Phnom Penh Post
By Kevin Ponniah and Khouth Sophak Chakrya
A rare public discussion and debate on political party policy before
the upcoming election took place yesterday in Phnom Penh, though one key
player was missing – the ruling party itself.
Organised by a
coalition of 14 NGOs, the forum featured Funcinpec and Cambodia National
Rescue Party representatives discussing key electoral issues and
taking questions from an open field of attendees.
In the absence
of a Cambodian People’s Party figure who could participate in the
debate, however, the party representatives used the event to flog
similar populist solutions to issues stretching from land concessions to
declining social morality and income tax.
“Will you be the
masters of the people or will you allow the people to be the masters of
the nation?” asked one passionate Oddar Meanchey villager.
Chhith
Sam Ath, executive director of the NGO Forum on Cambodia, said
organisers had only invited parties that hold seats in the National
Assembly, and despite many invitations, the CPP failed to turn up.
“We
think that [it] is important . . . to have more debates like this and .
. . to inform Cambodian citizens to make the right decision about which
political party they vote for,” he said.
Many attendees, such as
45-year-old Chen Rotha, publicly lamented the CPP’s failure to attend.
“I am very disappointed that they did not come. I’m desperate to meet
with them because I have many specific issues to discuss,” she said.
“People
from all parts of society are keen to speak to the CPP . . . If [they]
came here today, it would have been a very fruitful discussion,” Sam Ath
said.
Despite being heavy on rhetoric, representatives from the
two attending parties sought to present a vision for elected government.
The
CNRP’s Ky Vandara touted polices that would increase wages paid to
civil servants, give handouts to the elderly, set a price-floor for rice
and reduce the cost of fuel, in addition to a plan to reduce reliance
on foreign debt by streamlining bureaucracy and targeting corruption in
the Kingdom.
Funcinpec’s representative promised to strip away economic land concessions and establish a social security fund.
1 comment:
And CPP wowes to protect Yuon 's interests and those of CPP only.
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