Friday, September 18, 2009
Op-Ed by Jayakhmer
The dispute between our elected officials namely between the most powerful man in Cambodia and a helpless member of parliamentarian takes on new twists and turns. The battle is being fought internationally. Mu Sochua has been attracting a lot of international attentions especially from the US Congress. This proves yet again that Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen and his advisors have miscalculated the impact.
In the afternoon of September 14th, I attended the meeting at Berkeley. The Goldberg Room at Boalt Hall Law School where Mu Sochua gave a talk was a small room and was packed with about less than 200 people. All the seats were taken; I stood against the wall listening to a courageous woman telling her struggles in her motherland to a friendly and sympathetic audience.
“I will not compromise,” Mu Sochua repeated several times as she described the human rights situation in Cambodia.
Listening to Mu Sochua, I could not help but wonder how we came to this point politically.
I certainly understand her position as an elected Cambodian woman fighting against the most powerful man in the country with the circumstance within which her parliamentary immunity was stripped; her lawyer was threatened to be disbarred and consequently withdrew himself from the case; and the Phnom Penh Municipal Court rejected her lawsuit against the Prime Minister but honored the counter lawsuit by the Prime Minister that everyone including herself knew from the start she had no chance.
On July 24, 2009, of course, the court rendered a verdict of guilty for defaming the Prime Minister and sentenced Mu Sochua to a fine of 10 million riels ($2,500).
As I looked around the room full of concerned and interested students and scholars, I was a bit embarrassed. Cambodia is such a small country about the size of the state of Missouri with a minuscule national budget if we compare to that of California’s and other states’ in the union, and yet it manages to have so many problems. “Why can’t we get our act together or why can’t we get along,” I wonder quietly.
It would be simplistic and a gross generalization to say that “we fight each other like dogs and cats.” There are reasons why we fight. When we fight, each side wants to win.
If any one thinks that Mu Sochua has been a recalcitrant and an unweaving politician in this fight, one should equally, if not more, blame the Prime Minister for creating this political atmosphere. The Prime Minister should have been advised to say, “I am very sorry.” As strong willed and as determined as Mu Sochua, she would have accepted the apology.
The case would have been closed.
Although this is just my conjecture, the Prime Minister should fire all of those advisors if he was advised to pursuit this case with Mu Sochua or and the case with Professor Yash Ghai, the UN Special Envoy on Human Rights in Cambodia in the recent past. Those advisors or the ideas of fighting Mu Sochua and the special envoy on human rights were short-sighted and incompetent for they failed to think through some of the most important issues that make Cambodia appears to be worst than the bad situation the country is already in.
Why CPP chooses to treat member(s) of the minority party this way is beyond me for CPP and its leadership already controls every powerful position in the country. CPP, as a major political party, should be magnanimously working with minority parties to truly fine solutions to improve the country together. That includes the Human Rights issues.
As long as we have a political system with multiple-party structure, it is common and expected to have political fighting.
Political fighting is healthy as long as we remember that winning a political opponent by loosing the respect of the world is not worth winning. And winning the respect of the world but loosing oneself in the process is also worthless.
A true patriot respects and even loves his/her political opponent. After all we are members of the same human race of small nation that barely can sustain itself without the outside’s supports. Our dignity as a human race and as a nation lays on the question of how well we can build each other up and not on how effectively we can destroy each other.
Political common sense requires that a politician always gives his/her opponent a way out with dignity.
In the afternoon of September 14th, I attended the meeting at Berkeley. The Goldberg Room at Boalt Hall Law School where Mu Sochua gave a talk was a small room and was packed with about less than 200 people. All the seats were taken; I stood against the wall listening to a courageous woman telling her struggles in her motherland to a friendly and sympathetic audience.
“I will not compromise,” Mu Sochua repeated several times as she described the human rights situation in Cambodia.
Listening to Mu Sochua, I could not help but wonder how we came to this point politically.
I certainly understand her position as an elected Cambodian woman fighting against the most powerful man in the country with the circumstance within which her parliamentary immunity was stripped; her lawyer was threatened to be disbarred and consequently withdrew himself from the case; and the Phnom Penh Municipal Court rejected her lawsuit against the Prime Minister but honored the counter lawsuit by the Prime Minister that everyone including herself knew from the start she had no chance.
On July 24, 2009, of course, the court rendered a verdict of guilty for defaming the Prime Minister and sentenced Mu Sochua to a fine of 10 million riels ($2,500).
As I looked around the room full of concerned and interested students and scholars, I was a bit embarrassed. Cambodia is such a small country about the size of the state of Missouri with a minuscule national budget if we compare to that of California’s and other states’ in the union, and yet it manages to have so many problems. “Why can’t we get our act together or why can’t we get along,” I wonder quietly.
It would be simplistic and a gross generalization to say that “we fight each other like dogs and cats.” There are reasons why we fight. When we fight, each side wants to win.
If any one thinks that Mu Sochua has been a recalcitrant and an unweaving politician in this fight, one should equally, if not more, blame the Prime Minister for creating this political atmosphere. The Prime Minister should have been advised to say, “I am very sorry.” As strong willed and as determined as Mu Sochua, she would have accepted the apology.
The case would have been closed.
Although this is just my conjecture, the Prime Minister should fire all of those advisors if he was advised to pursuit this case with Mu Sochua or and the case with Professor Yash Ghai, the UN Special Envoy on Human Rights in Cambodia in the recent past. Those advisors or the ideas of fighting Mu Sochua and the special envoy on human rights were short-sighted and incompetent for they failed to think through some of the most important issues that make Cambodia appears to be worst than the bad situation the country is already in.
Why CPP chooses to treat member(s) of the minority party this way is beyond me for CPP and its leadership already controls every powerful position in the country. CPP, as a major political party, should be magnanimously working with minority parties to truly fine solutions to improve the country together. That includes the Human Rights issues.
As long as we have a political system with multiple-party structure, it is common and expected to have political fighting.
Political fighting is healthy as long as we remember that winning a political opponent by loosing the respect of the world is not worth winning. And winning the respect of the world but loosing oneself in the process is also worthless.
A true patriot respects and even loves his/her political opponent. After all we are members of the same human race of small nation that barely can sustain itself without the outside’s supports. Our dignity as a human race and as a nation lays on the question of how well we can build each other up and not on how effectively we can destroy each other.
Political common sense requires that a politician always gives his/her opponent a way out with dignity.
21 comments:
Houw would one have "common sense" when one does not even know what "common sense" is?
FUCK MU SUCHUA SUPPORTERS AND HUNSEN SUPPORTERS........ITS ALL ABOUT THE PEOPLE
There is no common sense for the ignorance.
It's not hard to understand what "common sense" is. When sense is common, it is common sense.
When one understands the other's need as one's own, that is one of the common senses.
If one wants to be happy, one realizes that the others must want to be happy too.
When ine has good food to eat, one thinks the others must want to eat good food too.
When one has a nice house to live, one thinks that the others must want to live in a house too.
If one treats the others the same way as one oneself wants to be treated, then one has a common sense. Let me leave space for folks to fill it.
People like Hun Sen, his families, his criminal cronies, New Phally, Krama Man, etc. lack common sense. Their sense is not common to most Khmer people.
Hun Sen and CPP have only accepted apologies from others. In Hun Sen's mind or language he can speak, there is no word "apology". This is the real issue in Cambodia. CPP and Hun Sen use the strategy of killing a chiken to threaten monkey.
Khmer ordinary said...
Khmer ordinary said...
The fight for freedom, social justice, and democracy for defenseless Khmer people must go on. It must go on ceaselessly.
This despotic government must be stopped, otherwise Cambodia will become a second Laos soon. We as decent Khmers must stand up strong to challenge to Hun Sen's and his criminal clique's despicable game of turning Cambodia upside down.
If there are no Khmers living overseas strongly express their opinions or objection against Hun Sen and his criminal clique's evil acts, the defenseless Khmer poeple living inside the country must have been more severely maltreated. But, unfortuantely, some Khmer living overseas turn to be Khmer Rouge in disguise as Khmers not Rouge; until they bark so strongly to defend Hun Sen that we can tell they are actually Khmer Rouge, like Krama Man Krohorm Kor, New Phally, and Khmer Austarlia, etc. These Khmer Rouge won't change their absolute Khmer Rougeism, even until they face trial like ah Duch. Ah Duch won't change his doctrine too. If given a second chance, he will boublekill the innocent Khmers, because, to most Khmer Rouge, killing is fun.
Anyway I strongly hope that most Khmer not Rouge living overseas will continue their pursuit for social justice for their beloved defenseless compatriots.
I have said a longtimes ago that Cambodian proverb goes' Kon Chhlourss ning Srey, Kom kdey ning Chin'. This time is the end of Hun Sen for ever.
Areak Prey
i think it might be a blessing in disguise for cambodia. it is good to attract international attention. not only that makes cambodia on the international spotlight, people all over the world, especially students and academia of international law, political science, and so forth may do research on cambodia, and thus be curious and learn more about cambodia, its khmer people and more. i think, in a way, this is good for the future of cambodia, if not for the immediate time. god bless cambodia.
let's help to make cambodia well-known in the world by talking and showing the world more about cambodia. thank you.
i think cambodia needs people like ms. mu sochua and others like her to make a real difference in cambodia, both politically and justice and more.
សៀមអាវលឿងបះទង្គិចជាមួយសៀមអាវក្រហមនេះបើតាមព័ត៍មានពីសមរភូមិពីប្រាសាទព្រះវិហារ
នៅរសៀលថ្ងៃសៅរ៍ទី១៩។ហើយជើងអាកាសរបស់សៀមសុំឩទ្ថម្ភាចក្រ
ចុះចតនៅប្រាសាទព្រះវិហារ។បាតុកកម្មទាំងពីរ
បណ្តាលឲ្យរងរបួសជាង៣០នាក់រវាងគ្នានឹងគ្នា
ដួច្នេះសូមកងខេមរភូមិន្ទមេត្តាប្រុងប្រយ័ត្ថេជានិច្ច
ពីព្រោះសៀមមានល្បិចច្រើនណាស់សូមអរគុណ
កងទ័ពកម្ពុជា។បាតុកម្មរបស់ថៃទាំងពីរក្រុមមានរបួសជាទម្ងន់រាងៗខ្លួនហើយបានប្រាប់កងខេមរភូមិន្ទ
កុំភ្ញាក់ផ្អើលនៅរឿងឲ្យសោះ។ប៉ុន្តែកងទ័ពកម្ពុជា
របស់យើងសូមមានការប្រុងប្រយ័ត្ថជានិច្ចពីព្រោះ
សៀមវាល្បិចច្រើនណាស់ដូចជាគណបក្សប្រឆាំង
នៅប្រទេសកម្ពុជាឥញ្ជឹងដែរ។
Frankly, I’m not sure if Hun Sen is all that bad and Mu Sochua is all that good. For as long as I can remember, Khmer politicians always preach high moral and good values such as honesty, integrity, justice, equality, …etc. before they come to power, but once they have the power, they do just the opposite.
8:01 PM
You have the right attitude. Our elected officials or politicians tend to take us for granted. You should always question their motive.
This way you should always remain critical and alert. If enough people take this approach our politicians will think twice before they act.
Your friend
to common 8:01pm, i think women more honesty than man, and woman could also do not want power or controlling so much like man does.
for sihanouk and HUn kwack no education. they get power by other country give it to them. it mean they get thing very easy to be where they are right now. therefore they do not know how to lead.
Sihanouk france give it to him,his levele of education is the same ah kwack and because he have blood line in king line. that how he view the way developing country and dress more professional than Hun famally does.
while Hun kwack get power by youn put him on, level of education zero, familly line of professionalism zero, adviser of hun kwack majority of them low level of education, professionalism of him and his cronnie party zero. that is how he have small brain could not let any one critigue him because his party member and him are very limited brain. when they have limited brain or call small brain they have no confident themself once they lack of confident being themselt that how they lead country in to hell stay under power of youn country to help them, and directed them how to run the country because they do not have brain how to lead and direct.
while mrs Mu Sochua, level of education is good, experiencing of work after education is also good, her familly blood line also good. to let her lead the country is much better than those man in power right now. her level of confident to be herseft is good. expereinces to lead contry and struggle with her expereince right now could also lead to be a good leader. SRP also stay no under dummy ' meaning poor contry like china and youn" i view china as poor contry, i do not know other people in this site are agree with me.for exaple Sihanouk and Hunkwack need help from these two does not lead out country to be strong. that how khmer oversea or khmer knong srok should take this risk to help mu mover foward. so we could see our land free from youn and thai anlso contimue to be strong nation, if we are strong nation we will help khmer krom free from youn and khmer sorin free from thai.
Now a day thai was Afrraid khmer surin going to free from them so they could be one khmer nation that is how they try to find fight with us. strong khmer and help mu her paty do not stay under any body remember that.
8:01AM,
Frankly, I don't know anyone is more dumb than you are, fool. I ahve no time to write further because I need to go Pjumben right now.
What a dumb fool you are!!!!
To Jayakhmer,
In you article you said
"...This proves yet again that Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen and his advisors have miscalculated the impact."
The question is what impact? Is there any damage to the currect regime?
A few months down the track it will all be nothing, nothing because all the international communities has turn a blind eye to the fate the Cambodian Democracy.
17 years we still have the same drivers and even more support.
Disgrace Mu Sochua’s problem all along, is that she is trying to be a politician. She's not, never has been and quite obviously, never will be. She should have just been herself, provide alternative policies and show Khmer people what a great alternative MP opposition she would be. Instead, her foray into being a politician has been a disaster. She comes across as pretending to be something she's not. Now, her political career is on the line and herself also in the hot water.
While the nation is facing complex economic, social and environmental issues disgrace Mu Sochua tried to promote her political stunt, aimed to get media attention. If this wasn’t such a clear demonstration of her selfish pursuit of personal ambition it would be laughable. There is no doubt that Mu Sochua has no real regard for the best interest of the nation. She is driven solely by a desire to become a “Champion of Women or new Aung San Suu Kyi” by any means available to her, even if that has the potential to destabilize the country. Even worse she lodged the appeal her case against Prime Minister Hun Sen to the Appeal Court following the announcement of her guilty verdict by the Phnom Penh municipal Court.
People of integrity admit their faults, make amends and are judged fairly...Disgrace Mu Sochua is lacking in integrity and common sense and tries to change Cambodia into her own world. As long as Cambodia’s Court doesn’t issue any verdict which is fitted for her political stunt, she will scream for the justice all day long.
No matter what she’s crying out to ask the US Congress to intervene with the Cambodian Parliament to re-instate her immunity back, but not much the US Congress can do. Indeed, she unabashedly criticized the Cambodian government and the Cambodian Parliament in front of US Congressmen on 10 September 2009, will put her even worst situation let alone ever get back her immunity.
Khmer Australian
1:54 PM,
U.S. Congress and American government can do lots of things to your puppet government you can never imagine. If you don't believe it go ask general Noriega of Panama, late Saddam Hussein of Iraq, or Mohma Ghadaffi of Libya. It does not matter how many bodyguards Hun Sen have, the Drone which is a pilotless plane equipped with Missile systems, can do its job very effectively in eliminating Hun Sen.
scumbag,2 Yuon fake khmer Australian.
to Khmer Australian1:54 PM,
Anonymous said...
Disgrace to Khmer Australian1:54 PM, problem all along, are that you are trying to be a politician. you are not, never has been and quite obviously, never will be. you have just been yorseft, provide alternative policies and show Khmer people what a great alternative cpp opposition you would be. Instead, you foray into being a politician has been a disaster. you comes across as pretending to be something your are not. Now, your political career is on the line and yourself also in the hot water.
While the nation is facing complex economic, social and environmental issues disgrace to Khmer Australian1:54 PM,tried to promote his political stunt, aimed to get Ki attention. If this wasn’t such a clear demonstration of ah Khmer Australian1:54 PM, selfish pursuit of personal ambition it would be laughable. There is no doubt that,ah khmer Australian1:54 PM, to Khmer has no real regard for the best interest of the nation. your are driven solely by a desire to become a “Champion of hun kwack angkorak or new heroin to get pay py cpp” and by any means available to u, even if that has the potential to destabilize the country. Even worseto Khmer Australian1:54 PM, to bark for Minister Hun Sen to the Appeal Court following the announcement of your boss guilty verdict by the Phnom Penh municipal Court.
People of integrity admit their faults, make amends and are judged fairly...Disgrace to Khmer Australian1:54 PM,lacking in integrity and common sense and tries to change Cambodia into your own world. As long as Cambodia’s Court doesn’t issue any verdict which is fitted for your and your dog boss hun kwack political stunt, you will scream for the justice all day long.
No matter what you are crying out to ask the US Congress to stop with the Cambodian Parliament to re-instate your samless face, and a lot US Congress can do. Indeed, your boss Hun kwack unabashedly can't criticized and the Cambodian Parliament in front of US Congressmen on 10 September 2009, will put your and your boss Hun kwack situation the worst dumpest and stupidity your boss ever get back.
To 5:43 AM,
The impact is quite obvious. The fact that government involves high-ranking member of Foreign Ministry to deal with this issue is a good indication that this issue gives them quite a headache.
A few months down the road depends on the SRP. Can they capitalize on this momentum and turn this to electoral supports in the next election? That is a big question we all have to observe.
US is not a big donor to the RGC, but it has world wide influence. As I wrote in my last article outside supports is only secondary to the chance that can take place inside the country. And the change will take much more than the current issue for people to change party.
Jay
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