Tuesday, March 22, 2011

The coalition of the unwilling

Op-Ed by Khmerization
21st March, 2011

The unification between the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) and the Human Rights Party (HRP) is long overdue and it is time for both parties to come to their senses and work for the betterment of the future-merged party rather than engage in a political dogfight over factional interests to gain a political domination prior to the merger. Both parties must ponder about the future of the new party and think about the common interests rather than about demanding for an equal share of representation in the new party. It is disturbing news that, more than two years down the track, the negotiations have gone nowhere and the political bickering about the nonsense of who get what is still being argued around the negotiation table.

In any union, whether it is a civil marriage, a creation of a business or a political entity, common interests and fairness is paramount and prevail over all else. You will get the amount of the dividends for the proportion of the interests and the shares you have put into the new entity.

By the same token, the marriage between the SRP and the HRP fits into the same analogy. The bigger party gets the bigger share of the representation and the smaller party gets its fair share of what it brings into the newly-created party. In fairness, and to make the newly-merged party worked, the HRP must not demand for an equal representation in the newly-formed party. It must only demand for its fair share only. In this case, its fair share in the new party is in proportion to its political supports and votes it received in 2008 in each constituency. The HRP’s proposal for an equal representation in the newly-merged party, such as a joint ticket for the senate election, while knowing that it has no councillor to elect the senators, has created hurdles for the unification and posed obstacles for a smooth transition to the operation of a new united party.

If they want the newly-created party to have any chances of survival at all and is strong enough to withstand any continuous external attempts to break it up, both parties have to be sincere and think about the common good, not to try to create factions within the new party that would lead to factional and internal rivalry which is a recipe for the self-destruction of any political parties.

Notwithstanding my harsh assessment of the HRP position vis-a-vis the merger with the SRP, I do recognise that it has put forward some good and not so good proposals for the merger of the two parties. First, the HRP had proposed a brand new name for the new party without using any individual’s name. This is a good and fair proposal that can, and should, be accepted by the SRP, but it is a bit risky due to past experience and the current political environment in Cambodia. The SRP was created on 9th November 1995 as the Khmer Nation Party, but the party was forced to change its name to the Sam Rainsy Party after Mr. Hun Sen had engineered its break up in 1998 by using Kong Mony as a front. The Khmer Nation Party was prevented from participating in the 1998 election until it changed its name to the SRP.

Secondly, the HRP proposed that the new internal party structure would be jointly decided by the SRP and HRP. This is also a good proposal, but the demand for an equal representation by the HRP, such as the joint senate ticket, will surely lead to the creation of the SRP-aligned faction and the HRP-aligned faction. This is a recipe for the speedy self-destruction of the new party. The demand for equal representation is a sign that the two parties are highly polarised and are distrustful of each other. This would lead to internal political alliances that will cause the party to be too factionalised and riddled with internal rivalry and jealousy which is a recipe of a political suicide.

Thirdly, the HRP’s proposal for term limits for the party presidency is an excellent idea. After all, the SRP has in the past demanded for a prime ministerial term limit. A 5-year two terms limit will ensure that new talents have an equal chance to lead the party but it is also good for the health of democracy in Cambodia.

The HRP has presented itself as a leading partner in merger talks for being proactive in its approach to the merger, however, it must not act to be seen as being too eager to demand too much, or more than its fair share, from the bigger SRP by dictating the terms of the negotiations for the creation of the yet-to-be named new party. Having said that, the SRP must earn the trust of the smaller HRP that it will not absorb or swallow the HRP in whole and constrict it to death and toss it into a political oblivion.

Up to now, both parties seemed to be not too interested or unwilling to merge. In more than two years of negotiations, both parties had emerged as the ally or the coalition of the unwilling because as negotiations progressed, both parties seemed more than ever unwilling to come to any political compromise that would ensure a speedy merger. The longer the negotiations are going on, the more bickering will emerge and the more political damage they may have caused in the eyes of the Cambodian voters.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

The SRP president is so big headed he would have to go outside to change his mind.

Kuoy Pichet

Anonymous said...

All Khmer political parties and organizations must be united into ONE-KHMER Party to save CAMBODIA from the Vietnamese expansion now.

Anonymous said...

To Sam Rainsy Party,
PLEASE DO NOT UNITE WITH HUMAN RIGHT PARTY; THEY ARE YOUN ELEMENT TO BREAK SAM RAINSY PARTY. THE REAL EXPERIENCE WAS FUNCINPEC PARTY; THIS PARTY WAS BROKEN BY NGNEK BUN CHHAY WHO WAS BOUGHT BY CPP TO MAKE A COUP PARTY. KEM SOKHA, MOM SONANGDO ARE YOUN SPY. THE UNIFICATION BETWEEN SRP AND HRP IS A DEADLY GAME FOR SRP. KEM SOKHA IS BELONGING TO CPP WHO IS LOOKING TO ELEMINATE SRP.

Anonymous said...

Khmer must pay attention with Youn Spy: Kem Sokha, Mom Sonangdo are Youn. Last time when they were in the prison, it was the Youn trick to show that they aren't with them. All Khmer must remark their situation every word and every action that they act. Rong Chhun also is an individual that all Khmer have to keep eyes on him. When he went to the border was very good to find out the Youn’s encroachment into Khmer land, but in the other hand it was an opportunity for him to paint his image, and to earn the popularity in Khmer politics that he is nationalist. As I said as above that we have watch their word and action. Last year Mr. Rong Chhun had agreed that the government need to give the right to the Vietnam for the project to create a radio station to serve its population in Cambodia...

All Khmer must understand that Youn spy are everywhere in Cambodia. Rong Chhun is simply one of Youn Game to swallow Cambodia. In the mean time, I would like to remind all Khmer to compare Rong Chhun to one of the character in Chinese movies; All of the sudden, that character become from a good person to a traitor. We need to pay attention before qualifying a person in Cambodia as a Hero we need to look that person from its root, e.g. Honorable Sam Rainsy is a real Khmer hero because we know his root. One of the big mistakes of Khmer with Youn Spy was Sosten Fenandez, who was the commander in Chef during Khmer republican. He has a Philippine father and Vietnamese mother, his brother was Emmanuel Fernandez was a doctor in Cambodia. Old Khmer generation must remember that most of the time, Marecharle Lon Nol 's soldier was in the ambush of the Khmer rouge; in that time the Khmer rouge was backed by the Vietcong. Every time Lon Nol's soldiers went to the battlefield, the information was already passed to Vietcong to ambush Khmer soldiers. I have a lot of experiences with Youn because when I was young I grew up with Youn kids in my village along the Tonle Sap River. Many Youn in my village were arrested by Marecharle Lon Nol; they were Youn Colonels...Before April 1975 the kid's Youn family that I grew up with still lived in Phnom Penh. That Youn family were educated, teachers and Lon Nol’s soldier and military police (PM= Police militaire). One member of that family was a teacher at Lycee Preah Youkunthor ( Lycee 18 mars during the republican) in front of Old Chinese hospital which today becomes the golden tower 42. The moment that really waked me up was February 1979 after the Khmer rouge; two brothers of that Youn family meet our family by hazard in the Youn soldier uniform; one of them was a military police in Lon Nol’s regime. Today, one of them becomes General Two stars for Hun Sen’s government. I would like to remind all Khmer to research the root closely of Kem Sokha and Mom Sonangdo and or / any person before consider them a Khmer nationalist. I AM AGAINT THE UNIFICATION BETWEEN SRP and HUMAN RIGHT PARTIES Because I believe that in the future they will make THE COUP to the unification party. I believe that Youn tries to make the opposition party get weak.

In Radio Free Asia, VOA, there is a lot of Youn’s Spy. They use Khmer name to pretend that they are Khmer, but in fact they are Youn; often, I have noticed that certain journalist tried to avoid questions which could disqualify Hun Sen’s regime. Most of the time RFA gives more air time to Hun Sen’s Party. I am very glad that World Khmer Radio and Radio Khmer Post have been created to serve Khmer people and Khmer cause with real Khmer Journalist.

For the unification between SRP and HRP will drive to the destruction of the opposition party because Khem Sokha who is the CPP secret element will shake the future unified party.

Anonymous said...

Let start the party merger. Election is getting closer and closer. We need to do a funraiser!

the sooner the better.....we can than solved the small problem before the big one

Anonymous said...

MERGING BETWEEN SRP AND HRP ISN'T GOOD FOR SRP BECAUSE KEM SOKHA IS BOUHGT BY CPP. THIS MAN IS A MAN OF ACCASION. HE IS THE HYPOCRITE MAN.

Anonymous said...

Kem Sokha,
I know Kem Sokha personally in the early 70s when we lived in Sras Chak Buddhist temple in Kod #1. My friend whose name is unveiled also lived in the same residence in the temple. I met this friend ten years ago in Cambodia. He said Kem Sokha is CPP's internal spy.
I just say what my friend said.
______________
in the 70s Kem Sokha was good, but now he is not trustworthy. SRP! Please do not integrate with HRP.

Anonymous said...

Kem Sokha is bought by CPP to break down dissolve SRP. The real example was Gnek bun Chhay was bought by CPP TO MAKE A COUP PARTY of FUNCINPEC. What did happen with Rannaridh ?, and what have FUNCINPEC become today ? . This is a real classical Youn trick. Please pay attention, Youn are infiltrated everywhere. Each person we need to analyze his word, action and root. The real example is in the comment page at KI-Media; everyone can identify, who is Youn and who is real Khmer. All Khmer must understand that, Khmer have been foolish by Youn since many generations. Sihanouk’s, Lon Nol’s, Pol Pot’s, Hun Sen’s regime, Youn has been infiltrated since 1954. It is enough, we must pay attention! SRP to MERGE with HRP is very dangerous. Today HRP is smaller than SRP; if they merged together, HRP will flow their member in the new united party for becoming majority. Where those members will they come from? They are simply CPP's spy. Kem Sokha is belonging to CPP.
THIS IS A DEADLY GAME FOR SRP.

Anonymous said...

Human right party is bought by Hun Sen. In world Khmer radio 03/19/2011, Keith Sokun from HRP said that government has to respect the law and give the right to the legal Vietnamese to live in Cambodia. For this, I won't buy it because all Youn who flow in Cambodia illegally have become legal by Hun Sen government; as we know that Hun Sen’s government is Youn government period. For all this sitiation shows that the motivation of Mr. Keth sokun has tendency to serve Youn interest to vietnametize the country.

Anonymous said...

The fact is who nobody give a fuck who rule Cambodia whether AH HUN SEN, Sam Rainsy, or whoever...the U.S., China, South Korea, and Japan... will deal these Cambodian leaders the same way!

Whoever replace AH HUN SEN and they will inherit the same dirt-poor and corrupted Cambodia for the past 30 years rule by the Vietnamee puppet government! So they shouldn't waste no time in rebuilding Cambodia and there is no time for political bickering or make Cambodia go through another war!

Anonymous said...

ហេតុអ្វីបានជាក្រុមអ្នកប្រឆាំងចង់ឲ្យអ្នកដែលជាប់ឆ្នោតចុះចេញពីដំណែងទៅវិញនោះ?តាមការពិតបក្សពួក
អ្នកប្រឆាំងគឺមិនមែនគិតអំពីប្រទេសជាតិនោះទេគឺពួក
គេគិតពីដំណែងនឹងគិតអំពីគំនុំនៅក្នុងក្រុមបក្សពួកទៅវិញទេ។បើបាត់ទឹកដីត្រូវតែនិយាយនៅក្នុងរដ្ធសភាមិនត្រូវដើនិយាយតាមសាធារណឬប្រាប់បរទេស
ឲ្យពួកគេដឹងនោះទេ។ក្រុមបក្សពួកប្រឆាំងមិនទាំងចេះរបបប្រជាធិបតេយ្យផងហើយមកនិយាយឲ្យគេថាមិនមានច្បាប់ប្រជាធិបតេយ្យទៅវិញ។បើគិតឲ្យងាយយល់នោះវិញក្រុមបក្សប្រឆាំងគឺមានគំនុំ
គុំគួនដែលមេបក្សរបស់ខ្លួនមានឪពុកធ្លាប់ក្បត់ជាតិ
ក្បត់ប្រទេសហើយយករឿងហ្នឹងមកនិយាយដើម្បី
សងសឹកឲ្យឪពុករបស់ខ្លួនទៅវិញនោះទេសព្វនេះ
ដែលបក្សប្រឆាំងបានធ្វើនៅស្រុកខ្មែរ។

Anonymous said...

"coalition of unwilling" you see the piont very clear Khmerization your op are very logical and absolutely right, I do agreed with you and appreciated your wisdom in seeing no future for any merger betweent HRP and SRP.In business Mr. Rainsy he must give, give and give to get some things, but the way I see I rainsy he want to get, get, and get befor he could giving that make no sense for making any adealt. Sam rainsy he can't even be able to close the windo how could he close the deal. wasn't he very weak, right? As I said SRP is a charity organization to collect money, they do not posses any business or political principle, stope suport money to hime he will close SRP down I assure you that and blieve me this selfish chinese lady boy are go after your money only. the merger will never happen as long as Rainsy stile head SRP charity. Mike

Anonymous said...

I used to respect Mr. Kem Sokha and his HRP. But now I know who he really is and he no longer have my support. Recently, Mr. Kem Sokha said Mr. Rainsy should appologize to the government. My question to Mr. Sokha is: why should Mr. Rainsy appologize? He did nothing wrong, instead he is a hero trying to defend Khmer interests against yuons.

I think Mr. Kem Sokha is just another yuons puppet serving yuon interests.

Anonymous said...

Just remember this! When Kem Sokha decided to declare his Human Right Party and he has to consult Hun Sen first? Why does Kem Sokha need to consult or even get permission from Hun Sen first? It is because he is a puppet of Hun Sen!

To have Kem Sokha in Sam Rainsy Party is a liability for Sam Rainsy!

Anonymous said...

hello everyone,I can see now Kem Sokha,Rong Chhum and Mam Sonando are youn or youn spy.No one better than Sam raisy and no one can compare the leadership with Ketebundith than samdach Decho in Cambodia.Help me to choose one.Rainsy policies are so hypocrite,he create more enemies than freinds.He can't lead the country in the future.We better looking for the 3rd party to lead.
when HRP and SRP can't merge,Man sonando is waiting for their apportunity to create a political party and his party will combine with HRP for sure.When the time is come SRP will be up in the sky.we will see how smart is Sam Rainsy and his supporters.

Anonymous said...

Well 11:43PM your samdach Decho is good, but it's too bad that he's only good at serving yuon interests. Look at Koh Tral and all the lands he gave to yuons; He also allows millions of yuons settle in Cambodia - your Samdech Decho is giving the whole country to yuons.

Anonymous said...

BECAREFUL! WHAT LEAD US IN 1993! SHIHANOUK SELL US ALL!

DO NOT STEP ON THE SHIT AGAIN!

Anonymous said...

We are 90% poor cambodian people that earn less than $2 per day would like to joint Mr. Sam Rainsy revolution at Cambodia. We sick of the same regime lead by one man for over 25 years.

We don't scare of dying anymore because if Hun Sen kill us. UN, NATO force, America, Bristish, France will help innocent people like us.

Mr. Sam Rainsy! Please lead us to great revolution in history of Cambodia. Let's creat history! Let's our children proud in the this generation and the next! No more suffering for 90% cambodian people!

We support Mr. Sam Rainsy revolution. we are truely support khmer people benefit, not vietnam benefit!

Long live Mr. Sam Rainsy! Let's the greatest revolution begin at Cambodia!

Ms. Rattana Keo

Anonymous said...

at this point, Rainsey is done. It would serve rainsey better if they merge. rainsey is a bird without wings. his head is so big that he is not willing to come to a sense that he is no longer has a seat in congress. srp need to change their attitude. there are many support for srp in a khmer media's world, such as KI, khmer majss srok, khmerization and many more, they all still think rainsey is the best. SRP needs a new leader if SRp going to survive.

Anonymous said...

To 10:34 PM:

Hun Sen does not have a power in Cambodian, but Viet/Youn Communist Hanoi and CPP have the power and control Youn dog Hun Sen. So, Kem Sokha has no way to reach or talk to Hun Sen. Why? Youn/Viet and CPP have to give their permission first before Hun Sen could talk to Kem Sokha. As you can see, Youn/Viet Hanoi master control Hun Sen and CPP.

We need to protest against Youn/Viet Communist Hanoi masters and get rid of these Hanoi crooks and thieves and Hun Sen altogether. Let's the world or international communities and UN/NATO put pressures on and send the atomic bombs over Hanoi to destroy Communist Masters who control Cambodia government and CPP Youn and dumb/stupid Hun Sen.

Anonymous said...

Good merger and this will clean out the bad apple.

Anonymous said...

Khem Sokha is Hun Sen's Hun Sen supporter.He went abroad for few times,in the USA.There are few people are supporting him.The Khmer
people abroad never trust this this
guy.
Khem Sokha,stop going abroad,almost
no one is willing to listen to you.
Let you'll be Hun Sen and Vietnam slave.
Many Khmer people went back and forth to abroad,they knew what happened in Cambodia and happened to some senators or some assemblymen or some stupid Khmer leaders in the country.