Wednesday, 18 June 2008

Cambodia’s ruling party tipped to win overwhelmingly in July 27 polls

RSI, Radio Singapore International
June 17, 2008

Cambodians will go to the polls in about six weeks’ time.

Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party is widely expected to be re-elected due to weak opposition.

The CCP has been accused of vote-buying, intimidation and other forms of political pressure in past elections but the party has dismissed these claims.

To find out more, Yvonne Gomez spoke with Lao Mong Hay, a senior researcher at the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission.

LHM: Over the years, the ruling party has been trying to rewrite and rule, means that it has been using different means to destroy the weak and rival parties. Over the years, the ruling party has assigned senior, powerful and rich officials to look after different districts. They have been going out there trying to help and offer to give donation in the long term. Short term, during the election campaign, they offer gifts and all that. There is an intimidation at the same time before the polling day and after and perhaps throughout the year. Those who are known as supporting the opposition parties are discriminated against with regard to the public services. There are people who are compelled to join the party or support the ruling party because of this kind of discrimination to have good feelings with the government officials.

Despite Hun Sen’s political dominance, Cambodia has 57 parties, with 11 of them running in the July election. Why is that these parties haven’t banded together to form a more coherent and perhaps stronger opposition?

LHM: I think under these political circumstances of a repression of control, I think it’s very difficult for people to unite. Under the rule, people were so much repressed that even if they eat together, they do not trust one another.

How do you expect the main opposition Sam Rainsy party to fare in the election?

LHM: I think it is a bit difficult because their party lacks resources and likely because of the action on the part of the ruling party. I think many of its members have defected to the ruling party and that causes quite a bit of difficulty. Furthermore, there is a court action against Sam Rainsy himself and now his own son has some issue of involving in a plot of something.

Do you expect much violence in the run-up and during the July 27 polls?

LHM: Violence has been going on openly or in secret. Violence against rival parties for instance, dismantling of party signs and intimidation and even killing of party activists. Now there are threats and intimidations going on to even both who are against and who are opposed to the ruling party. Because of extensive ruling party networks across the country, the ruling party has an advantage since it has been there running the army to believe that they can know everything that’s going on at the local level.

What would you say has been the positive and negative elements of Hun Sen’s political legacy in his 23-year rule?

LHM: I think the good thing is that they can assure peace and stability. Now Cambodia has not only achieved fair sufficiency in rice, but for export as well. But the divide between the rich and the poor, that is very bad. The poor living on the land especially and then the land is being grabbed almost everyday. There are cases of land grabbing and their protests and all that. This issue is coming more and more vulnerable to the stability of the country.

Lao Mong Hay, a senior researcher at the Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission. He was speaking to Yvonne Gomez

No comments: