Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Research Firm Warns of Political Instability


By Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Original rpoert from Phnom Penh
23 March 2009


Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday lashed out at a report warning of political instability in the country in the wake of the current economic crisis.

Hun Sen called a report released Friday by the Economist Intelligence Unit, a UK-based research firm, politically motivated.

The Intelligence Unit said Cambodia was one of five countries globally most at risk for political unrest, as the worldwide economic crisis drags on: worse off than Iraq and Afghanistan but in better shape than Zimbabwe, Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo, local media reported Monday.

“Why didn’t they talk about the [Lon Nol] and Pol Pot regimes,” Hun Sen said by way of criticism, speaking at an annual conference for the Ministry of Health. “It is clear that they have a political objective.”

He did not elaborate, but Hun Sen said he was indifferent to the report’s findings.

“Let them talk,” he told the assembled, in remarks broadcast nationwide.

Opposition lawmaker and Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Yim Sovann said the report’s findings were plausible, especially considering Cambodia’s widespread corruption, violence against civilians, job losses in the garment sector and dearth of markets for farmers.

“We are worried about what will happen in the future,” he said. “If the government does not undertake reform on time, the situation will be trouble and will affect political stability.”

Cambodia’s stability risk comes from an Intelligence Unit comparison of income inequality, date of independence, corruption, ethnic fragmentation, trust in public institutions, discrimination against minorities, history of instability, risk of labor unrest, infant mortality rate, geographical position, regime type, factionalism, GDP growth, unemployment rate and per capita income, the Cambodia Daily reported Monday.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

[Et Voila, la face d'un autre esclave des Viet/Yuons a Phnom Penh (Cambodge), Mesdames et Messieurs!!!]

There he is, ladies and gentlemen, one more face of the Viet/Yuon slave in Phnom Penh, Cambodia!!!

អស់លោកនឹងលោកស្រី នេះជាមុខអាខ្ញុំកញ្ជះ
បាតជើងយួនម្នាក់ទៀតនៅ ភ្នំពេញ!

Anonymous said...

Why is he so sensitive about criticism? He accuses everybody who criticizes him... This guy is very unstable and lack of confident.

Anonymous said...

I just hope that, ONE DAY the Premier will talk about any of the followings:

1- Cambodia sovereignty
2- Country Economy Plan
3- Security and stability
4- Millions of other issues concerning Khmers and the Cambodia as a country

And I also hope that the Premier will minimize his usage of all the public forums to talk about political propaganda.

Anonymous said...

For this reaction/response, Hun Sen is right in giving his feedback to EIU.

How can the global economic crisis and political challenge throw Cambodia to social unrest.

Global crisis will have negative impact on Cambodia's performance but will not bring about the social instability.

Almost (if not all) 350,000 garment workers, seasonal construction and service workers will go to stay with their families to do farming and off-farm jobs.

Cambodian's households are good at keeping their accumulated cash and assets which will be used to feed their members and youngsters who are now at schools.

Inequality is yet a big threat as people are percieved it is a natural phenomina of human being. The rich becomes richers because they worked harder.

Anonymous said...

Friends,

Cambodia will move faster to prosperity if we , Cambodians, are improving our international images.

We have to do both -- commenting on the local leadership for right direction and working to improver the country's image.

Anonymous said...

“Why didn’t they talk about the [Lon Nol] and Pol Pot regimes,” Hun Sen said by way of criticism,

It's not 1970 nor is it 1975 you idiotic Hun Sen. It's 2009 and they are referring to Cambodia of 2009 under your CPP leadership. Get it in your head Hun Sen! Hun Sen, shouldn't this report be a sign to you? Improve Cambodia and reform yourself and your CPP. If you don't, you will suffer the consequences.

Anonymous said...

PM Hun Sen is 100% correct. Pouk Ah Scam Rainxy (or Lon Nol 2) will try to drag all Khmer people back to Year-Zero using all sort of deceptions, scamps, spins, and propaganda.

Anonymous said...

Our Prime Minister can defy the EIU's prediction, but he cannot avoid taking appropriate action to address his country's social ills the most serious of which are land grabbing and corruption.
Stamping out corruption is a priority. Just as he could stamp out gambling within days, so our Prime Minister can stamp out corruption with likewise efficiency. Perhaps it would take him a bit longer.
Our Prime Minister should learn to trust all officials in his administration and devolve as much power as required down to successive levels, especially to the grassroots level, so that all these concerned authorities can address social ills, especially land grabbing, immediately after they have arisen. People with grievances would be satisfied or contented should their grievances be so addressed or attended to at the local level. They wouldn't have to take any trouble to travel long distances to petition their Prime Minister or the National Assembly in Phnom Penh to get them to help address their grievances.
Such devolution and the use of power by local authorities to resolve people's problems would defuse their frustration and anger, and avoid social tension and unrests altogether. Stability could thus be naintained without impairing further people's freedom.
Social unrests are the last thing the Cambodian people needs. They have suffered a great deal already from such unrests in the past. UNLESS THEY HAVE SHORT MEMORY!

LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong

Anonymous said...

From Suya:
Responding to this report or not is not a big deal because it is not a peer-reviwed report. But, corruption .. etc are the reality.
Taking actions is important to address the social ills and stability.

To all Khmers, please be united. Any instability would just lead to the loss of lives and land.

Anonymous said...

I think this report should be treated by Hun Sen as some sort of indicator. If Hun Sen wants the international community to take him more seriously and also quit producing reports that uncovers his alleged corruption and mishandling of Cambodian resources and assets, he should take the immediate actions to bring stronger transparency, major reforms and create innovative and careful long-term plans into the government. Cambodia has a lot of potential and it would be sad to see some of the opportunities that could be given to Cambodia, be passed onto Vietnam.

Anonymous said...

Mr hun sen is retarded...looking backward to lon nol or pol pot? He's retarded because he forgets that he's a khmer rouge. so why did he disassociated himself from pol pot? Mr hun sen has lost his mind. Let me remind you that you are a pol pot's khmer rouge

Anonymous said...

Samdach HUN is 100,000% right to look back and comparing to old time. He think that nothing can develop in this world and what he intend to do. He never have a look to other places like Singapore, VN or even Loa. Because they have too bad leader who are mad to develop their own country. They should act like Samdach HUN to keep their own nation as SLAVE to a group of people. It that enough for your analysis ?

Anonymous said...

kapouchia krom soon

Anonymous said...

11:50am - I just laughed without knowing myself while reading your comment. What the heck of 100,000% is that? You just can't find a commonsense word to express, can you? I am not going to dig deep on the topic, but just focusing on your comment. You might very well know that nobody is perfect, right? So how can you prove that HS is 100,000%?

For proving you are a pro-CPP might not need to make exaggeration or overstatement. I wish you are not paid to say that.

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen they will stopped talking about uou "Hun Sen" when you reach Lon Nol & Pol Pot state. That is [dead}.
If you have so many PHD but has not abality to manage Cambodia's economy during the global credit crisis. Stop blaming other of your own incompentency or lack of solutions.
And if you pick a countries to compare pick the one that have better track record then the currently listed. Why compare from BAD TO WORST! how can a country meeting any improve goals if you goal is below zero.

Anonymous said...

It's certainly better to be slave for your own country than to be slave of George Washington's country. Pouk Ah Scam Rainxy is out of their mind. Please don't listen to them (foreigners' slaves).

Anonymous said...

4:33pm as a khmer, you can't avoid being slave to foreigner. So turn your head round and round, or otherwise twist your head until juice came out, you would see who is the best boss for you. You chose the Viet, and others chose the West. How is that? Don't you think that you are stupid-Dumbo!

I am just really sick of you make the same comment again and again. So FUCK OFF until you find other comment making more senses than that.

Anonymous said...

another typical of bias report from the UK. read the content, it is undoubtedly biased against cambodia as only cambodia is picked to be on the limelight! i'm sure there are problems in thailand vietnam and so on, but no, they can't report that, too scary; however, cambodia is not too scary. this biased report should lose credibility because it is discriminating and biased against cambodia for sure! then they all wonder why cambodia failed to cooperate! go figure! god bless cambodia.