By Prak Chan Thul | Reuters – July 21 ,2013
Kem
Sokha (C), vice president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP),
speaks to supporters during an election rally in Takeo province July
17, 2013. REUTERS/Samrang Pring
TUOL
TACHEN, Cambodia (Reuters) - After 28 years of rule by Hun Sen, Asia's
longest-serving prime minister, the rallying cry for Cambodia's
opposition ahead of next week's election is obvious, and it appears to
be attracting an unprecedented number of voters.
"Change,
change!" senior opposition politician Kem Sokha shouted through a
microphone to a crowd of several hundred villagers in the southern
province of Takeo. "July 28 is the day that we will end this
dictatorship regime."
Kem Sokha's prediction is far-fetched, even though the crowd of flip-flop clad farmers roared their approval.
Hun
Sen, a charismatic former commander in the genocidal Khmer Rouge, has
built up a formidable electoral machinery through his ruling Cambodian
People's Party (CPP) that easily outguns the opposition. Adding to his
advantages are a compliant media, the CPP's deep pockets, and an
election system that is prone to government meddling.
Hun
Sen, 60, is a master of cultivating patronage networks and alliances
within the CPP. The authoritarian leader has vowed to stay in power
until his planned retirement in his mid-70s, and appears intent on
building a political dynasty by promoting his three U.S.
military-trained sons to top positions in the CPP and the army.
Still,
the newly unified opposition hopes to mount its strongest challenge to
the CPP since democracy was fully restored in 1998.
Under
Hun Sen, Cambodia has transformed from a war-torn basket case into one
of Southeast Asia's fastest growing economies, helped by a burgeoning
garment export industry and growing political and investment ties with
regional power China.
But
the breakneck economic growth has been accompanied by a rise in social
tensions over poor factory conditions and rural land rights in the
country of 14 million, where a third of people live on less than 65 U.S.
cents per day.
In
rural areas, where more than 90 percent of Cambodians live and which
are a backbone of CPP support, there is growing anger over huge land
concessions awarded to foreign companies and which have benefited close
political allies of Hun Sen.
Om
Vanthoeun, a 61-year old farmer who attended Kem Sokha's rally in the
village of Tuol Tachen, said he was most concerned about land grabs and
what he said was an influx of immigrants from neighbouring Vietnam.
"I
just want change, even a little child wants change," said Om, who plans
to vote for the opposition despite what he said was intimidation by his
local CPP candidate.
HUN SEN'S SONS
While
there are no reliable national opinion polls, most political analysts
believe the CPP is on course to retain its majority but may lose ground
from the 90 seats it currently holds in the 123-seat parliament. The two
main opposition parties joined forces last year and are expected to
improve on the combined 29 seats they won at the last elections in 2008.
The
opposition received a morale boost on Friday when opposition leader Sam
Rainsy returned after four years in exile in France. Sam Rainsy was
given a royal pardon that removed the threat of a jail term, amid
mounting pressure from the United States and other foreign donors to
ensure the election is fair. Donors provide nearly half of Cambodia's
budget.
On
a visit to Phnom Penh last November, U.S. President Barack Obama told
Hun Sen he should make sure the election was free and fair and pressed
him to improve human rights, in what U.S. officials described as a tense
meeting.
Tens
of thousands of cheering supporters met Sam Rainsy, a former finance
minister, who chose exile in 2009 rather than face trial for what rights
groups said were politically motivated charges.
Some
analysts believe the opposition could win enough seats to create
political deadlock that would force Hun Sen into a coalition government
with Sam Rainsy. Most, however, see the CPP keeping a strong enough
majority to rule alone.
"Sam
Rainsy's royal pardon was long expected and part of a well-rehearsed
government strategy to clamp down on the opposition ahead of the polls,
and then make last-minute targeted concessions to appease foreign
donors," said Giulia Zino, Southeast Asia analyst at Control Risks in
Singapore.
"The
CPP is almost certain to secure a large parliamentary majority at the
polls, ensuring broad policy continuity and basic political stability
for foreign investors."
CPP lawmaker Sok Eysan denied that Hun Sen was favouring his sons by moving them into increasingly powerful positions.
"The
party has a policy of promoting the role of youths, including some who
were educated in the West and locally. We take care of everybody, youth
is the next generation," he said.
Hun
Sen's youngest son, 30-year-old Hun Many, is running for parliament for
the first time in this election. He is already the deputy chief of
cabinet and the head of a national student movement. Second son, General
Hun Manith, is the deputy head of Cambodia's Intelligence Unit.
The
eldest, General Hun Manet, is Hun Sen's favoured son, who he has
publicly suggested possesses divine powers. Hun Manet is a deputy
commander of Hun Sen's personal bodyguard and head of the National
Counterterrorism Taskforce.
"They
are like the old guard except they have more education," said Henri
Locard, a French historian who teaches at the Royal University of Phnom
Penh. "If things continue as today, you will never see the end of Hun
Sen." (Writing by Stuart Grudgings; editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
2 comments:
ខ្ញុំអត់យល់ទាល់តែសោះហេតុអីបាន
ជាមានខ្មែរគំាទ្រគណបក្សយួន(គណបក្សប្រជាជន)អោយួន
លួចប្លន់លេបទឹកដីឯង និងសំលាប់ជាតិសាសន៍ឯង?
Please be carefully to call Vietnamese party. It will not help your own party at all.
You will not get a single support from the world communities if you still use this slogan and to say, a Vietnamese party or we have a lot of illegal Vietnamese.
Whenever you have all information, you therefore able to show with all evidences, but also have a good argument. The world communities will not trust and believe you, what you have in mind, because they are thinking different ways.
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