When opposition leader Sam Rainsy last year turned his back on a promise to return to Cambodia and face a prison sentence dropped on him while he was overseas, he cited the potential for the government to use any subsequent protests or violence to derail election reforms.
“The ruling party wants to delay the election process, and to delay the election process, there must be incidents and escalating violence, which would give them the pretext they need to dismantle the CNRP, or to delay the election process,” Mr. Rainsy said at the time.
—News Analysis—
Men check voter lists during the 2012 commune elections. (Lauren Crothers)
He decided to flee to Paris rather than rocking the boat, banking on the idea that the CNRP would win the next national election in 2018 as long as the voter list was cleaned of the potential for voter fraud.
But there is more than one way to delay the election process. And while Mr. Rainsy’s decision not to return might have helped avoid an outbreak of political violence, the CNRP has found itself hamstrung by creeping delays in the implementation of electoral reforms it has pinned its hopes on.
The projected start of voter registration has been pushed back from March to May to July to August—and now perhaps September. Civil society groups this week expressed concerns about the National Election Committee’s repeated delays in its plans to build a clean voter list from scratch before the 2017 commune elections.
Sophal Ear, an associate professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles and the author of “Aid Dependence in Cambodia: How Foreign Assistance Undermines Democracy,” said it appeared that the CPP was purposely trying to slow down reform.
“When it’s this many delays, and the answers don’t add-up, you betcha. Drag your feet until the changes that would benefit your opponent are practically impossible, run down that clock!” Mr. Ear said in an email.
Until the NEC finally removes all the double and missing names from the voter list by re-registering all 10 million eligible voters, the opposition party will remain in perpetual fear of giving the CPP pretext to derail its coveted reforms, he said.
“The CNRP is in a poor position not just until the new voter list is completed, but until they actually are allowed to win,” Mr. Ear wrote. “I hate to quote Stalin, but he did say ‘Those who vote decide nothing. Those who count the votes decide everything.’”
Thanks to painstaking negotiations between the CPP and CNRP in the aftermath of the contested 2013 elections, those who count the votes now include members of both parties. However, the NEC’s chairman, Sik Bunhok, is a former CPP lawmaker, and its controversial secretary-general, CPP stalwart Tep Nytha, was recently brought back for another term of service.
And with the 2017 commune elections looming, Mr. Rainsy said in an email on Thursday that he believed Prime Minister Hun Sen was purposely trying to slow down the electoral reform process and derail voter registration “because he would definitely lose any free and fair election.”
Political Paradigm of Pragmatism from the Khmer Youth part 58
This part (58), Mr. Sophan Seng analysed on the recent outcome publicly announced by Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) supportive to all Cambodians overseas in participating with politics and social development of Cambodia.
The statement didn’t explicitly concluded Cambodians overseas the full rights to vote within all Cambodia elections, but the intent to advocate for full participation from all Cambodians overseas is amicable and admirable.
Furthering to his appreciation of the statement, Mr. Sophan urged CNRP’s 55 members of parliament to write proposal to the assembly to amend law or adjust election chapter to state clearly that Cambodians overseas can exercise full rights to vote in Cambodia elections.
He also directed the issue to Prime Minister Hun Sen to initiate this plan at the earliest during his mandate so that he could be remembered in a long term for his leadership in developing democracy in Cambodia.
This part (57), Mr. Sophan Seng continued to articulate on The CEROC or Commission for Election Rights of Overseas Cambodians for their effort to advocate for the Universal Suffrage or Cambodians overseas absentee voting so that those Cambodians overseas can exercise their right to fully participate with Cambodia politics through election.
Continuing to summarize his speech at the Polikoffee on March 5, 2016, the question on what is the CEROC?, Mr. Sophan ardently picked up the importance group of all Cambodians overseas populations such as Cambodian soldiers stationing at Africa, government officials especially embassy’s staffs, students, migrant workers, and diaspora members, all should be inclusive to access to voting in order to implement full democratic principles of Cambodia.
According to his observing, the amendment of national constitution to clearly state “allowing rights to vote for Cambodians overseas” is imperative. Both major voice and minor voice political parties in the parliament must initiate to create or amend law that allow Cambodians overseas to vote. Pragmatically speaking, Prime Minister Hun Sen must initiate this agenda and work towards achieving it so that younger Cambodian generations can remember his statesmanship in guarding the principles of democracy in this country as well as for the sustainable development of Cambodia.
Commission for Election Rights of Overseas Cambodians (The CEROC),
This part (56), Mr. Sophan Seng continued to elaborate on The CEROC, or Commission for Election Rights of Overseas Cambodians, an advocate body for the full fledgling participation in political affairs by the Cambodians overseas.
1. Cambodians overseas have no matter with Cambodia politics in general, but Cambodia as a nation has matters with them as those Cambodians overseas has sent millions of dollar a year to help develop economy of this nation. This doesn’t include the feeling of attachment and pride they have always conveyed for Cambodia. And those Cambodians overseas have brought Cambodia to the international arena more than the current effort of Cambodian government to contribute through their embassies.
2. Cambodian government leadership must be responsive to comply by the Cambodia Constitution and the charter of rights of the United Nations. Article 34 of Cambodia Constitution and Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations have solemnly confirmed the unalienable rights of Cambodians overseas to vote in Cambodia elections.
