Thursday, June 26, 2008Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
In the month long election campaign which will start on 26 June for the general election, it is expected that the ruling CPP will win this election. This morning, during the election campaign held in Phnom Penh, opposition leader Sam Rainsy told his supporters in front the park facing Wat Botum pagoda, that when he will win the election, his government will lower the price of goods, and he will resolve the economic problems plaguing Cambodia. Sam Rainsy told his supporters during the parade that he promises to confiscate the lands from the rich and powerful who grabbed lands from the people, and return them back to their rightful owners. He called on the voters to vote for the Sam Rainsy Party in order to lower the price of gasoline, increase the salary for civil servants. Sam Rainsy’s declaration to lower the price of gasoline, and increase the salary of civil servants was met by exploding sound of applause.
8 comments:
These are truly political promises.
For one thing Cambodia is a dollarized economy and with the dollar continuing to go down, it effects the buying power in the Cambodian economy. Second, gas prices continue to be high so the cost of the transportation of goods will continue. Both of these can't be controlled by these promises. As to so called "land grabbing" the root problem lies in the fact that many squatters failed to perfect their title under the adverse possesion rules in the first and second land law. This is not simply a case of stealing land by the wealthy, but rather the accquisition of land under the rule of law. Regardless of who is in power, the rule of law must be followed with respect to land title ownership.
"returning land back to their rightful owners" is quite a statement. What about those who owned the land prior to 1975. Where is the justice for them?
My grandparents had 100ha land in Sihanouk before 1975. Can SRP take it back for me? If SRP can do that, my whole family with 100 members will vote for you.
there are many contract betweeen government and privates companies. The can invest in this plot of land upt to 99 years with lage area of land that does not allow by law. It is illegal. So, we need to monitor those contracts and give back land to people in the conflict region.
The no taxing land for farmers. This policy only benefits to businessmen who own lage scale of land and keep it without planting crops.
As the crude jump to almost 140USD/barrel for the time being and might go as far as 200USD/barrel by end of the year, I personally can't see that the price of gasoline would be at its low level unless the new formed government would take drastically approach to introduce and implement a temporary tax holiday, subsidize or lower the taxes and excises on imported fuel which could be only a limited measure for a period of time.
Land issues would be the hard tasks to deal with if one shall have to take into consideration of the legal titles which are current in place.
Ah Scam Rainsy has not live up to what he said or promised. Everyone knows is a Flipflop. Furthermore, Ah Scam Rainxy is fully corrupted. What he want to do here is to subsidize the taxpayer money on his smuggler gangs who will exported the low price gas and goods for a big profit. That will not help anyone but to cause further suffering for Cambodia.
Only in Zimbabwe.
The issue of land repatriation for those legal owners of land prior to 1975 has really never come up as a political demand or promise. The land was taken without compensation during KR times, and after 79 the State of Kampuchea failed to undertake a program to reinstate the owners. Under the Royal Government, the first land law passed in 94 does not take up the issue of repatriating land to it’s dispossessed, although the Cambodian Constitution does say that the government can’t take private land without just compensation. Under the 94 Land Law, a system of legalizing possession and ownership was set into motion but unfortunately many of those possessing land were not aware of exactly how to do it, or they did it incorrectly. At this point, those prior owners of the land-prior to 75 could be given compensation if a land tribunal was created whereby those people having prior claims could file. There could be a year cut off for acceptance of claims. In those areas where the land is not currently owned or possessed but rather public property, it could be returned and if not possible to return it, then some form of compensation could be paid.
The issue is where the money would come from to create the fund- perhaps World Bank or ADB.
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