Friday, September 24, 2010

Cambodia needs a true democratic government

Friday, 24 September 2010
Ou Virak
Ou Virak
Letter to The Phnom Penh Post

Dear Editor,

Today is Constitution Day in Cambodia, a public holiday that gives Cambodians a chance to celebrate and reflect on the enactment of the 1993 Constitution.

Article 1 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Cambodia states that Cambodia shall be ruled according to the principles of liberal democracy and pluralism.

This Constitution Day the Cambodian Center for Human Rights encourages Cambodians to reflect on the unique potential of liberal democratic systems to both uphold civil and political rights and promote equitable economic growth.

In 2010, the liberal democratic system guaranteed in Cambodian’s Constitution is in a fragile state. A recent report issued jointly by 17 NGOs – Cambodia Gagged: Democracy at Risk – raises concerns that the Royal Government of Cambodia, led by the Cambodian People’s Party, is dismantling the fundamental pillars of democracy and gradually moving Cambodia towards a one-party political system.


The report documents the use of state power against parliamentarians, media, lawyers, human rights activists and other citizens to silence debate and close the space for pluralism and diversity of opinion within Cambodia. Given the emergence in Cambodia of an autocratic, authoritarian political system at the expense of liberal democracy, we should examine whether this new system is an effective political model to promote the interests of Cambodian citizens.

The CPP-led RGC has promoted similar priorities to those espoused by the “Beijing Consensus,” emphasising Cambodia’s achievement of high levels of economic growth over the past decade and promoting the CPP as the only political force capable of maintaining peace and stability in Cambodia.

The RGC presided over economic growth in double digits between 2004 and 2007 prior to the global economic slowdown. However, much of this growth resulted from crony capitalism benefiting a few well-connected businessmen, CPP senators and foreign investors.

The RGC has also promoted its ability to maintain stability. However, the price of such a trade-off can include the violent suppression of those promoting alternative solutions to a country’s problems, such as the 1997 grenade attack, and the 2004 assassination of labour leader Chea Vichea in Cambodia, or on a larger scale, brutality such as the Tiananmen Square massacre in China in 1989.

The political system in operation in Cambodia today carries the veil of democracy, but this is a charade. In a true liberal democracy, opposition politicians are able to speak and present policy proposals in parliament, citizens are able to organise protests and strikes without being charged with incitement, and the courts are respected by citizens as an independent arbiter of conflicts.

This Constitution Day, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights calls on members of all political parties to reflect on the democratic values enshrined in Cambodia’s supreme law and consider how they can work together with dignity and respect to build a truly democratic system capable of benefiting all Cambodians.

Ou Virak
Cambodian Center for Human Rights

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

You don't need NGO reports to see the one party system in Cambodia...
It was there when he CPP lost its first election then bullying for a shared power then a coup d'etat in 1997...It is a very late reports at least 13 years too late..Why now?

Anonymous said...

Democracy in where? Scambodia...Never heppen

Anonymous said...

Democracy mean multi parties, rule by the people. So Cambodia has multi parties system, even without SR.

And if CPP win the election, even other people like it or not, they are legit democratic elected government.

It doesn't mean that the opposition party have to win to call a country democratic.

Anonymous said...

One and only 1 solution:
Limit the number of times for Prime Minister mandate.
2 times per example.
Because Prime Minister could be there for ever, Prime Minister names and removes judges.
Judges receive order from Prime Minister.
Prime Minister is above the law.
Circle without end.

siwatha kucheyeathrith said...

Cambodia also need best WEAPONS in-order to protect her country from greedy neighbors...like Viet/Siam!

Anonymous said...

you useless, virak, we don't need u
u need to collect unemployment here in usa

Anonymous said...

ណែ អាស្វាវត្តភ្នំខ្ញុំយួន ៤:០០AM!

អាស្វាវត្តភ្នំខ្ញុំយួនឯងនឹងត្រូវអ្នកស្នេហាជាតិ
សំឡាប់ចោលអោយផុតពូជមឹនខាន ឭទេ???

Anonymous said...

It’s looking like HUN SEN AND YOUN hires several people to MAKING trouble on KI-MEDIA to post the first comment most of the time, and to make khmer and khmer fighting…ect.
BUT…!!! BUT IF YOU ARE KHMER PEOPLE… WHAT’S MADE YOU MAD LIKE THIS….! OR MAYBE YOU ARE TIRE OF BEING BORN AS KHMER ???

Anonymous said...

Cambodia country just got out from
the hell not even 40 years yet .
U look at world and how many country
that were really Democracy country ,
beside Cambodia ?
And U have to read the history of the
country which was really democracy ,
and how long it was took the time to
do it ?

Step by step U will get to the point.

Anonymous said...

You, CPP members and supporters, your mother, your father, your children and your grand-children you will never know waht is freedom, you must venerate monkeys all your life long to survive.
Now you don't have problem, you are happy, when Hun Sen family members fuck your family members, that moment you will think about it and it will be too late.

Chumteave Chumtet... said...

I agree Khmer needs a true Democracy. Even Hun XZen can still do it. CPP, SRP, MMP, HHP, RCP, or what ever PPPPPPPP as long as one willing to do it. Dont need no CPP SRP or ppp AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD or FFF OR WHAT EVER... AS LONG CPPPPPPPPPP STOP BUILDING STUFF TO POCKET THEMSELVES FOR THE BENEFIT OF VIET VIET VIET IS OK....

Anonymous said...

Ou Virak,

In stead of writing things that make you look like a SRP puppit and a CCP hater, you should write s.things that make you look really like a true democracy supporter.

Rainsy is not capable of leading the opposition party anymore. It's not democractic he behaves. He committed crimes.

Cambodia needs a real democratic opposition party leader.

Anonymous said...

Greece was the first once that was
find democracy , but how is Greece
right now .
I am not any pro party or supporter.
If we really want Cambodia going to
really Democracy we must do step by
step we will get to the point .
KHMER REVERE MA USA

Anonymous said...

សួស្ដីលោកអ៊ូវិរក្ក
ខ្ញុំគិតថា​ លោកគួរតែធ្វើយ៉ាងណា កុំអោយស៊ូវមាន
ព្រឹត្តការណ៍នាៗដែលពាក់ព័ន្ធនិងរូបលោក មានវត្តមាននៅក្នុង​គេហួំព័រ​មួយនេះ ។
ព្រោះថា កាលណាពួក​គីមេឌា កាន់ជើងអ្នក
ណា​ម្នាក់ អ្នកហ្នុង នឹងត្រូវយីអ៊ុន
ដាក់ជាប់រហូត ៕
ជឿខ្ញុំទៅ !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

10:02! Greece was the first once that was find democracy , but how is Greece right now .

Same as China who first found many thing from gun powder to Compass, and how China right now!

China can not wait to go step by step because it may never get here! SO it bought and bying rocket, ship, plane, new compass fro Soviet Union and now Rusia!

Are you want to go to Grick or just follow the sucess one American and the developed Wester counties?

Let them get out of the jungle! fool!

Anonymous said...

REMEMBER, THIS BASTARD OU VIREAK IS A SPY OF CPP FOR PROVIDING ALL INFORMATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVITIES. THIS YUON SLAVE GUY, PRETENDS TO BE GOOD WITH HIS STAFFS BUT IN HIS BACK, MANY REPORTS WERE SENT TO HUN XEN OFFICE

Anonymous said...

ណែ អាស្វាវត្តភ្នំខ្ញុំយួន ១:៣៧PM(1:37PM)!

អាស្វាវត្តភ្នំខ្ញុំយួនឯងនឹងត្រូវអ្នកស្នេហាជាតិ
សំឡាប់ចោលអោយផុតពូជមឹនខាន ឭទេ???

អាស្វាវត្តភ្នំខ្ញុំយួន ១:៣៧PM ឯងនេះគ្មាន
ផ្លូវកែរខ្លួនអោយទៅជាអ្នកជាបានទេ!
True Khmer patriots are all around you; it's just a matter of time, got it អាស្វាវត្តភ្នំខ្ញុំយួន ១:៣៧PM???

Nous savons bien qui et où tu es, connard!!

Anonymous said...

Sam Rainsy must take Hun Sen to court;  Failure to prosecute Hun Sen will result in more innocent Khmer peoples being murder.

Sam Rainsy must not give Hun Sen another option to pick to escape justice.

Which one is better?

1. Hun Sen Death Squad (The Cambodian Organize Crime) go to federal prison for life in the United States for terrorism on March 30, 1997 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

2. Sam Rainsy get his jail terms drop.

Option 1 will benefit all innocent Khmer peoples and Khmer national.

Option 2 will benefit Sam Rainsy and the Cambodia People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime (Hun Sen Death Squad, assassins, murderers, killers, human rights abusers and land grabbers...).

The last time, Sam Rainsy picked was option 2.

I remember Sam Rainsy said "I'm not doing this for Sam Rainsy, I'm doing this for Khmer national."

Sam Rainsy, please do a favor for the Khmer national, take Hun Sen to court.

I am hopping that Sam Rainsy pick the right option this time so that the same thing will not happen again ever.

Sam Rainsy must not allow Hun Sen to continue to kill more innocent Khmer peoples.

Sam Rainsy is in a position to take Hun Sen to court because Hun Sen was trying to assassinate him on March 30, 1997 Grenade Attack (Terrorism).  This is a rare opportunity.  Only victims have the power.  I wise, I have this power to bring Hun Sen to federal court in the United States.

This is a million times better than spend hundreds of million of dollars to hire a private military contractor (Black Water, now XE etc...) to bring justice to criminals (Hun Sen Death Squad and the Khmer Rouge Regimes) who is responsible for killing almost two million innocent Khmer peoples and counting.

Who ever charge, prosecute, convict and sentence Hun Sen is a Khmer hero.  You will be saving a lot of innocent Khmer peoples life.  Because Hun Sen is responsible for murders his political opponents, leaders of the free trade union, journalists and innocent Khmer peoples.

Hun Sen is the most powerful person in Cambodia.

Sam Rainsy have the power to send the most powerful person in Cambodia (Hun Sen) to federal prison for life in the United States.

By
Victim of
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime
&
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime

Anonymous said...

your web site is very crazy !!!!!!!!!! not true!!!!!!!