEC, and had been applied openly. I don’t want to answer because all these issues have already ended. I am not saying anything else, and the national and international observers provided a positive evaluation already, there is not need to reply back because in each election, these issues always occur.”
Yesterday, the People Power Party issued a declaration blaming the low turnout on the opposition party’s standing by acting as a puppet of the CPP.
In an interview with RFA, Ok Sereysopheak, a former advisor to Sar Kheng, said recently that the very low turnout is caused by two main factors: technical and political issues.
Regarding the technical issue, Ok Sereysopheak said: “As we already knew, this is the first time that voters had to change their voting identifications. In the past, there was also a voting ID, but the 2002-2003 voting IDs can no longer be used, voters must present a national ID issued by the Ministry of Interior (MoI). Sar Kheng’s MoI pushed for a speedy operation to issue IDs in 2006, the operation was very successful by [distributing IDs to] more than 80% [of the population], only about 20% of the people did yet not receive their ID. For these people, they had to substitute the [national] ID by a form, known as Form 1018. This form requires a picture, for those who live in isolated areas, they cannot afford to pay for this picture because of their [poor] livelihood, even though in Phnom Penh, it only cost 2 to 3,000 riels ($0.50 to $0.75) to take a picture. There are several cases like these in the 24 provinces.”
Regarding the political issue, Ok Sereysopheak who is a founder and a facilitator for COPCEL (Conflict Prevention in the Cambodian Elections) said: “There is one more factor which I think is involved with the political issue. I think that the problems faced by Funcinpec a few months before the election constitute one factor such that voters lost their confidence in the political situation. I think that their decision not to vote is most likely due to a factor involving an important political event in the political life of Cambodia.”
On Saturday morning, Sam Rainsy said: “In the analysis [performed] not just by the Sam Rainsy Party, but also by the civil society, and all national and international observers, we believe that the low turnout of the voters was the CPP’s design by using the NEC as its political tool to prevent and discriminate against those who do not support the CPP from voting by creating hurdles: such as not being able to find their names on the voting list, telling them they lack documents, and even the location of the polling stations was changed. People were confused and didn’t have the proper documents, for some who have all the documents [necessary to vote] and they could find their names on the voting list, but they found out that somebody else already voted in their name. These are the tricks prepared by the NEC to serve the interest of the CPP.”
NEC officials did not react or comment on these accusations.
Tep Nytha, NEC secretary-general, declined to comment on these issues saying that all the problems have already been resolved and have been positively evaluated by national and international observers.
Tep Nytha said: “I have no comment because he always said that. The legislative procedures have been published beforehand by the NEC, and had been applied openly. I don’t want to answer because all these issues have already ended. I am not saying anything else, and the national and international observers provided a positive evaluation already, there is not need to reply back because in each election, these issues always occur.”
Yesterday, the People Power Party issued a declaration blaming the low turnout on the opposition party’s standing by acting as a puppet of the CPP.
In an interview with RFA, Ok Sereysopheak, a former advisor to Sar Kheng, said recently that the very low turnout is caused by two main factors: technical and political issues.
Regarding the technical issue, Ok Sereysopheak said: “As we already knew, this is the first time that voters had to change their voting identifications. In the past, there was also a voting ID, but the 2002-2003 voting IDs can no longer be used, voters must present a national ID issued by the Ministry of Interior (MoI). Sar Kheng’s MoI pushed for a speedy operation to issue IDs in 2006, the operation was very successful by [distributing IDs to] more than 80% [of the population], only about 20% of the people did yet not receive their ID. For these people, they had to substitute the [national] ID by a form, known as Form 1018. This form requires a picture, for those who live in isolated areas, they cannot afford to pay for this picture because of their [poor] livelihood, even though in Phnom Penh, it only cost 2 to 3,000 riels ($0.50 to $0.75) to take a picture. There are several cases like these in the 24 provinces.”
Regarding the political issue, Ok Sereysopheak who is a founder and a facilitator for COPCEL (Conflict Prevention in the Cambodian Elections) said: “There is one more factor which I think is involved with the political issue. I think that the problems faced by Funcinpec a few months before the election constitute one factor such that voters lost their confidence in the political situation. I think that their decision not to vote is most likely due to a factor involving an important political event in the political life of Cambodia.”
6 comments:
BAD LOSER AND GO TO CLINIC FOR AIDS AND SPR SYNDROM WITH YOUR LOKOS GRINGOS AND INDIANS..!
Yep, the excellency (Sam Rainsy)
should step down and allowed other
to try. His excuses will only harm
Cambodia immage and achieve nothing
significant for this party, a lost-
lost condition for both side.
For the sake of cambodia, your
excenlly (Sam Rainsy), please
move on and let some of your
deputies or someone else try to
better your party and Cambodia.
AH HUN SEN GO TO CLINIC FOR AIDS AND KBAL YOUN SYNDROM WITH YOUR CPP (Communist Pro youn Party)..!
11:42PM, Is it your concern that your SAMDECH HUN SEN may become a loser to the challenger ,the MARVERICK,SAM RAINSY....
Wait and see,he will defeat CPP.
To Mr. Sam Rainsy,
You know full well that the National Assembly, the Senate, the Constitutional Council, the judiciary, the Monarchy, NEC, etc... are all instrumental to the CPP. But you never change your tactics, strategy and plan. You reach out to people, make propaganda or address to the National Assembly's plenary sessions exactly the same way as you have done in the last 14 years. There is no progress whatsoever in terms of making real dents to the CPP. Do you know why? If you don't have the answer to this critical question, we volunteer to tell you why. Simply because you use only one brain for the whole business of running the SRP. YOUR BRAIN. In other words, you never listen or give consideration to a second opinion except it is from your wife. You place yourself on the top of the whole universe. In one word, you look down on everybody else. You want people to sacrifice their lives for your own survival, but you never risk a single penny for others.
The whole world knows that 2 heads work better than one head. One million heads work one million times better than one head. In politics within in an open society, the channel for the exchange of ideas and opinions must be kept open at all times. You know that too. BUT YOU LISTEN TO NO-ONE BECAUSE YOU HAVE YOUR OWN AGENDA. IT'S CRYSTAL CLEAR THAT YOU HAVE NO INTEREST WHATSOEVER OF SERVING CAMBODIA AND THE KHMER NATION AS YOU HAVE ALWAYS PUBLICLY CLAIMED, PERIOD!!!
Okay, when that time come we will
replaced our PM, but what about
you, don't you think it is time to
reform for a better chance to lead
Cambodia? I mean, for decades now,
I neither see any significant a
achievement for the party nor for
Cambodia.
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