SRP Youth helping to pick up trash in Maung Russey (Photo: SRP Youth Movement)Wednesday July 02, 2008
ABC Radio Australia
The youth vote could prove decisive in this month's election in Cambodia. In March, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen slapped down his main rival Sam Rainsy - accusing him of pointlessly "dragging in a youth movement" in an attempt to topple the Prime Minister. But while Sam Rainsy is banking on a mood for change among the young - it's far from clear whether Cambodia's youth will be able to mobilise their numbers to impact the result.
Presenter: Bill Bainbridge
Speaker: Sann Seakkin, Sam Rainsy Party Youth Member delegate; Koul Panha, Executive Director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections
(CAMBODIAN SONG): BAINBRIDGE: The song calls for political change in Cambodia and is aimed squarely at the country's huge cohort of under 30s. A post Khmer Rouge era baby boom means that more than half of Cambodia's eligible voters are aged between 18 and 30. Most of them have no recollection of the time when Hun Sen wasn't the Prime Minister. Youth discontent with the man who's been at the helm of Cambodian life in one way or another for 23 years is something the Sam Rainsy Party is trying to tap, not just with songs but with a push to promote young members of the party.
Sann Seakkin is the Rainsy Party's newly elected Youth delegate.
SEAKKIN: In the political platform of Rainsy Party one of the three political messages when Sam Rainsy takes the power Rainsy Party will provide appropriate jobs to the youths by fighting corruption first.
BAINBRIDGE: The 28-year old university lecturer says many of Cambodia's young are disenfranchised by unemployment and land grabbing, and he hopes to persuade them to choose Rainsy on polling day.
SEAKKIN: Some young Cambodian people come to join Sam Rainsy youth movement because they are part of ... land grabbing, because it is difficult to jobs.
BAINBRIDGE: At this western style hamburger restaurant in Phnom Penh there is some excitement about the opportunity to vote among this group of young graduates.
MALE GRADUATE: I'm 23 years old, I'm going to vote and it is my first time that I'm going to vote at a national election.
FEMALE GRADUATE: No it's not the same case, even now if you don't go to vote no one comes to your house and forces you or you are fined by any institution of the government. But you vote because you want to see a change, you want a better government, you want a better environment to live in. So you yourself have a voice.
ANOTHER MALE GRADUATE: I do hope that the new leader or yes maybe a new leader of the country and educate ...
ANOTHER FEMALE GRADUATE: Many young people feel disappointed with the political situation nowadays, and they may not go to vote because they think that political parties are similar, like same kind of policies and who play the game.
MALE GRADUATE: They always invite the SRP leader to celebrate the graduate ceremony, so I think SRP care more about popularity than the other party.
BAINBRIDGE: But the sentiments of this group aside the evidence suggests most young people feel remote from the political process.
Koul Panha is the Executive Director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections. His organisation conducted a survey into young voters last year. He says while young voters form a potentially decisive block, most feel disenfranchised from politics.
PANHA: They feel that they have no power to influence the politics and they don't know how to organise themselves. They understand about the importance of democracy but they don't know how to use the politics to get democracy.
BAINBRIDGE: Panha says he expects most young people come election day to be directed by the parents as to who to vote for, but he also says a smart campaign could attract a large swag of young voters.
PANHA: Youth is ready to change their decision to vote, that's why we see that youth most not have a decision yet on the voting. The party who are responding to the needs and the solution of the youth they will benefit from the youth vote.
BAINBRIDGE: Do you see any of the parties attempting to do that at the moment?
PANHA: Some parties they try to talk about the youth for example employment like SRP they talk about employment. Human Rights Party they talk about education and CPP they talk about new generation leadership. So I hope youth will decide which one is really the long term benefit to them also.
Presenter: Bill Bainbridge
Speaker: Sann Seakkin, Sam Rainsy Party Youth Member delegate; Koul Panha, Executive Director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections
(CAMBODIAN SONG): BAINBRIDGE: The song calls for political change in Cambodia and is aimed squarely at the country's huge cohort of under 30s. A post Khmer Rouge era baby boom means that more than half of Cambodia's eligible voters are aged between 18 and 30. Most of them have no recollection of the time when Hun Sen wasn't the Prime Minister. Youth discontent with the man who's been at the helm of Cambodian life in one way or another for 23 years is something the Sam Rainsy Party is trying to tap, not just with songs but with a push to promote young members of the party.
Sann Seakkin is the Rainsy Party's newly elected Youth delegate.
SEAKKIN: In the political platform of Rainsy Party one of the three political messages when Sam Rainsy takes the power Rainsy Party will provide appropriate jobs to the youths by fighting corruption first.
BAINBRIDGE: The 28-year old university lecturer says many of Cambodia's young are disenfranchised by unemployment and land grabbing, and he hopes to persuade them to choose Rainsy on polling day.
SEAKKIN: Some young Cambodian people come to join Sam Rainsy youth movement because they are part of ... land grabbing, because it is difficult to jobs.
BAINBRIDGE: At this western style hamburger restaurant in Phnom Penh there is some excitement about the opportunity to vote among this group of young graduates.
MALE GRADUATE: I'm 23 years old, I'm going to vote and it is my first time that I'm going to vote at a national election.
FEMALE GRADUATE: No it's not the same case, even now if you don't go to vote no one comes to your house and forces you or you are fined by any institution of the government. But you vote because you want to see a change, you want a better government, you want a better environment to live in. So you yourself have a voice.
ANOTHER MALE GRADUATE: I do hope that the new leader or yes maybe a new leader of the country and educate ...
ANOTHER FEMALE GRADUATE: Many young people feel disappointed with the political situation nowadays, and they may not go to vote because they think that political parties are similar, like same kind of policies and who play the game.
MALE GRADUATE: They always invite the SRP leader to celebrate the graduate ceremony, so I think SRP care more about popularity than the other party.
BAINBRIDGE: But the sentiments of this group aside the evidence suggests most young people feel remote from the political process.
Koul Panha is the Executive Director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections. His organisation conducted a survey into young voters last year. He says while young voters form a potentially decisive block, most feel disenfranchised from politics.
PANHA: They feel that they have no power to influence the politics and they don't know how to organise themselves. They understand about the importance of democracy but they don't know how to use the politics to get democracy.
BAINBRIDGE: Panha says he expects most young people come election day to be directed by the parents as to who to vote for, but he also says a smart campaign could attract a large swag of young voters.
PANHA: Youth is ready to change their decision to vote, that's why we see that youth most not have a decision yet on the voting. The party who are responding to the needs and the solution of the youth they will benefit from the youth vote.
BAINBRIDGE: Do you see any of the parties attempting to do that at the moment?
PANHA: Some parties they try to talk about the youth for example employment like SRP they talk about employment. Human Rights Party they talk about education and CPP they talk about new generation leadership. So I hope youth will decide which one is really the long term benefit to them also.
1 comment:
It's evil to exploit children for political gain, and Ah Scam Rainxy has got many of them killed, and a lot of them was as young as 12 years old.
Please help to protect our children from Ah Savage Infidel Scam Rainxy.
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