Letter to the editor: A political kegacy for future generations

By Sam Rainsy

What the CNRP has been striving for is not intended to serve the interests of any political party or any individual and is not designed to only address the current political situation.

Our intention is to lay the foundation for Cambodia’s democratic future, for other political parties and leaders who will take up their positions in the years and decades to come in the spirit of democracy. We are actually engaged in institution building and consolidation of the democratic process.

A number of our demands to this end have been met in principle.

- Formation of a new and more independent electoral commission in order to ensure better and fairer elections in the future, when election results will better reflect the will of the people, which is the basis of democracy.

- The right to operate radio and television stations with national coverage to the minority (formally called opposition) party. This will ensure that the Cambodian people can receive information and ideas from various sources, which will allow them to make free and informed choices.

- Recognition by the government and the ruling party of the minority party as an institution with guaranteed rights and privileges, as a part of the checks and balances system that characterizes any democracy.

- Recognition by the government and the ruling party of the position of “minority leader” for the leader of the largest parliamentary opposition party, who will be the dialogue partner of the prime minister on issues of national interest.

What the CNRP has obtained represents significant strides towards democracy for a country which has only recently emerged from a long period of authoritarianism when a communist-born ruling party only strived to eliminate any form of opposition through most repressive means including violence.

Sam Rainsy