Washington
08 July 2008
The power of individuals has increased in recent years in Cambodia, but the power of the masses, democracy, has not, a leading researcher said Monday.
"Democracy is poor, but individual power is strong," said Lao Monghay, a senior researcher at the Asian Human Rights Commission, as a guest on "Hello VOA."
Much of the country's political power remained in the hands of Prime Minister Hun Sen, Lao Monghay said.
The recent arrest of an opposition newspaper editor, Dam Sith, and court actions against opposition leader Sam Rainsy attested to a dampening of freedoms, an increase of media restrictions, and the increased politicization of the courts, he said.
"The lack of a rule of law weakens democracy and there is no progress," he said. "Through training from NGOs, the media and other forums, people understand democracy, but most important is, how can they have the freedom to address it?"
"Democracy is poor, but individual power is strong," said Lao Monghay, a senior researcher at the Asian Human Rights Commission, as a guest on "Hello VOA."
Much of the country's political power remained in the hands of Prime Minister Hun Sen, Lao Monghay said.
The recent arrest of an opposition newspaper editor, Dam Sith, and court actions against opposition leader Sam Rainsy attested to a dampening of freedoms, an increase of media restrictions, and the increased politicization of the courts, he said.
"The lack of a rule of law weakens democracy and there is no progress," he said. "Through training from NGOs, the media and other forums, people understand democracy, but most important is, how can they have the freedom to address it?"
13 comments:
In another word, Cambodia is becoming autocratic.
This is a contradict to the principle of the founding fathers of the 1993 Constitution, which sponsored by the United Nations.
So in 1979 Vietnam invaded Cambodia and installed its puppet Hun Sen.
In 2008 Hun Sen rules Cambodia in a Vietnam-de facto.
Every one talk about democracy democracy. But what ground they define democracy. I found democracy is the most empty word. Everything can be justified to democracy vs the lack of democracy?
12:49AM use your brain fool!
Democrazy need laws and justice, alse self respect and respect of other!
If you animal do not know those principal from your parent you better stay with ah Tep Vong ang go to hell with him!
Here is what DEMOCRACY mean:
Demo= people
Cracy= Rule
Democracy= people rule.
Democracy is the ability to coexist harmoniously.Live by the rule of law.People make the law.The majority rule.People elected their leader true VOTE .They vote for their leader from HEART without FEAR of intimidation.
When you get elected true intimidation,sarong,bicheng,cheating and become majority in the ASSEMBLY that's not DEMOCRACY.
Cambodia is not DEMOCRACY.Here is why. Most CPP members in the house of ASSEMBLY(RORT SAPHIR) got their seats in the assembly by cheating,bribery or outright intimidation or force to vote for them.
People should allow to VOTE freely or from HEART .People choose person they like best to represent them. When that achieve then we can say that Cambodia DID HAVE A TRUE democracy.
Cambodia is one of the most democratic countries in SEA if not the world.
Yes a good fake one.
To the Khmer Issan. You do not represent the thai people in general. We are the REAL Thais believe that only small group of thai politicians and others are trying to disturb the good relationship of the two countries. We have never been against Cambodia for the listing of the temple.
You are not thai's friend, but thai's slave. You are disgrace and bring bad reputation to our thai people. So, stop your stupid dream of getting the temple. It belongs to Cambodia, not your stupid slave of our king. It is wasting off our thais money and time to educate stupid people like you.
Fuck you 3:22AM Ah Thai Supprem court is the fool institution! and Thai University produce stupid fool TAI TAI rotai rotai!
Do not blamed any body fool your king is leurning to speak Khmer and he still say KARMEN, What's a waste!!!!
3:22AM...Read my post carefully, you idiot. Perhaps, you are educated enough to sense it.
Dr Lao is sick for thinking that Cambodia is well developed like EU and should be Democracy like EU. Go get your head examines, Dr Leo!
1:32
You simplify the nature of democracy too much. And because of this on top of the current situations in Cambodia, as well as other Asian countries, it is very idealistic conception of democracy. I am pro-democrat but I try to understand democracy from the eyes of technocrat, which demands realistic conception of the nature of democracy.
Democracy in such a way you define,
is just a concept, which can be easily described and defined in words. But this type of democracy in such imagination is not a practice.
Because it manifests in such ideal form, it leads you to think that democracy can be exported and imported, and thus democracy should be standardized, regardless of challenges confronted in real circumstances.
Dr. Lao Mong Hai, I really appreciate your commitment to bring democracy and human rights to Cambodia. But as a Khmer student doing political sciences in Europe, I want to bring some historical setting connected to the development of democracy [in Europe, which later spread to USA] to you attention. As generally understood, modernism in Europe began with Enlightenment, which resulted in industrialization giving birth to capitalism and communism. Democracy apparently emerged as the response to the fact that capitalism and communism could not answer positively the quest for happiness and prosperity for all. Rather, the two ideological mainstreams ended up with bloody revolutions. Ultimately, democracy began with middle class and upper middle class's cults devoted to liberalism. Liberalism in this context meant those who had money and privilege seats in the societies could enjoyed their freedom. How about the poor? Yup they lived under marginality. What happened to Red Indian tribes in USA during 19 century, what happened to the black American during the wars?
My understanding of democracy is that it is a particular project-a particular historical process directly connected to economic development in particular polito-&-socioeconomic setting of particular nation. Successful plantation of democracy in Europe and USA were the products of successful industrializations, which warranted
enlargement of middle class, while securing full employment added more people to the list of those who possessed wealth and social status, which were the sources the real power of the people. People power is not naturally born, but granted though social contract. The bottom line is if you have larger proportion of the population employed and work in the factory, mobilizing the production flow of industrial products, you have to share your power with them because, if not, in industrial society, they can block the mechanism of the industry easily and effectively. You can imagine, what happen if in advanced industrialized economy, which relies on its competitiveness on the world market, the workers go on strike? The whole system would collapse. Industrialized economy is like a machine; every part of it must functions properly. Otherwise, even a small problem can block the entire process. This can explain us why labor unions in developed countries are very powerful. Obviously, the economic apparatus and development of the nation determines the condition in which power of the people is weighed. Now you can imagine, the majority of people in our country rely on agrarian agriculture sector scattering every where. They produce rice not even enough to feed the family for the next year. Their production flow rely almost entirely on the lord of rain. Tell me how they get the power? The power on earth has never been generated from poverty. How can they block the mechanism of the state?
Every one link democracy to the rule of law in the situation where our society remainS trapped in the dept of the logic of survival-they work to day, to get food for to day, let alone the food for tomorrow. Law and regulations are just metaphor indicating how machines work. Machines must function regularly in the same way industrialization regulated by the laws to fulfill the requirement of external forces like investments, and to maintain the regularity of the the domestic forces. Without high demands like this, jungle law is also applicable.
I think the priority should be given to economic development, which will create condition for the people to be granted their real power. After successful economic development, it will be the time to talk about people's power.
Best Regards,
Hel Rithy
We need democracy and if the CPP do not respect it, then
we vote the CPP out.
Post a Comment