Wednesday, 14 May 2008

National Election Committee Makes Final Announcement: Twelve Parties Have Registered for 2008 Election

Posted on 14 May 2008.
The Mirror, Vol. 12, No. 560

Sam Rainsy Accused the Cambodian People’s Party of Buying Its People

Cambodian People’s Party High-Ranking Official Said Sam Rainsy Should Check Himself Again
“Phnom Penh: The National Election Committee [NEC] announced on 12 May, the deadline for the registration of parties and candidates, that only twelve parties had registered and sent their candidates’ names for the parliamentary election, which will be held in more than two months.

“Only the political parties that submitted their candidates’ lists to the NEC by the afternoon of 12 May 2008 can join the election on 27 July 2008, after the NEC has checked the accuracy of the lists submitted.

“in the 2003 parliamentary election, there were 23 parties participating.

“The NEC stated that the twelve parties that had submitted their candidates’ name lists to the NEC are the Cambodian People’s Party, Funcinpec, the Human Rights Party, the League for Democracy Party, the Sangkum Yutethor Party (the Just Society Party), the Hang Dara Democratic Movement Party, the Sangkum Khmer Niyum Party, the Norodom Ranariddh Party, the Sam Rainsy Party, the Khmer Anti-Poverty Party, the Khmer Democratic Party, and the Khmer Republican Party.

“The NEC member Mr. Mao Sophearith said that so far, the NEC has officially recognized the Cambodian People’s Party, Funcinpec, and the Hang Dara Democratic Movement Party. As for the Sangkum Khmer Niyum [also called Khmer United People Party], its registration was rejected; as for the other parties, the NEC is checking their documents.

“Mr. Mao Sophearith also said that the parties that have candidates to stand in all the 24 provinces and towns countrywide are the Cambodian People’s Party [CPP], Funcinpec, the Norodom Ranariddh Party, the Human Rights Party, the Hang Dara Democratic Movement Party, the League for Democracy Party, the Khmer Republican Party, and the Khmer Democracy Party. As for the Sangkum Yutethor Party, it has candidates from nine provinces and towns, and the Khmer Anti-Poverty Party has candidates from seven provinces and towns.

“The NEC secretary-general Mr. Tep Nitha said that the number of parties declined because some parties face financial problems, or they have not prepared enough candidates.

“While the NEC stopped accepting the the registration of political parties and their candidates’ lists, the Sam Rainsy Party [SRP] continues to suffer from the defection of some of its officials.

“The parliamentary candidate of the SRP from Battambang, listen on the third position, decided to resign from the SRP to join the CPP on 11 May, causing the SRP some difficulties to send its candidates’ name list to the NEC on the day of deadline, 12 May 2008.

“Samdech Akkak Moha Senapadei Dekchor Hun Sen, the Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Cambodia, said the parliamentary candidate Mr. Uong Kosal of the SRP from Battambang, who had been listed on the third position, joined the CPP and he, Hun Sen, hopes that there will be more such defections, though the candidates’ name list had already been sent to the NEC.

“Samdech Dekchor continued that if anybody comes, we must accept them, because Samdech had announced already that they are accepted until the election day, except for two kinds of people – prisoners and criminals.

“Mr. Sam Rainsy accused the CPP of buying people and votes.

“The opposition party president, Mr. Sam Rainsy, said in a press conference on the morning of 12 May 2008 that the CPP buys people and votes only from the SRP, as for the other parties, the CPP never attracts their members.

“In that press conference, Mr. Sam Rainsy presented seven witnesses who, he claimed, had beeb invited by the CPP to join, but they refused.

“Mr. Sam Rainsy continued that in these invitations mentioned above, they use money, giving positions, and promises to help them to find jobs. Another way is the use of threats by not guaranteeing the invited people safety and peace if they do not join. The witnesses that appeared publicly on that day are not afraid of such threats and they announce publicly that there were attempts of buying their loyalty.

“Mr. Sam Rainsy went on to say that the CPP broadcasts the names of a small number of those who have defected on television, to denigrate the SRP and to deceive the citizens’ eyes, so that they should not believe the SRP. Those who changed to the CPP are a group of people who hunger for power and who are corrupt.

“As for the CPP’s senior official Mr. Cheam Yeap, he reacted, ‘I absolutely disagree with this.

The Cambodian Peoples’ Party has no money to buy anyone and does not consider them as chickens or ducks.’ He added, ‘I want Mr. Sam Rainsy to check himself again to know the reasons why his people leave him. What has he done?’ He used a comparison saying that if the water is cold, there will be many fish and they will not change their place. He said that nepotism and the focus on money can be the reasons why they left.”

Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.16, #4587, 13.5.2008

No comments: