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Showing posts with label HRP-SRP alliance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label HRP-SRP alliance. Show all posts
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Sam Rainsy's letter sent to Kem Sokha on unification of democrats
On January 24, 2011, Sam Rainsy, President of the Sam Rainsy Party sent a letter to Kem Sokha, President of the Human Rights Party on unification of democrats.
SRP Cabinet
SRP Cabinet
Monday, December 22, 2008
Opposition joins forces
SRP Deputy Secretary General Mu Sochua speaks at the HRP-SRP press conference last week. (Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN)Monday, 22 December 2008
Written by Meas Sokchea
The Phnom Penh Post
The Kingdom's two main opposition parties have again announced serious plans to merge and contest the next election in 2012 under one banner
THE long-awaited union of Cambodia's opposition Human Rights Party and Sam Rainsy Party, announced formally in a joint press conference on Thursday, confirms a political relationship that had already begun to coalesce over the two parties' legal efforts to challenge the results of July's national polls.
"On behalf of the HRP, and as president, I would like to declare publicly that we have accepted the request of local Cambodian citizens and nationals living overseas to combine as one political alliance between the HRP and the SRP for future elections," Kem Sokha said in a statement Thursday.
He said the alliance has been struck at an opportune moment for rallying the growing number of people who reject the Cambodian People's Party mandate as a threat to democracy and who seek political representatives devoted to the public good rather than to individual gain. However, he cautioned that the merger would be neither immediate nor comprehensive.
"We are individual parties, and we have individual identities and seats in Parliament. But we have a deeper alliance that can be established now or in the future," he said.
The alliance will not eliminate each party's representation in Parliament, he said, referring to a clause in the Assembly's rules that obliges parties that merge mid-mandate to sacrifice seats. Rather, it would strengthen their present position by uniting them in spirit until the two parties can formally contest elections under one name.
"The opposition parties' positions have been effectively eliminated in Parliament, while the ruling party has the pretext of a mandate. This is contrary to democracy," Kem Sokha said.
Details unclear, SRP cautious
SRP lawmaker Mu Sochua did not mention specifics about the alliance but told reporters following the joint press conference that she accepted the proposal and would present it to party President Sam Rainsy and the SRP's members.
"Our stance is that we wish to unite with other democrats who are impartial. An alliance with the HRP would give us a combined 29 seats [in Parliament]," she said.
Despite having similar platforms and a shared history of cooperation with the workers and union movements, the two parties - possibly because of the personalities involved - have always had a tumultuous relationship. Soon after Kem Sokha founded his party in 2007, Sam Rainsy told the Post: "I am not interested and I am not concerned" about the new contender.
As Kem Sokha's HRP proved itself to be a viable candidate in the run-up to the July polls, many observers expected a last-minute merger so as not to split the opposition vote. Such a merger failed to materialise.
For some, such as Puthea Hang, executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, the new alliance may be too little, too late.
"They cannot win against the CPP because they would be starting all over as a new party," he said.
Govt stays silent
Despite the announcement of a future merger, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith refused to be drawn on the proposed union, telling the Post the opposition parties were free to do what they wanted.
"It is their right. They can combine however they see fit," he said.
Some civil society groups have responded with scepticism, saying that any coalition was doomed to fail in future elections because the parties lack the ability to lead.
Heang Rithy, president of the Cambodian National Research Organisation, said the opposition will never depose the ruling CPP because it has failed to understand the law.
"Leaders of the SRP and HRP have never demanded that the National Election Committee maintain free and fair elections. Instead, they simply complain when they don't win," he said.
THE long-awaited union of Cambodia's opposition Human Rights Party and Sam Rainsy Party, announced formally in a joint press conference on Thursday, confirms a political relationship that had already begun to coalesce over the two parties' legal efforts to challenge the results of July's national polls.
"On behalf of the HRP, and as president, I would like to declare publicly that we have accepted the request of local Cambodian citizens and nationals living overseas to combine as one political alliance between the HRP and the SRP for future elections," Kem Sokha said in a statement Thursday.
He said the alliance has been struck at an opportune moment for rallying the growing number of people who reject the Cambodian People's Party mandate as a threat to democracy and who seek political representatives devoted to the public good rather than to individual gain. However, he cautioned that the merger would be neither immediate nor comprehensive.
"We are individual parties, and we have individual identities and seats in Parliament. But we have a deeper alliance that can be established now or in the future," he said.
The alliance will not eliminate each party's representation in Parliament, he said, referring to a clause in the Assembly's rules that obliges parties that merge mid-mandate to sacrifice seats. Rather, it would strengthen their present position by uniting them in spirit until the two parties can formally contest elections under one name.
"The opposition parties' positions have been effectively eliminated in Parliament, while the ruling party has the pretext of a mandate. This is contrary to democracy," Kem Sokha said.
Details unclear, SRP cautious
SRP lawmaker Mu Sochua did not mention specifics about the alliance but told reporters following the joint press conference that she accepted the proposal and would present it to party President Sam Rainsy and the SRP's members.
"Our stance is that we wish to unite with other democrats who are impartial. An alliance with the HRP would give us a combined 29 seats [in Parliament]," she said.
Despite having similar platforms and a shared history of cooperation with the workers and union movements, the two parties - possibly because of the personalities involved - have always had a tumultuous relationship. Soon after Kem Sokha founded his party in 2007, Sam Rainsy told the Post: "I am not interested and I am not concerned" about the new contender.
As Kem Sokha's HRP proved itself to be a viable candidate in the run-up to the July polls, many observers expected a last-minute merger so as not to split the opposition vote. Such a merger failed to materialise.
For some, such as Puthea Hang, executive director of the Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, the new alliance may be too little, too late.
"They cannot win against the CPP because they would be starting all over as a new party," he said.
Govt stays silent
Despite the announcement of a future merger, government spokesman Khieu Kanharith refused to be drawn on the proposed union, telling the Post the opposition parties were free to do what they wanted.
"It is their right. They can combine however they see fit," he said.
Some civil society groups have responded with scepticism, saying that any coalition was doomed to fail in future elections because the parties lack the ability to lead.
Heang Rithy, president of the Cambodian National Research Organisation, said the opposition will never depose the ruling CPP because it has failed to understand the law.
"Leaders of the SRP and HRP have never demanded that the National Election Committee maintain free and fair elections. Instead, they simply complain when they don't win," he said.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Opposition Parties Seek To Unite
By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
19 December 2008
Original report from Phnom Penh
19 December 2008
The leader of the Human Rights Party on Thursday publicly announced his intent to form a “unique political party alliance” with opposition leader Sam Rainsy, to compete with the ruling party in coming elections.
The Human Rights Party won three seats in July’s national election, following 26 seats for the Sam Rainsy Party and 90 for the Cambodian People’s Party.
The “unity” would provide “a new choice and a new hope to the people,” HRP President Kem Sokha told reporters Thursday. The parties would seek an alliance in electoral list registrations “to compete with the CPP,” he said.
The announcement was the result of requests from party activists from Cambodia, the US and Canada for a unification, party officials said.
Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Mu Sochua said Thursday she would take the idea to party leader Sam Rainsy “for consideration.”
“We understand that we must unite and strengthen the principles of democracy, the respect of human rights and the freedom of the people,” she said.
Kem Sokha said the time was right for unity, as Cambodia continues to be plagued by poverty, the narrowing of democracy, violence against human rights, social injustice and other ills.
No agreement has been drafted or signed, something both sides agreed would be necessary.
Observers said the joining of the two parties would attract people’s support but would have little effect on the CPP.
The Human Rights Party won three seats in July’s national election, following 26 seats for the Sam Rainsy Party and 90 for the Cambodian People’s Party.
The “unity” would provide “a new choice and a new hope to the people,” HRP President Kem Sokha told reporters Thursday. The parties would seek an alliance in electoral list registrations “to compete with the CPP,” he said.
The announcement was the result of requests from party activists from Cambodia, the US and Canada for a unification, party officials said.
Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Mu Sochua said Thursday she would take the idea to party leader Sam Rainsy “for consideration.”
“We understand that we must unite and strengthen the principles of democracy, the respect of human rights and the freedom of the people,” she said.
Kem Sokha said the time was right for unity, as Cambodia continues to be plagued by poverty, the narrowing of democracy, violence against human rights, social injustice and other ills.
No agreement has been drafted or signed, something both sides agreed would be necessary.
Observers said the joining of the two parties would attract people’s support but would have little effect on the CPP.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Kem Sokha declares himself ready to set up an alliance with the Sam Rainsy Party
Phnom Penh (Cambodia), 18/12/2008. Mu Sochua, Secretary General of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) and Kem Sokha, President of the Human Rights Party (HRP) at a press conference held at the HRP headquarters (Photo: John Vink / Magnum)18-12-2008
By Duong Sokha
Ka-set in English
Click here to read the article in French
Click here to read the article in Khmer
The president of the Human Rights Party (HRP) Kem Sokha organised a press conference at the HRP headquarters on December 18th, to call the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) to unite with them and announce that the time had come for the creation of an alliance, mentioned many times after the July 27th legislative elections. The call was indeed heard by the SRP, whose president is currently in Europe.
Kem Sokha, who returned yesterday from a trip to the United States and Canada, explained that the conference was meant to give a voice to a wish expressed unanimously by HRP campaigners and other Khmer citizens living in Cambodia and abroad. Kem Sokha pointed out that he and his party gave their full support to the offer of a rapprochement between the two opposition parties.
“Why? Because we are worried about the issue of poverty and the never-ending sufferings of Cambodian citizens, and also about violations of Cambodia's territorial sovereignty and integrity since the Thai incursions. Besides, democratic space is shrinking in Cambodia. The role of opposition parties within the National Assembly has been destroyed and there is no equilibrium in the forces... The idea of an alliance would offer a new choice to citizens and would represent new hopes to them, since they would be able to vote for our parties in the next elections!”, the HRP president argued, adding that he would like to see both parties on the same election board. Kem Sokha did not hide the fact that the union of their forces would allow the opposition to compete better with Prime Minister Hun Sen's CPP in future elections.
Kem Sokha insisted on specifying that for the time being the alliance was made “on one side only” by the HRP. His party is still waiting for an official answer from the SRP. But the former president of the Cambodian centre for Human Rights is already thinking ahead, assuring that an agreement will bind both parties and that the statutes of the alliance would be clearly set down on paper.
Up until now, as Kem Sokha stressed, both parties had simply “collaborated” since July 2007, when they decided to unite their voices in order to denounce irregularities in the elections and call for a reorganisation of the legislative poll.
The request to make the alliance a reality, Kem Sokha added, only comes about now that “the true democrats have been selected” in his party. According to him, the lapse of time allowed the reinforcement of the party structure with a view to avoid potential internal disagreements in the future.
Mu Sochua, deputy for the Kampot province and representing the SRP, expressed her views, asserting that she would pass on the HRP proposition to Sam Rainsy and members of the SRP permanent committee. The MP, who has been elected secretary-general of the SRP party since the resignation of Eng Chhay Eang, has been taking part in the working group between HRP and SRP members and pointed out that Sam Rainsy had always argued in favour of “the idea of an impartial alliance between democrats.”
“Our parties hold together 29 [26+3] seats at the National Assembly, representing the votes of 1.7 million Cambodian people - these figures are not insignificant at all! The HRP and the SRP represent a parliamentary minority but we claim the right to be able to voice our opinion. We have not asked for any positions in the Lower Chamber but the respect of the principles of democracy”, Mu Sochua insisted. For his part, Kem Sokha once again emphasised the need to “amend the National Assembly's Internal Rules, which only allow deputies gathered in groups of ten to express themselves – but we only have three MPs!”.
Kem Sokha, who returned yesterday from a trip to the United States and Canada, explained that the conference was meant to give a voice to a wish expressed unanimously by HRP campaigners and other Khmer citizens living in Cambodia and abroad. Kem Sokha pointed out that he and his party gave their full support to the offer of a rapprochement between the two opposition parties.
“Why? Because we are worried about the issue of poverty and the never-ending sufferings of Cambodian citizens, and also about violations of Cambodia's territorial sovereignty and integrity since the Thai incursions. Besides, democratic space is shrinking in Cambodia. The role of opposition parties within the National Assembly has been destroyed and there is no equilibrium in the forces... The idea of an alliance would offer a new choice to citizens and would represent new hopes to them, since they would be able to vote for our parties in the next elections!”, the HRP president argued, adding that he would like to see both parties on the same election board. Kem Sokha did not hide the fact that the union of their forces would allow the opposition to compete better with Prime Minister Hun Sen's CPP in future elections.
Kem Sokha insisted on specifying that for the time being the alliance was made “on one side only” by the HRP. His party is still waiting for an official answer from the SRP. But the former president of the Cambodian centre for Human Rights is already thinking ahead, assuring that an agreement will bind both parties and that the statutes of the alliance would be clearly set down on paper.
Up until now, as Kem Sokha stressed, both parties had simply “collaborated” since July 2007, when they decided to unite their voices in order to denounce irregularities in the elections and call for a reorganisation of the legislative poll.
The request to make the alliance a reality, Kem Sokha added, only comes about now that “the true democrats have been selected” in his party. According to him, the lapse of time allowed the reinforcement of the party structure with a view to avoid potential internal disagreements in the future.
Mu Sochua, deputy for the Kampot province and representing the SRP, expressed her views, asserting that she would pass on the HRP proposition to Sam Rainsy and members of the SRP permanent committee. The MP, who has been elected secretary-general of the SRP party since the resignation of Eng Chhay Eang, has been taking part in the working group between HRP and SRP members and pointed out that Sam Rainsy had always argued in favour of “the idea of an impartial alliance between democrats.”
“Our parties hold together 29 [26+3] seats at the National Assembly, representing the votes of 1.7 million Cambodian people - these figures are not insignificant at all! The HRP and the SRP represent a parliamentary minority but we claim the right to be able to voice our opinion. We have not asked for any positions in the Lower Chamber but the respect of the principles of democracy”, Mu Sochua insisted. For his part, Kem Sokha once again emphasised the need to “amend the National Assembly's Internal Rules, which only allow deputies gathered in groups of ten to express themselves – but we only have three MPs!”.
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