Moneakseka Khmer
Translated from Khmer and Posted online
The National Election Committee [NEC] has just recruited 245 new personnel to serve its electoral work. These 245 new recruits are taken in for correcting any erroneous old voter lists of the 2007 election in preparation for the upcoming fourth general elections in 2008.
However, impartial election observers from COMFREL [Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia] and NICFEC [Neutral and Impartial Committee on Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia] claimed that individuals selected to work for the elections must be neutral, not biased toward any party. Although the NEC asserted that the 245 staffers recently recruited to serve the elections were not partial toward any political party, the observers have had difficulty believing it.
The NEC nowadays is almost completely controlled by the Cambodian People's Party [CPP] as its chairman and secretary general are top CPP officials. Most of the NEC personnel also are CPP members. At each election the NEC announces the recruitment of observers; but in majority these observers are CPP activists. For this reason, although during past elections there were complaints against irregularities filed by various political parties, the NEC never resolved them fairly on the legal basis. The NEC usually claimed that the complaints lodged by the parties were "groundless."
Now that the NEC has announced the recruitment of 245 new personnel to serve the elections, some observers become concerned that the recruited staff could be made up of pro-CPP political activists. The NEC claimed that the recruitment of these new staffers was for correcting a number of mistaken lists, especially those in the second commune/precinct council election in 2007, because the NEC is now preparing for the fourth general elections to be held on 27 July 2008. For this reason, it needs personnel for checking the voter lists and keeping them correct as of now.
According to some diplomats and observers, if the lists of the 2007 commune/precinct council election were wrong then it means that the result of that election was also not correct. If so, why did the NEC recognize it?
However, a senior Interior Ministry official claimed that in Cambodia with the CPP in control anyone who is strong is the winner; no one cares about the law or democracy. Like now, because the CPP is the election winner, the NEC welcomes it with open arms, by readily announcing the election outcome as correct. However, if in that election the CPP turned out to be the loser, maybe the NEC would not have made the same announcement. As a matter of fact, in some constituencies where the CPP lost, the NEC also wanted to please the obstreperous CPP by defying the result.
On Monday 9 July, Beijing gave NEC equipment worth nearly $1.3 million. However, to some diplomats, the Chinese aid was not surprising because China's habit is always to help anyone who is strong and who is in control. China does not care about democracy or the survival of the people. For example, Beijing did not hesitate to help even the Khmer Rouge who massacred so many people. Therefore, it is not strange that China should give aid to the current regime. Besides, the Chinese now need the Cambodian leaders to help them in the Khmer Rouge tribunal and they also need Cambodia as their economic-political middle ground.
However, impartial election observers from COMFREL [Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia] and NICFEC [Neutral and Impartial Committee on Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia] claimed that individuals selected to work for the elections must be neutral, not biased toward any party. Although the NEC asserted that the 245 staffers recently recruited to serve the elections were not partial toward any political party, the observers have had difficulty believing it.
The NEC nowadays is almost completely controlled by the Cambodian People's Party [CPP] as its chairman and secretary general are top CPP officials. Most of the NEC personnel also are CPP members. At each election the NEC announces the recruitment of observers; but in majority these observers are CPP activists. For this reason, although during past elections there were complaints against irregularities filed by various political parties, the NEC never resolved them fairly on the legal basis. The NEC usually claimed that the complaints lodged by the parties were "groundless."
Now that the NEC has announced the recruitment of 245 new personnel to serve the elections, some observers become concerned that the recruited staff could be made up of pro-CPP political activists. The NEC claimed that the recruitment of these new staffers was for correcting a number of mistaken lists, especially those in the second commune/precinct council election in 2007, because the NEC is now preparing for the fourth general elections to be held on 27 July 2008. For this reason, it needs personnel for checking the voter lists and keeping them correct as of now.
According to some diplomats and observers, if the lists of the 2007 commune/precinct council election were wrong then it means that the result of that election was also not correct. If so, why did the NEC recognize it?
However, a senior Interior Ministry official claimed that in Cambodia with the CPP in control anyone who is strong is the winner; no one cares about the law or democracy. Like now, because the CPP is the election winner, the NEC welcomes it with open arms, by readily announcing the election outcome as correct. However, if in that election the CPP turned out to be the loser, maybe the NEC would not have made the same announcement. As a matter of fact, in some constituencies where the CPP lost, the NEC also wanted to please the obstreperous CPP by defying the result.
On Monday 9 July, Beijing gave NEC equipment worth nearly $1.3 million. However, to some diplomats, the Chinese aid was not surprising because China's habit is always to help anyone who is strong and who is in control. China does not care about democracy or the survival of the people. For example, Beijing did not hesitate to help even the Khmer Rouge who massacred so many people. Therefore, it is not strange that China should give aid to the current regime. Besides, the Chinese now need the Cambodian leaders to help them in the Khmer Rouge tribunal and they also need Cambodia as their economic-political middle ground.
6 comments:
If you guys take the "truth commission" of former CCHR's staffs that seriously, you are crazy! SRP, stop this bullshit. You know the corrupted people in truth commission who all were fired from CCHR.
Member of the truth commission also sue many other people for defamation--they are obviously a true lover of democracy and free speech.
When Kem Sokha said "they have political reasons" for suing him, the so-called truth commission sued him for defamation. Look at all the many untrue statement issued by them?
Oh by the way, Chhim Pavarun, used to run an NGO name the German-Cambodian Association who lose all its funding because of corruption and would not allow auditor to audit. Now he is the masterminded because he is an advisor of CPP's tycoon Ang Bun Uv of the AZ company that taking the tolls for national road 4?
Nhem Vanthorn, who sued other for defamation as well, used to run an NGO called "coalition for transparency" and lost all of its little funding it got because he is corrupted and slow (mentally slow as well)
Where's your principle SRP? If this is the road you want to take, then You want to hear about the SRP? The corrupted Sonn Chhay who switched party all the time? Calling people who switched party monkey, then isn't Sonn Chhay one? What about Mu Sochua who after failing to get seat in Funcipec switched party? What kind of monkey is that?
Corruption? Sonn Chhay admitted to corruption and claimed he is innocent because he "thought the $10,000" was a gift from the CPP without "conditions".
Want to talk about Eng Chhay Eang, the former secretary general? He admitted to gambling addiction but don't tell me you guys don't know he is still gambling and burying himself from debt to the CPP? Don't tell me the National authority is not effective since he is the vice president also?
Don't tell me about the NEC not independent and you have two guys (Som Chandina and Phirith) as member of the NEC and also as corrupted.
Want to talk about the clean Sam Rainsy who received money all the time from Kit Meng who is the rich advisor to Hun Sen?
This is exactly what Hun Sen wants, the fighting between SRP and Kem Sokha. But yet it is the SRP who is the fool because of the arrogance and stubborn.
You guys ,SRP and HRP, must compromise the situation of how to integrete the parties into one otherwise Ah CPP laugh off their bellies for you action. If you both can't do it, don't try to say you are democracy.I'll support you whenever the two parties integrate. Hope you all think about it over and over by changing your stand and go to think the upcoming election as a core.
Mo
It will not be a Fair Election.PHK
think that CPP not cheating on the vote, so you guy may have a fair competion? good luck!
And who should lead the democrcy group? - Ranarith? one man power! 1993 all over again boy brain!
learneing from the past, fool!
Stop believing two persons which are adversaries said to us...they all liars
Cambodians live in dangers because of loving their kind of leaders....
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