Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Keo Remy defection: HRP resorting to raiding opposition members rather than attracting new ones?

Opposition Lawmaker Defects

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
25/06/2007


Keo Remy, a parliamentarian for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, announced Monday he would be leaving to join the newly formed Human Rights Party.

Keo Remy said he had intended to quit politics altogether, but encouragement from loved ones and his constituency convinced him to switch parties instead.

"I have made a decision," Keo Remy said. "I already publicly announced that I would quit politics. But civil society, the people, and some professionals appealed to me in writing to continue politics…. This time I'll join Kem Sokha, forming a Human Rights Party. Therefore please, to the people who have supported and are supporting me, continue to support me through the Human Rights Party."

The Human Rights Party is run by Kem Sokha, the longtime rights advocate jailed last year on defamation charges. His party has emerged as a second potential opposition, though one currently without parliamentary seats.

Kem Sokha so far has not said he will join Sam Rainsy's calls for a united democratic front aimed at upsetting the ruling party's coalition with the splintered royalists, Funcinpec, in the 2008 National Elections.

5 comments:

Khmer Young said...

What is going to happen next...one brain cannot surpass multiple brain...and united is power...

Keo Ramy losses his huge salary now...but hope that his mission for democracy in Cambodia is significantly forced him to be selfless...

SRP or only one future of hope party for Cambodians has many angles of win win strategy...

KY

Anonymous said...

just let him be...I DARE PREDICT THAT KEM SOKHA WILL BE ISOLATED AND KEO REMY'S POLITICS IS ENDED. I do know that he is so selfish so pls let him him be and he will see his true future and leadership.

Anonymous said...

SRP needs to do thorough political and administrative internal affair assessment or Keo Remy throwing meat but keep the bones!

This is one of the prominent critical issues that good leader would expect to take on challenge -HOW TO . . .

Anonymous said...

To the SRP leadership,

The ignorant but talkative Keo Remy has gone to join another ignorant and talkative politician, Mr. Kem Sokha, President of the Human Rights Party. Taking account of Remy’s previous defection from FUNCINPEC, this defection is predictable and surprises nobody. Keo Remy is not such a guy who has principle or confidence in himself. The only thing he has is greed. Greed is so powerful. It can make people unreasonable, insatiable, uncontrollable and blind, and Keo Remy is no exception.

However, Keo Remy’s departure has left behind another interpretation. He may have some problem with the SRP leadership and his problem has been swept under the carpet just like those of the SEVEN MPs who fled to the FUNCINPEC a couple of months before the 2003 election campaign started. If that is the case, there will be inevitably more defections. Why? It is simply because Mr. Sam Rainsy is a potential despot, period.

Folks, have you ever heard of any dictator having the intention of solving any internal or external problem at all? Lenin? Stalin? Mao Tse Tung? Kim Il Sung? Kim Jong Il? Fidel Castro? Suharto? Ayatolah Homeni? Pol Pot? Saddam Hussein? Hun Sen? Norodom Ranariddh? Kem Sokha? Sam Rainsy? No way. Sweeping problems under the carpet is the most striking characteristic of a tyrant. When a tyrant has not yet grabbed the power firmly into his/her hands, he/she will simply ignore those problems. When a tyrant is on the top with full authority and control, he/she will literally crush those problems and all their sources. Think about it!

Anonymous said...

This is only the tip of the iceburg.
There are lots of internal problems in the SRP that need to be resolved. The arrogant nature of Sam Rainsy, his wife and other mindless "yes sir" people supposedly in the "leadership" will further deteriot its ability to reform. NDI, IRI, FNFs and other international organizations trying to help SRP were complaining of the one man show of SRP all the time. The problem is SRP situated itself very well in the past as the only "choice" for the so-called "democrats".

It is sad to see again that on the one hand claiming to "unite all democrats" and on the other accusing HRP people of being bought by Hun Sen in breaking up the "voice of the democrats".

If SRP is serious about winning, they would initiate meetings with HRP people instead using all the strategy to destroy all others. I truly doubt if SRP can accept criticism itself.

HRP is now challenging the SRP to show itself as democrats. So far the only things SRP can do is playing dirty politic and negative personal attack while its party structure or platform did not reflect what it claimed.

My guess is we will see lots more of the problems inside the SRP will come to light.

My message to SRP is reform!!! HRP is certainly helping putting the pressure. Using outlet like KI, Maneaseka and FM 93.5 to attack others will back fire.