by Dr. Gaffar Peang-Meth
 |
| You are well off-side, Mr Striker!!
Leading the line of attack as a self-anointed No 9, the long
ruling/running PM Hun Sen of Cambodia has consistently eschewed/evaded
the notion and principle of good sportsmanship and the idea of a
level-playing field in politics, as well as within his own CPP party
leadership circle, allowing rival factions and former foes alike ample
room for self-enrichment by any means, and immunity from prosecution
before the law for misdemeanours and all manners of personal excesses,
including rights abuses at expense of powerless citizens and squandering
of state assets for personal gains, but giving them the cold shoulder
and a brutal elbow, a rash flying tackle or two even whenever their
actions and exercising of conscientious functions and conduct threaten
to undermine his movement on the brutal pitch of political football,
standing and grip on the reign of play so as to dictate the terms of the
contest itself and its outcome for the duration of, and after the
designated time slot of 90 minutes - plus the obligatory extra time! -
[He wants to play on until he is 90!], with the attentive grooming and
promotions of his own children and clans a clear indication of what to
expect once his own playing career is over - School of Vice |
'I like to think
positively and take risks to reach an ideal.
If my ideas
do not meet with your approval, you have only lost about 15
minutes of your time reading and you can toss this article
away. But what if an idea or a process suggested here
catalyzes productive change? I seek only to make Cambodia a
better place for its citizens. I thank my compatriots for
reading this article.'
Dr. Gaffar Peang-Meth
Tuesday, 3 September 2013, 4:40 pm
Press Release: Asian Human Rights Commission
Cambodia: Can a Deadlock Be Broken?
There is no problem that lacks a solution, though we may not
like our choices. Manmade problems are solvable through imaginative,
productive, creative thinking and carefully thought-out action. Some
predicaments are harder to deal with than others. The pain from the loss of
loved ones does not heal overnight. Some learn to live and cope with loss, some
seek professional help, some never move on.
There is a Khmer saying that goes, Choss toek kropeu, leung
leu khla – there is crocodile in the river, there is tiger on the bank. Yet,
being imaginative and creative can help beat such a circumstance. There are
alternatives, and a better alternative does come along.
Lord Buddha says, "Nothing is permanent." Life is
a series of choices. There is not a perfect world. One makes the choice one
thinks takes one closer to an ideal state.
At present, Cambodians have worked themselves into a
political deadlock. There are two rivals: The Cambodian People's Party that has
ruled Cambodia since January 1979 with Vietnamese help, and the opposition
Cambodia National Rescue Party, a mid-2012 merger of the Sam Rainsy Party and
the Human Rights Party, that seeks to change the status quo.
Right after the national election on July 28, the CPP
government-appointed National Election Commission rushed to declare preliminary
election results that favored the CPP with 68 seats and CNRP, 55 seats. The
CNRP objected, and declared it had been robbed of its election victory through
election irregularities and flaws – a claim backed by many non-governmental
organizations. If the election had been free and fair, the CNRP says, it would
have won a majority with 63 seats – leaving the CPP with 60 seats in a
parliament of 123 members.
