លោក ប៉ុល ហំម ចូលរួមនយោបាយ ជាមួយគណបក្ស​កែទម្រង់​កម្ពុជា

Editorial by Khmer Circle:

These former CNRP senior figures are either being hopelessly naive or unashamedly disingenuous about launching their new political careers under existing circumstances.

The fourth-coming commune elections cited as a precious, unmissable opportunity to gain a foothold in the country's electoral representation framework [in place of doing nothing!] is about as realistic as a far-fetched fairy tale or smokescreens for ulterior personal ambitions and opportunism? Lest one forgets, it was the CNRP's sweeping gains at the district-commune levels at the last elections that Hun Sen and the ruling CPP dreaded the most and this fact was among the main reasons behind the swift illegal dissolution of the CNRP as a contending legitimate political force. The grass roots strangle-hold that the CPP has over the Khmer people in rural areas constitutes this party's core base and foundation that defines its political identity and its very being or existence – whether such a monopoly is coerced or otherwise. But, we kind of know what it really is. This traditional strangle-hold of the CPP over rural regions where the vast majority of Khmer population reside dates back to the party's earliest origins when a handful of rebels backed and encouraged by the Vietnamese first sowed their seeds of dissension against the ruling Cambodian urban elite in the 1950s or perhaps earlier into the colonial period. The CPP could thus afford to give a token or semblance of electoral concessions for the sake of appearance or pretence at constitutional legality at National Assembly level but, allowing a genuine, viable opposition party such as the CNRP to make inroads into their traditional strongholds in this way would have amounted to severing the CPP's umbilical cord and would have ultimately turned the tide of popular support against it. On the other hand, "the Constitution of Kampuchea" like "the rule of law" and "the judiciary" is no more or less than what the man with the guns says it is!

In brief, "the right to do politics" or the decision to operate under existing rules arbitrarily set by the ruling party will not lead to desired social change or departure from the current status quo but, will only play into the hands of those in power, or worse condemning the country and its long-suffering people to further harm and tragedy which is precisely what those who started their rural mobilisation campaign and led it to the eventual overthrow of the Khmer Republic in April 1975 had in mind.

The masses are like a sleeping giant, once awaken will be a force almost too overpowering to control or put down, albeit in the short and not the longer term as can be witnessed in Myanmar, another South East Asian country that has endured decades of military repression, dictatorship and elite corruption.

There are ways - if the good intent and political will be present - other than playing along with the ruling party to its set tunes and outcomes. More crucially, the base of popular support for any serious opposition movement seeking genuine change is already there - as shown in recent elections at national and commune levels. The people of Myanmar appear to be set in their conviction and principle that re-holding any round of general re-elections right in the wake of the unconstitutional coup in brutal violation of the people's mandate is unlikely to restore that same mandate; hence their voiced opposition to calls by ASEAN to hold such elections. Remember even prior to the February coup, the Myanmar generals had already guaranteed themselves a substantial stake in the country's legislature and power arrangement - whatever the outcomes of elections.

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