THE IRRAWADDY|
March 11, 2013 |
Sam
Rainsy, the leader-in-exile of the Cambodia National Rescue Party,
speaks to Irrawaddy reporters in Rangoon on March 11, 2013. (Photo: The
Irrawaddy)
The exiled leader of the Cambodian
opposition says that Burma provides an example for his country’s
political reform process, after attending the National League of
Democracy’s first party congress in Rangoon this weekend.
Sam Rainsy, leader-in-exile of the Cambodia National Rescue Party,
met with NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi during his three-day visit to
Burma.
“We look up to Burma as a model on how to move forward to democracy,” he said.
He described the conference, which he attended following a personal invitation by Suu Kyi, as impressive and moving.
“This is really an example in determination, maturity and patience,”
he said. “People have been fighting for 25 years before being able to
hold to this convention.”
Commenting on reports of infighting within the NLD, he said that this
is a natural development as opposition parties move towards power.
“Our party is having the same problems,” he added.
Rainsy is currently in exile after being convicted in 2010 on
charges, which he says are politically motivated to prevent him from
standing in elections. His party is preparing for the country’s National
Assembly elections in July, which are likely see Prime Minister Hun
Sen’s three-decade long rule over the country extended for a further
five years.
“Cambodia is becoming not just a one-party system, but a one-man
system,” he said. “In Burma, we can see changes are taking place, but in
Cambodia it’s a one-man system and that man is a puppet of Vietnam.”
At the same time, Ramsy tried to dispel concerns that his own party
is overly focussed on him, a problem which is familiar to Burma’s NLD,
which is often viewed by outsiders as being a one-woman show.
“I have been away for more than three years, but my party keeps
growing,” he said. “This is the test for the strength of an
organisation. It doesn’t depend on one person, I am just the symbol.”
He said Asian politics requires charismatic leaders like Suu Kyi and himself.
“In Tunisia and Egypt, the revolutions led nowhere because there is no charismatic leader,” he said.
It is yet unclear whether the Cambodian government would allow him to
return to the country for the elections, despite pressure from the
international community and donors.
If he wasn’t allowed to return, he said that his party would not
boycott the elections, but “we will call on the international community
not to recognize any government that will come out of the
elections.”
“We are a very poor and small country, we cannot survive without
international aid,” he said. “One-third of our budget depends on
international assistance; one-third comes from loans. There would be
no stability, no development. It would be very volatile and dangerous.”
He added, however, that he remained confident in the future of political reform in both countries.
“This is a natural tide and no one can stop it,” he said.
He said looked forward to being able to invite Suu Kyi to Cambodia, when his self-imposed exile ends.
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