Phnom Penh (Cambodia). 31/01/2009: Sam Rainsy, leader of the Sam Rainsy Party, joining his party members at a congress ahead of the May 2009 municipal, provincial and district council elections. ©John Vink/ Magnum
Ka-set
By Duong Sokha
31-01-2009
On Saturday January 31st, the Sam Rainsy Party held an Extraordinary Congress at the SRP headquarters in Phnom Penh, thus gathering more than 2,000 members with a view to strengthen the Party's network for the upcoming elections concerning new councils for the capital city and all provinces and districts of Cambodia. The Congress was mainly attended by the party's commune councillors, who will in May be in charge of electing members of the new councils. The event was the opportunity for the political opposition formation to reassert its position... and the solidity of the Democratic Movement for Change.
Sam Rainsy's instructions
Sam Rainsy opens the round of speeches and first expresses his respect for SRP members working at the local level. “You are my eyes, my ears, my brain and my heart! I need your information to know how inhabitants live.” He encourages them to “communicate and collaborate closely” and announces that he asked the SRP secretariat to set up a way that would allow them to “contact party representatives directly”, and notably himself.
According to SRP secretary-general Ke Sovannroth, as of December 31st 2008, the party counted 747,131 members and intervened in 48 cases of Human rights violations (murders, illegal arrests, intimidation, etc.) committed in the past year against SRP members, she detailed.
After this call to strengthen the party's network, the leader hands out a bulletin “to be studied and presented to citizens”, dealing with the question of decentralisation, a process which the council elections are a direct part of. The booklet was created by the Association for Decentralisation in Cambodia, established and directed by a SRP member, also a neighbourhood chief in the O'Russey district in Phnom Penh. “Today I want to show that there are long-standing loyal supporters at the SRP, people who did not join another party even though that other party attempted to buy them before the [July 2008 legislative] elections”, Sam Rainsy pointed out, before having a go at the TVK television channel for having brought SRP dissidents in the limelight. “I regret that defections are more emphasised than the loyalty of party supporters!”
A party under reform
The reform promised by the SRP is on the way. Indeed, Sam Rainsy announced that the party status had been amended together with the party's internal rules, “in order to reinforce and prevent any external attempt aiming at dividing”, he explained succinctly.
Shortly afterwards, SRP MP for Battambang Eng Chhay Eang went back in details over a particular aspect of the reform concerning the appointment of the secretary-general. Up until now, the latter was due to be elected by Board members. “From now on, the SRP president will appoint the secretary-general, after having however consulted the Board. “And if the secretary-general, three months after taking his/her post, does not work correctly, from the point of view of the Board, then the Board will be able to dismiss him/her via a petition.” Nothing more was revealed concerning the amendments adopted by the SRP.
The Democratic Movement for Change retorts to Hun Sen
On January 20st, i.e. five days after the SRP and the Human Rights Party (HRP) created their Democratic Movement for Change, prime Minister Hun Sen, then in the Oddar Meanchey province, said that he could break up this Movement whenever he wanted to. The head of government then took delight in reminding the series of defections of SRP members toward his own party, the CPP, not long before the legislative elections... “There is no need trying to defeat the CPP!”, he warned.
The SRP Congress was an occasion for leaders of both opposition parties to reply to Hun Sen's mockery. Kong Korn, vice-president of Sam Rainsy's political formation, was the first to open fire. “A few days ago, words were said and meant to undermine the Democratic Movement for Change (DMC). These were words expressed by Hun Sen. However, it is impossible to achieve this goal because voting citizens follow us, our loyal supporters stay by our side. In this regime, the judicial power is now used to arrest us...”, he commented.
HRP president Kem Sokha, who had been invited to take part in the SRP Congress, then took the floor and hammered home the solidarity of the bonds which bind the SRP and the HRP within the DMC. “We are not afraid! No one can buy us or defame us. We keep working together. As soon as 1993, my attention was drawn on the solid positions that Sam Rainsy held. And today, the time has come for us to collaborate.”
By Duong Sokha
31-01-2009
On Saturday January 31st, the Sam Rainsy Party held an Extraordinary Congress at the SRP headquarters in Phnom Penh, thus gathering more than 2,000 members with a view to strengthen the Party's network for the upcoming elections concerning new councils for the capital city and all provinces and districts of Cambodia. The Congress was mainly attended by the party's commune councillors, who will in May be in charge of electing members of the new councils. The event was the opportunity for the political opposition formation to reassert its position... and the solidity of the Democratic Movement for Change.
Sam Rainsy's instructions
Sam Rainsy opens the round of speeches and first expresses his respect for SRP members working at the local level. “You are my eyes, my ears, my brain and my heart! I need your information to know how inhabitants live.” He encourages them to “communicate and collaborate closely” and announces that he asked the SRP secretariat to set up a way that would allow them to “contact party representatives directly”, and notably himself.
According to SRP secretary-general Ke Sovannroth, as of December 31st 2008, the party counted 747,131 members and intervened in 48 cases of Human rights violations (murders, illegal arrests, intimidation, etc.) committed in the past year against SRP members, she detailed.
After this call to strengthen the party's network, the leader hands out a bulletin “to be studied and presented to citizens”, dealing with the question of decentralisation, a process which the council elections are a direct part of. The booklet was created by the Association for Decentralisation in Cambodia, established and directed by a SRP member, also a neighbourhood chief in the O'Russey district in Phnom Penh. “Today I want to show that there are long-standing loyal supporters at the SRP, people who did not join another party even though that other party attempted to buy them before the [July 2008 legislative] elections”, Sam Rainsy pointed out, before having a go at the TVK television channel for having brought SRP dissidents in the limelight. “I regret that defections are more emphasised than the loyalty of party supporters!”
A party under reform
The reform promised by the SRP is on the way. Indeed, Sam Rainsy announced that the party status had been amended together with the party's internal rules, “in order to reinforce and prevent any external attempt aiming at dividing”, he explained succinctly.
Shortly afterwards, SRP MP for Battambang Eng Chhay Eang went back in details over a particular aspect of the reform concerning the appointment of the secretary-general. Up until now, the latter was due to be elected by Board members. “From now on, the SRP president will appoint the secretary-general, after having however consulted the Board. “And if the secretary-general, three months after taking his/her post, does not work correctly, from the point of view of the Board, then the Board will be able to dismiss him/her via a petition.” Nothing more was revealed concerning the amendments adopted by the SRP.
The Democratic Movement for Change retorts to Hun Sen
On January 20st, i.e. five days after the SRP and the Human Rights Party (HRP) created their Democratic Movement for Change, prime Minister Hun Sen, then in the Oddar Meanchey province, said that he could break up this Movement whenever he wanted to. The head of government then took delight in reminding the series of defections of SRP members toward his own party, the CPP, not long before the legislative elections... “There is no need trying to defeat the CPP!”, he warned.
The SRP Congress was an occasion for leaders of both opposition parties to reply to Hun Sen's mockery. Kong Korn, vice-president of Sam Rainsy's political formation, was the first to open fire. “A few days ago, words were said and meant to undermine the Democratic Movement for Change (DMC). These were words expressed by Hun Sen. However, it is impossible to achieve this goal because voting citizens follow us, our loyal supporters stay by our side. In this regime, the judicial power is now used to arrest us...”, he commented.
HRP president Kem Sokha, who had been invited to take part in the SRP Congress, then took the floor and hammered home the solidarity of the bonds which bind the SRP and the HRP within the DMC. “We are not afraid! No one can buy us or defame us. We keep working together. As soon as 1993, my attention was drawn on the solid positions that Sam Rainsy held. And today, the time has come for us to collaborate.”
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