CNRP to walk away from talks
Thu, 13 March 2014
The Phnom Penh Post
Cambodia National Rescue Party leaders Sam Rainsy (right) and Kem Sokha address opposition supporters in Tbong Khmum province yesterday. BEN WOODS/CNRP
Negotiations between the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party and ruling Cambodian People’s Party looked like they might screech to an abrupt halt yesterday, as opposition leaders visiting supporters in Tbong Khmum province said they will “cut off” talks.
Speaking to about 1,000 supporters in the province’s O’Raing Ov district yesterday, CNRP president Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha said the talks were a “useless” attempt to “dupe foreign countries” into continuing to provide aid and called for renewed demonstrations.
“First, we stop negotiations. The talks are useless, because this [CPP working] group just delays [proceedings] to dupe foreign countries,” Rainsy said. “They said that the [Cambodia] National Rescue Party and [Cambodian] People’s Party have already agreed to negotiate, so give us money.
“So we will cut off negotiations and tell foreign countries not to give the money to [Prime Minister Hun Sen] the thief,” Rainsy said.
He added that dialogue would not restart until the CPP proved itself serious about National Election Committee reform – namely, by agreeing to key CNRP demands that NEC members should require approval by two-thirds of parliament and that it should be a constitutionally mandated body.
“When the NEC [will be] changed, we will talk more,” he said. “This time, there is not any choice besides [holding another] demonstration. So please all [citizens] prepare yourselves to hold a mass demonstration . . . to have 2 million people.”
Cheam Yeap, a senior CPP lawmaker, yesterday called on the CNRP to continue the talks, adding that the CNRP “cannot use demonstrations as a basis to resolve the problem”.
He said the government had no plans to reform the NEC until the next mandate.
Despite the public announcement of an end to talks by the CNRP leadership, senior party officials in Phnom Penh yesterday could not confirm whether negotiations – which include a planned Monday meeting of a joint election reform committee – were actually being called off.
“As the leader of the negotiating team, I have not been informed about the response [to] the talks,” the CNRP’s Son Chhay said, adding that “before we hear anything from the CPP, I think it would be too early to post this kind of decision”.
Yim Sovann, a CNRP spokesman, also declined to comment, saying he had not heard the announcement.
After CNRP lawmakers had consulted with Rainsy and Sokha following the rally, Chhay said he thought that Rainsy was merely “trying to stress the importance of the reform of the NEC”.
“If the CPP rejects that, he was just saying it’s not worth continuing talking with the CPP about that.”
The Electoral Reform Alliance (ERA), a group of 20 election monitors, which has been highly criticised by the ruling party, yesterday urged the two sides to reach a consensus on electoral reform that would enable the CNRP to take its seats in the National Assembly.
Koul Panha, executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia, and Yong Kim Eng, president of the People Center for Development and Peace, called on representatives of the CPP and CNRP not to postpone political talks and for daily negotiations to be held on specific topics.
“The endless postponing of political negotiations is boring the Cambodian people, election watchdogs and the media,” Eng said. “If they fail to reach a consensus in one morning, they must continue in the afternoon and every day.”
The CNRP’s Chhay confirmed yesterday evening that his party would wait for a response on NEC reform before making a decision to stop negotiations.
“I think we will wait for the response from the CPP until we officially decide, so I will write to [CPP negotiator] Mr Bin Chhin tomorrow, just to ask him how he responds to our proposal. [We’ll see] how he reacts to that, if he thinks our proposal is worth continuing to talk about.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KEVIN PONNIAH
12.03.2014
Opposition Threatens To End Negotiations
by Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Sam Rainsy, front center, the head of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) waves to the crowd before entering Phnom Penh Municipality Court, file photo.
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Wednesday that he is considering ending political negotiations with the ruling party over reform of the National Election Committee.
The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party wants to see the NEC comprised of officials that come from a two-thirds vote in the National Assembly.
But that is a position the ruling Cambodian People’s Party has rejected in discussions by the Election Reform Committee, a bilateral team formed to end a political deadlock that had been in place since the July 2013 elections.
Sam Rainsy told supporters in a speech Wednesday that without a change to the NEC, “there is no need to talk.”
“Change the NEC first, and then we’ll talk,” he added.
Sam Rainsy spoke following meetings by the commission this week that have faltered.
A group of 20 NGOs called the Electoral Reform Alliance told reporters Wednesday it was “disappointed” in the failure of both sides to reach an agreement.
Chheang Von, a CPP lawmaker on the commission, said the opposition was “trying to prolong the time” in negotiations. The two-thirds vote for NEC members was not a part of the initial agreement, he said.
12.03.2014
បក្សប្រឆាំងក្រើនរំលឹក
ដោយ ម៉ែន គឹមសេងVOA Khmer
ព្រះមហាក្សត្រកម្ពុជា ព្រះបាទ នរោត្តម សីហមុន្នី យាងជាអធិបតីភាពក្នុងពិធីស្
គណបក្សប្រឆាំងក្នុងប្រទេស
នៅក្នុងកំណត់ហេតុកាលពីថ្ងៃ
ការចេញសេចក្តីជូនដំណឹងនេះ
ស្របពេលជាមួយគ្នានេះដែរប្
សហគមន៍អឺរ៉ុបនិងសហរដ្ឋអាមេ
លោកសម រង្ស៊ីបានចោទប្រកាន់ថា
លោកបានបញ្ជាក់បន្ថែមថា៖ «យុទ្ធសាស្រ្តរបស់គណបក្សប្
11.03.2014
Opposition Declares Negotiations at ‘Standstill’
by Kong Sothanarith, VOA Khmer
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy, right, said Tuesday that political negotiations with the ruling party have hit an impasse
Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said Tuesday that political negotiations with the ruling party have hit an impasse.
The ruling Cambodian People’s Party “refuses to discuss any changes to the composition of the electoral commission,” he wrote in an open letter to the diplomatic community.
The National Election Committee is central to future elections and “is currently under the ruling party’s control,” Sam Rainsy wrote.
His message comes after both parties failed to issue a joint statement following negotiations on Monday.
In separate statements Monday, both sides alluded to disagreements over the NEC’s construction.
The opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party says it wants the NEC to be a constitutional institution, with its members selected by a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly, a position the CPP has rejected.
Yem Ponearith, a member of the Rescue Party’s negotiation team, said the party’s position on the NEC is “very crucial” to the negotiations. A continued rejection of the position by the CPP “will result in political crisis,” he said.
The CPP said in its statement it is facing the “insistence” of the Rescue Party, which has “led to an obstacle to the negotiation.”
លោក សម រង្ស៊ី ព្រមានផ្អាកចរចាជាមួយបក្
ដោយ សុ ជីវី
2014-03-11 RFA
លោក សម រង្ស៊ី ប្រធានគណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិ ថ្លែងសារទៅកាន់អ្នកគាំទ្រ
លោក សម រង្ស៊ី មេដឹកនាំគណបក្សសង្គ្រោះជាតិ នៅថ្ងៃអង្គារ ទី១១ មីនា ព្រមានថា គណបក្សប្រឆាំងនឹងផ្អាកការ
នៅក្នុងសេចក្ដីថ្លែងការណ៍
1. ១១ មីនា ២០១៤ / 11 March 2014 - Note to the diplomatic community and all friends of Cambodia (after Khmer text) .
ថ្ងៃនេះ ខ្ញុំសម រង្ស៊ី ប្រធាន គណបក្សគណបក្សសង្រ្គោះជាតិបានចេ
១. វិវាទនៅតែមានត ចំពោះលទ្ធផលនៃការបោះឆ្នោត ថ្ងៃ២៨ កក្កដា ២០១៣។ លទ្ធផលដែលប្រកាសក្រោមបញ្ជាគណបក្
២. គណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា មិនព្រមឲ្យមានការស៊ើបអង្កេតលើភា
៣. ដោយសារគណបក្សសង្រ្គោះជាតិមិនព្
៤. រដ្ឋាភិបាលលោក ហ៊ុន សែន សព្វថ្ងៃ ដែលចេញពីរដ្ឋសភាឯកបក្សខុសច្បាប់ ក៏ជារដ្ឋាភិបាលខុសច្បាប់ដែរ ហើយនេះជាការរំលោភកិច្ចព្រមព្រៀ
៥. ក្នុងការបង្រ្កាបការតវ៉ារបស់ប្
៦. ក្នុងពេលជាមួយគ្នានេះ រដ្ឋាភិបាលលោក ហ៊ុន សែន ក៏បានរំលោភសិទ្ធិសេរីភាពរបស់ប្
៧. ដើម្បីដោះស្រាយការជាប់គាំងនយោបា
៨. ការចរចារវាងគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុ
៩. យុទ្ធវិធីគណបក្សប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា គឺគ្រាន់តែពន្យារពេល និងក្រាញអំណាច ដែលជាការធ្វើឲ្យអនាគតប្រទេសកម្
Phnom Penh, 11 March 2014
NOTE TO THE DIPLOMATIC COMMUNITY
ON THE CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION IN CAMBODIA
At this time when several donor institutions and countries are examining conditions under which cooperation and trade agreements with Cambodia could be extended or renewed, the opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) would like to remind or inform all friends of Cambodia of the following facts:
1- The official results of the 28 July 2013 national elections, which the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) claims to have won, remain in dispute because of serious irregularities having possibly overturned the will of the Cambodian people.
2- The CPP refuses any independent investigation into these irregularities in spite of numerous appeals from the international community supporting such an investigation (US Congress, European Parliament, Australian Senate, etc).
3- Because it cannot accept the CPP-proclaimed results of the last elections, which all independent observers consider as "not credible", the CNRP representing at least half of the nation, refuses to join the National Assembly. The latter, which is only composed of CPP members, has no legal existence because the Constitution states that Cambodia must follow "a system of liberal and plural democracy."
4- The current Hun Sen government, which represents an unconstitutional one-party state similar to the communist system brought to an end by the 1991 Paris Accords, cannot legally represent Cambodia.
5- In order to crush growing popular protest against election irregularities, government corruption, miserable living conditions, land confiscations and other human rights violations, the current Phnom Penh authorities have resorted to deadly violence. At least five striking workers demanding an increase of the minimum wage, were killed by the military police in January.
6- At the same time, the Hun Sen government has de facto suspended the constitutional rights to fundamental liberties such as the freedom of assembly. Any opposition peaceful gathering is immediately dispersed by the government’s armed forces.
7- In order to resolve the current political deadlock, to prevent political instability and to confer legitimacy to any Cambodian government, the CNRP demands either an independent investigation of the last elections or a re-election before the end of the current parliamentary term (July 2018). Both demands have been rejected by the CPP.
8- Negotiations between the CPP and the CNRP on election reform are at a standstill because the CPP refuses to discuss any change to the composition of the electoral commission (or National Election Committee) which is central to the organisation of any future election and which is currently under the ruling party’s control.
9- The CPP’s tactics seem to only buy time and to cling on to power by any means and at any cost, thus jeopardizing the future of Cambodia, given that development and democracy must go hand in hand.
Sam Rainsy
CNRP President
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