By Neou Vannarin -
January 8, 2013
| Heng Samrin |
Speaking at the CPP
headquarters in Phnom Penh during a ceremony to mark the 34th anniversary of
the fall of the Khmer Rouge, Mr. Samrin addressed a 13,000-strong crowd of
party faithful and took aim at unnamed politicians, whom he said should refrain
from criticizing the government.
“Politicians and other
groups should see the actual development progress and give encouragement and
constructive criticism, rather than insulting Cambodian sovereignty and all the
hard work of the government,” he said in a speech that lasted about 45 minutes
and touched upon the economy, elections and efforts to reduce poverty.
“The CPP will keep
encouraging activities to improve democracy and promote the resurrection of
human rights in Cambodia,” he said. “In fact, democracy and the promotion of
human rights have not happened, just from words or reports from some circles.”
The comments came just
days after a spokeswoman from the U.S. State Department said the U.S. was
“disappointed” in the decision by the National Election Committee (NEC) to
remove opposition leader Sam Rainsy from the voter list for the July elections,
effectively ruling out the possibility that he runs in the polls.
Sam Rainsy, who is
currently in self-imposed exile avoiding an 11-year jail sentence on charges
widely believed to be politically motivated, gained support from U.S. President
Barack Obama during a visit to Phnom Penh in November when he said that the
opposition party should be allowed to do its work freely.
Still, Mr. Samrin said
Cambodia’s democracy was progressing in a positive direction, despite a litany
of criticism that has rained down on the government over its human rights
record recently.
“Democracy and human
rights in Cambodia have been rebuilt alongside the rebirth of Cambodian people
after the fall of the Khmer Rouge, and it continues to improve, and activities
have been strengthened over the past 34 years of development,” Mr. Samrin told
the crowd, which intermittently erupted with bouts of applause.
SRP lawmaker Son Chhay
said the remarks, while not naming any politicians specifically, were yet
another demonstration of a government unwilling to listen to criticism.
“We’ve been doing our
job as parliamentarians and opposition members. That is normal for the
opposition in any democratic country, but the ruling party seems to cling on to
the one-party system, where they like to control everything and have everyone
pat them on the back, regardless of whether or not they have done the right
thing.”
Mr. Chhay also said
that January 7 should not be misconstrued as the day that Cambodia was
liberated from the control of the Khmer Rouge.
“In reality, it was
the invasion of Vietnamese armed forces. The occupation of Vietnamese in
Cambodia for 10 years didn’t improve living conditions. This is a fact,” he
said.
Last year’s January 7
ceremony coincided with the first day of campaigning for the Senate elections,
and was followed by a parade down Norodom Boulevard. This year, with the
elections just seven months away, Mr. Samrin used his speech to convey the
importance the government is attaching to free and fair elections in the
country.
He also expressed
support for the NEC, which has come under fire from the U.N.’s human rights
envoy, Surya Subedi, for lacking public support and needing an overhaul.
“The CPP is working
and participating actively toward the elections, and will keep our friendly
cooperation with national entities, authorities at all levels, political
parties and all circles to ensure a successful election that is free, fair and
just,” Mr. Samrin said.
During the ceremony,
the crowd was asked to observe a minute of silence in a gesture of respect for
the late King Father Norodom Sihanouk, who passed away in October. The crowd
also fell silent for roughly two minutes in order to remember all the “CPP
compatriots” who died fighting the Khmer Rouge.
(Additional reporting
by Lauren Crothers)
Cambodia Daily
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