Wednesday, December 05, 2007

The people spoke for democracy and against unlimited power


04 December 2007
Op-Ed by Vanak Thom
Blog By Khmer

http://www.blogbykhmer.blogspot.com/

Here in Srok Khmer among my fellow Cambodians I feel am one of the lucky fews who could read write both in Khmer and English fairly fluently. My ability to understand the English language has really opening up my way of thinking in understanding the changes around me and the rest of the world.

On the current world event I couldn't help comparing Mr. Hugo Chavez of Venezuela to my current prime minister Hun Sen.

Yesterday Venezuelan people has voted "NO" and rejected Mr Chavez to become a president for life or until he's 96 years old. I would like to respect Mr. Hugo Chavez accepting his defeat on the ballot he put for voters. He's sad for his current presidency term ends in 2012. He assured the public "Venezuelan democracy is maturing...from this moment on, let's be calm " . He doesn't want people to protest. He continued " There's no dictatorship here."

This make me think about our Prime Minister Hun Sen of whom his CPP has cling on to power since 1979. Twenty-eight years--it's just been too long. PM Hun Sen lately said "if the people continue to vote for 'aign', 'aign' will be prime minister for life" (1)-- the language PM Hun Sen chose to use here is like a leader of a gangster mafia talks. He's so arrogant in his speech. It's beyond the English translation "If the people continue to vote for me, I (aign) will be [their] prime minister for life !!". Nobody holding any public offices using derogatory word "aign" in any public speeches like PM Hun Sen at all. Khmer language newspaper here published that Vietnamese settlers always vote for his party. I know for sure giving a fair election at western standard, PM Hun Sen CPP has no chance of winning at all.

Prime Minister Hun Sen built countless schools and named bridges, canals, recreation parks after him. PM Minister maybe good for Cambodia but I still certainly wouldn't want him to be my prime minister for life.

I am optimist my Cambodia will one day come out of this infancy stage of democracy. And I truly hope my PM Hun Sen could learn something from this current world event.

Let me end by stating a quote from American politician, Nicholas Burns commented to the Venezuela voters: "In a country that wants to be a democracy, the people spoke, and the people spoke for democracy and against unlimited power."

From me (2)
Vanak,
Phnom Penh

-----
The following text is in Khmer Unicode:

(1) បើប្រជារាស្ត្របោះឆ្នោតអោយអញ អញនឹងធ្វើ នាយករដ្ធមន្ត្រីអស់មួយជីវិត
(2) ពីខ្ញុំ

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good thinking Vanak. I am impressed. Your thinking is in line with a lot of Cambodians.

The problem is our leader cannot read or write. That is the limitation he has. No one can help him until he learn how to read and write

Khmer Young said...

Dear Vanak and Ki-ests!

Your comment is rational and hit on the hot spot, Vanak. Hun Sen's personal characteristic is outbursting with self-pride, self-ego, self-ignorance and self-deception. His conceit is far beyond from other people who is usually called "stubborn".

Three things to analyze Hun Sen's political behaviors:

1). His less education and comprehension of the outside world, not understand the world changes of neocapitalism, neoimperialism, neoexceptionalism. Many leaders including communist countries like China and Vietnam has upgraded their leadership style for the survival and reputation of their nation.

2). His self-deception has always destroyed himself and Cambodian nation. For the uneducated, traditionally they legitimize their power through self-boasting (Ex. Akkha Maha Dejo Hun Sen) and arrogant as well as pejorative rhetoric (aige, chkout, via, aah..et)to express threatening and intimidation.

3). His boss (VN) doesn't want him to stop from this job because when he stops, all treaties he signed will become nullified.

Current Cambodia-Vietnam relation is the strategic plan that VN has upgraded in 1986 to utilize "soften power" that means "when kites flies high through the wind blow, they have to loosen the kite-string, but they have to make sure that the string is firmly grabbed in hand".

VN has changed from invasion to become multi-cooperations such as economic cooperation, culture, military, border land, investment...etc

So, the border treaty and border demarcation are just the political propaganda, but in reality, Cambodia has lost and lost to VN.

In conclusion, Hun Sen himself has no effective ground of leadership, but he still in power because of many talent advisers who might be selected by his boss to do the job behind him. Ex: all election times, we can see that Hun Sen is not active at all to advocate for support/votes from the people. Why?. It is because all votes have already arranged by his professional persons (who?).

Now, the voter-registration has been done. There are more numbers of voters than before. But who can assure that the list names for eligible votes are correct and fair? Hun Sen might smile alone that, he can get at least 30% from this tricky voter-registration list names. SRP, NRP, HRP or Comfrel cannot use their ability to check all those voter-lists and names in NEC at all.

KY

Anonymous said...

This has been the most important and interesting artical I've ever read about Cambodia politic. As a Khmer myself, I can't help but agrees with the writer.

I demand changes in my home country!!! We have been lead by the same leaders for far too long and they still haven't create an adequate social orders for the people to live by.

Anonymous said...

With this kind of behavious, all medias shouldn't refer him as Prime Minister anymore. They should call him ah Chkai Hun Sen. in every time, they want to talk about this animal, they should refer him as ah Chkai Hun sen so that he can feel how cambodian have enough for him. I believe that if everyone call him as ah Chkai then he will resign one day. It is up to Cambodian people to allow this animal to continue to intimidate others or time to kick him out from his face. Angry citizen

Anonymous said...

[The following is in Khmer Unicode]
លោក ហេងស៊យ, លោកសរសេរខ្វះពាក្យ "អញ"​ មួយទៀត។ អរគុណ។

សួស្ដី លោក វណ្ណះ,
ទោះបីមានពាក្យខុសខ្លះៗនោះ ភាសារសរសេរ របស់លោកជា អងគ្លេស នឹងយោបល់របស់លោក ពិតជាត្រឹមត្រូវល្អណាស់។ ក្នុងនាមជាកូនខ្មែរម្នាក់ ខ្ញុំសូមសសើរលោកដោយស្មោះត្រង់អស់ពីសន្ដាន
ចិត្តរបស់ខ្ញុំ។ សូមលោកបានជោគជ័យ
គ្រប់យ៉ាងក្នុងជីវិតរបស់លោក។
Passer-by

Anonymous said...

KI-Media Team,

Thanks a million for allowing Khmer unicode on KI-Media.

Very truly yours,
KI-Media readers

Heng Soy said...

លោក Passer-by
ខ្ញុំសូមអរគុណចំពោះការយកចិត្តទុកដាក់របស់លោក។
ហេងស៊យ

Anonymous said...

"In a country that wants to be a democracy, the people spoke, and the people spoke for democracy and against unlimited power." -- Nicholas Burns

There we go again, another stupid quote by stupid westerner (Nicolas Burns), and worshiped by a bunch of stupid westerner trained morons.

Unlimited Power is only a perception when you a stupid an lacking knowledge to overcome it. Therefore, You can speak against it until you run out of air, and it won't do you a drop of good.

Anonymous said...

correction:

Unlimited Power is only a perception when you are stupid and lacking knowledge to overcome it. Therefore, You can speak against it until you run out of air, and it won't do you a drop of good.

Anonymous said...

no correction! you already fucked it up - get lost loser!