Left to rigth: Mam Sonando, Kem Sokha and Ou VirakMonday, April 28, 2008
By Kessor Raniya
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
"I believe that all these parties which were formed separately, was because they each believe that each one of them is better than the rest, and others want to form a political party only just to unite with others, but they demand conditions or good positions for themselves and their party members only. Therefore, in these cases, sometimes, they don’t even have human resource or anything else, but, they form a party to give themselves more value than they were before" - Ou Virak, CCHR PresidentDuring a public forum, Mam Sonando, the Beehive radio station director reported on the station at the end of last week a number of conditions set by Kem Sokha, HRP party president, which he (Mam Sonando) finds impossible to meet, such as the name of the party cannot be that of an individual.
Mam Sonando said (to Kem Sokha): “You declared that you are open to the unification, however, you have set pre-conditions for the unification with other parties, such as the condition that (other) parties must have a term limit for the party president, not just for the prime minister. And among your other conditions, there is another point saying that the party name must not bear the name of an individual. Right now, I see that you want to unite with the Sam Rainsy Party and the Norodom Ranariddh Party, both of which bear the name of individuals. You know that what you declared, there are conditions which affect these two parties, i.e. they should not bear the name of individuals, and if you are open to the unification, and you already know that these two parties all bear the name of individuals, what result will your declaration bring?”
In response to this question, Kem Sokha, who participated in the forum on Thursday, said that these conditions are negotiable: “For the conditions you raised, they are conditions which our members want to obtain, but during the negotiations, there will be bargaining also. They reduce some (of their demands), we add some of ours, they add some back, then there will be an outcome. However, what does this (HRP) party want? We want a political party that sets two term limits for the party president at most. The HRP wants a party that bears no individual’s name. This means that after the unification, we will not adopt the name of an individual. We must set the term limit for the party president, and the party president must declare his/her wealth, these are the conditions we want, but that’s what we want, however, if there is any discussion, we can still make bargains.”
Mam Sonando indicated that a number of people sent him requests to (help) form a unity among the democrats to compete in the upcoming general election.
Based on these requests, Mam Sonando wrote letters inviting 5 party representatives to display their political standings. These parties are: the SRP, the NRP, the HRP, Funcinpec and the Democratic Alliance party.
Mrs. Mu Sochua, SRP deputy secretary-general, welcomes the idea of unification, however she apologized that the SRP was not able to attend the program because it is busy with activities at the local levels, and it does not have sufficient time to reflect on this idea. She said that this idea originated from the SRP who issued its declaration about this issue since long ago.
Nevertheless, there seems to be no path leading to this unification. Mrs. Mu Sochua called on the people to join the SRP during the upcoming general election: “We think about it over and over again, besides discussing with other parties for the unification, right now, we don’t see any further resolution that can take place. Therefore, we call on the voters to let them know that the change lies in their hands, and in order not to break up the votes for the democrats, only the voters can do it. The SRP has more than 1 million supporters, we have our own policy, we have a clean leader, i.e. President Sam Rainsy who can provide solutions for the people on three issues: a solution for job (creation) for the people, a solution for the rising price of gasoline and the rising price of fertilizers, everything remain expensive, and most importantly, (a solution for) the healthcare for the people.”
Regarding all the issues above, Ou Virak, President of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) who is also an observer of the political situation in Cambodia, said that he has no hope that there could be any political unification with all the present difficulties during face-to-face discussions on the airwaves.
He added that any unification just to divide power, and if there is no honest unification goals among the parties, then such unification will kill the nation and it would simply be a joke that looks down on the voters only. “I believe that all these parties which were formed separately, was because they each believe that each one of them is better than the rest, and others want to form a political party only just to unite with others, but they demand conditions or good positions for themselves and their party members only. Therefore, in these cases, sometimes, they don’t even have human resource or anything else, but, they form a party to give themselves more value that they were before. Regarding this unification, in general, there is a true will to unite, and there were secret talks behind the public. However, if these politicians are called in to discuss (the unification) on radio, I have no confidence that they will participate. Furthermore, the unification without conditions is also difficult to talk about, because if we keep on uniting, it could happen, but after the unification, it’s done only to destroy the nation…”
10 comments:
HRP sponsored by ah psychopath Hun Sen (CPP: Communist Pro youn Party) because ah Pen Sovann (CPP members) and ah Chan Ven (CPP members) are actually vice presidents of HRP (Kem Sokha party) so HRP belongs to CPP (Communist Pro youn Party).
ah Pen Sovann and ah Chan Ven are ah youn agents. ah Pen Sovann served youns since 1954 and ah Chan Ven (CPP members) served youns since 1979.
Kem Sokha, Sam Rainsy and Rannaridh must not accountable for our Nations division nowday. In fact the division exists hundred years back.
WE should give credit to them at least for their intention to do so. The reunification takes time, not months but years, perhaps decades.
At first, they need to restore trust, they need to learn to forgive each other, then learn to work together. If they still can not work together, the reunification is meaningless.
Who paint others as pro-enemy, it's better stand in front of mirror and ask your self who are you? We learned many cases that the later has quickly become that sort of agent.
The division of our Nations I can remember is in late 60s, 70s and 80s.
I saw our house burned down by KR solders (led by Sihanouk) in Kampong Speu in 1971 because we stayed in town for our kids to go to school.
I saw my brother taken away by KR in region 33 in 1977 because he was a student.
I participated in K5 in Koh Kong in 1986 and saw the former KR intentionally killed people on site by laying land-mines.
I saw further khmers killing khmers in 1997 in 2002, 2003, 2007.... The division still there.
If there is a will to reunification, at least from a faction that claims themselves as democrat, it's encouraging sign. Then this faction will reach out to the other (ruling), I hope.
It's so important that the early should have it done properly. They do not need to rush.
not to mention that before forming the Human Rights Party, Kem Sokha met with San Rainsy in Son Soubert's house. Kem Sokha at that time requested the meeting as the last hope for forming an alliance. At that meeting Kem Sokha's conditions was that Sam Rainsy restructure the ever more autocratic internal party structure and addressing the internal fracture within the SRP. Close observers knew all along of the disgruntle steering committee members--about half of the SRP's steering committee members have never made a single decision. and about half was not happy. Lots left the party without speaking out to avoid further fracture. At some points, the steering committee made decisions to only be overturned by the socall "permanent committee" which according to the internal rule of the SRP has the power to make or overturn any decision; and it is the president who have all the final say. *Please check the members of this "permanent committee"--it consists of the Eng's clan and the Sam's clan--husbands and wives and in laws(one example of this is the nomination of Mr. Ket Key to the deputy president position in the National Authority on Land Conflicts which was overturned by Sam Rainsy and his wife within the "Permanent Committee" to hand the position to Eng Chhay Eang instead. The position is lucrative and Eng Chhay Eang was silence within this position for more than 2 years until recently. Other examples include the nomination of two people to the National Election committee, etc.
Had Sam Rainsy made effort to unite, it would have been a lot easier than. He only need to reform the steering committee and make the steering committee a true assembly with certain ability for overview. One of the other main ideas was to limited the maximum number of the steering committee to avoid power struggle and dilution. Unfortunately Sam Rainsy did not accepted. Worst, there was a promise to not speak to anyone outside of the few people who attended the meeting--less than one month after the meeting, Mr. Sam Rainsy himself gave interview to Rasmey Kampuchea, a CPP's paper, all the detail. So doing prevent future meeting as no one trust Sam Rainsy anymore. Sam Rainsy wanted to destroyed other people involved so they lose the funding and showed that he made efforts to unite but in reality all he did was criticising Kem Sokha in the whole meeting. Unfortunate!!!
There is no doubt that SRP is loosing grounds in a number of places to HRP. They do not enjoy supports they had before commune elections in 2007 anymore, at least from the places we supported in Kampong Cham, in BTB, in Takeo and in PNH.
Our message to SRP oversea supporters to audit your financial suuports received by SRP elites. As activits on the grounds no oversea financial supports are being used as intended. We are operating on our own funds for the benefits of a few elites based in Phnom Penh and abroad.
We, in Cambodia, loose faith with SRP leadership for many reasons. They are ineffective in making the case. They have been in opposition for more than a decade and they will be theoppositin again if they are so arrogant as today. They spent our time, resources even lives too much for nothing. They still fighting internally to sideline the minority as they want to run the group for life. They never treat the diffirences as assets. No point to support them any more.
the various parties will not be able to unit amongst themselves because of these so called said "egos". what must be done is a call by the people to support unification, there must be 1 national voice for unification, and it must not come from said party leaders but from the general population, their supporters, various institutions inside and outside of cambodia, there must be 1 common goal and that goal is to better cambodia, this is plain and simple yet these so called politician have failed to see the vision. if they continue to be egotistical, then they deserve to lose at any election.
11:38 and 5:48
I used your comments on my blog at www.about-cambodia.blogspot.com
Re: wwww.about-cambodia.blogspot.com @
11:04 PM
KJE the pro-Viet self-proclaimed free-thinker should change his blog name to anything but about-Cambodia.
If KJE really wants that much publicity that bad, tell me now so I can schedule a task to hit his blog every minute, 24/7.
KJE can do the math as to the # of hits in just one week time.
Please let me know.
One Cambodian kid
Thanks 11:38 AM. We need someone from the inside like you to talk about SRP in KI comment. Let the world know how SR treated us.
Again thank you so much.
Khmer democratic parties will not have a unity. It should happen long time ago. And it cannot happen now.
A few days after the coup, the western gave a big support and idea for the 3 main democratic parties to form a UCD (United Cambodian Democracies). They asked Kem Sokha to be a middle person. Son San accepted it. Ranaridh was OK with it. But Rainsy refused. He said the same thing as now "His party will win. His party does not need anyone else". If they united at that time, they would already win the CPP.
After seeing Rainsy's attitude, Son San's team later joined FUNCINPEC.
After staying with FUNCINPEC for awhile Kem Sohka saw no hope that FUNCINPEC would go up but to come down. He then secretly talked to Rainsy to bring about half of FUNCINPEC's team to join Rainsy. But Rainsy refused again.
Later on Kem Sokha throw a Human Rights group organization to gain his own popularity. Seeing and fearing of popularity of Kem Sokha, Rainsy and his wife then secretly met Kem Sokha and offered him a Vice President at Sam Rainsy Party. But it was Kem Sokha's turn to refuse.
Later in 2006 one of the western countries tried to put these two men at a round table in Phnom Penh and asked them to work together. But Rainsy refused again. He said "His tree has grown strong roots. His ship is going toward the goal. His party is OK. He does not need anyone."
Again in 2007 after Kem Sokha launched the Human Rights Party, a group of western countries tried to put them together. They arranged for both of them to meet in Switzeland. Kem Sokha and Son Sobert showed up, but Rainsy did not. Rainsy and his wife went to Paris instead.
I think it was the final attempt of the western to help these two groups to unite. And I think they will never be together. In their heart they become the enemy now.
They both are now trying so hard to gain votes and seats in order to be a partner with CPP to run the government. But they are wrong again. FUNCINPEC will win a few seats (2 or 3 at least) that will add up to 50+1 with CPP. Then they are still a strong partner for government.
It is too late for Kem Sokha, Rainsy or anyone to call for the unification.
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