Cases that the government must resolve

Will Cambodia's "Strongman" lives up to his reputation by solving Cambodia's problems or will he just remain as Cambodia's "Strong Mouse" (or "Strong Mouth"?) that he is right now?

27 March 2010
Editorial by Pen Bona
Radio France Internationale
Translated from Khmer by Komping Puoy
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Besides the border problem with Thailand which is currently at a standstill and the case of opposition leader Sam Rainsy which is getting more tense, the Cambodian government has several load cases it must shoulder. These cases include criticisms over the anti-corruption law and the much-criticized human rights issues in Cambodia. These are the problems that the government must defend itself and must resolve.

The beginning of 2010 does not look like spring to the government, instead it is more like a stormy weather blowing over the government.

One lengthy problem which does not seem to find an ending is the western border issue with Thailand. On the other hand, along the eastern border, the lawsuit case against Mr. Sam Rainsy is a hot issue that creates a cloudy political atmosphere in Cambodia.

In addition, a number of other cases are also taking shape almost all at the same time during this month of March and led to government to be actively on the defensive because it has to face criticisms. The first problem is the anti-corruption law which was quickly ratified by both the National Assembly and the Senate last week. Next is the 2009 human rights report issued by the US on 12 March which noted a number of problems that do not please the government.

Due to these problems, the government had to face two fronts: (1) responding to defend its record, and (2) resolving these problems.

Turning to the western border problem, any resolution does not seem to see any light at the end of the tunnel at all, under this condition, Thailand also continues to remain in an upheaval and the Abhisit government, which earned popularity because of its politicization of the Preah Vihear problem, is still holding onto power. Nevertheless, Cambodia’s only remaining path for this case is to bring it up to the International community to seek for an intervention in this much needed problem.

Regarding the case of Mr. Sam Rainsy, the path to a resolution is completely in the dark when both sides are facing each other more tensely as the days go by. The EU delegation, which recently ended its visit in Cambodia on 19 March, seems to want to intervene somewhat in this case, but it is not known what will happen to this case yet.

As for the anti-corruption law, there is nothing to stop the government anymore, however, the efficiency of the application of this law is a required necessity that automatically ties it to the confidence of the public on the government. This means that if this law has no teeth, Cambodia will still be considered as a country with no anti-corruption law. Under such scenario, the government will face unending criticisms.

On the human rights front, there are many actions that the government must continue to accomplish. The main problem that attracts the public attention is the freedom of expression as a number of journalists and parliamentarians are now facing or are already sentenced to jail simply because they are performing their duty. As for the government’s development policy, it still remains doubtful in the mind of a number of people, in particular among the poor communities which can be forcefully evicted from their lands and housings.

These are the major cases that the government must resolve for 2010, and the efficiency of the resolutions depends solely on the will of the government leaders. But, what is certain is that, if the government truly has the will, then, there is nothing that Mr. Hun Xen, Cambodia’s “Strongman,” cannot resolve.