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| SRP lawmaker Mu Sochua speaks about human rights and women’s roles in Cambodian politics during a press conference yesterday at the SRP headquarters in Phnom Penh. (Photo by: Sovan Philong) |
Kim Yuthana
The Phnom Penh Post
Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Mu Sochua yesterday announced a new initiative to promote women’s involvement in politics ahead of commune elections in 2012 and national elections in 2013.
The announcement of the programme, Moving Forward with Women, For Women, was made at a press conference at SRP headquarters in Phnom Penh.
Mu Sochua, president of the women’s wing of the SRP, said the programme would run for the next two years and aimed to recruit women activists to serve as outreach workers to help educate women voters and create a political network to increase voter turnout among women in future elections as well as to promote more women candidates.
“The Sam Rainsy Party will encourage female candidates … to be listed for upcoming elections,” she said.
“We will also encourage more women to be leaders in society.”
The number of SRP women candidates elected to parliament has increased since the party’s first mandate in 1998, from one to six members of parliament, according to a party report distributed at the press conference yesterday.
The SRP initiative comes on the heels of a report by election watchdog Comfrel last month that urged government officials to work harder to eliminate the gender gap in local and national government.
The report, Politics of Gender and Providing Political Power to Women, found that a lack of political determination continues to hinder the empowerment of women in the political arena.
Nguon Nhel, first deputy president of the National Assembly, said yesterday that the ruling Cambodian People’s Party continues to support greater representation of women in government to help develop the country.
5 comments:
Look at disgraced Mu Sokhua's face, she doesn't look alike Khmer's woman at all. She looks like Vietnamese 90% and 10% like Chinese's woman. It is so shameful to have someone likes her to representative of Khmer women.
If what you say is true (Vietnamese 90% and 10% like Chinese), them I wish there are more people like her who work very hard for the sake of Cambodia prosperity. If there are any Vietnamese women who love Cambodia, risk her job, possibly her life for Cambodia, then yes i support that.
What she does for a country should not be measured by her physical appearance. Her action speaks louder than her looks. Like it or not the future Khmer people will look like her because we have been colonized by the Vietnamese and everyone else in the world. The King is not even 100% Khmer either. The PM looks 100% Khmer---does that make a difference? Who is fighting for whom?
Madame Mu is a Sino-Chinese by birth (ethnicity speaking, if you will) but her hearth is PURE Khmer. Therefore, you can never find a more courageous KHMER lady--far none. End of the race debate, Anonymous!
Today society is not about different races anymore. Its about promoting individual rights and well-being as a citizen or as a 'human being' where no one can abuse no one. Khmer people have faced alot of abuse from all level of social order like,husband abuses wife, a father or mother abuses their children, the soldier abuses the people or gov't abuses its power by saying 'I am big and you are small or I am right and you are wrong'. In Madame Mu's case she is advocating for individual's rights and concern. It doesn't matter what nationality she is from, the fact she is a woman and another ordinary human being. In Aust we don't have a race issue because we have this policy called the 'multiculturalism' where everyone is equally important. It doesn't matter who you are or where you come from, you are just another human being. Therefore, if only we can follow with the Aust way of life, we can then improve of making the world as a better place or otherwise we will never find peace. This is the year 2011, there shouldn't be a race issue. Madame Mu has done a great job by putting her life on the line for the benefit of women, children and vulnerable people in this society. So, blessed is she to be the chosen one. I hope Hun Sen can work with her and take her work seriously bu putting her in the lead such being the opposition leader or deputy PM or advisor etc. Aust
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