Wednesday, June 17th, 2015

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Posted by: | Posted on: June 17, 2015

Political Paradigm of Pragmatism from the Khmer Youth part 24

This 24th part was broadcasted by CMN Radio on Sunday, June 14, 2015 in which our author Mr. Sophan Seng elaborated on how political institution harper-mulcair1in Cambodia should be pragmatically built for a sound democratic political system. At the moment, Cambodia has evolved into government leadership party and opposition leadership party. But the political deficit is resting on not-in-balance between government leadership party and opposition leadership party in pushing for genuine democratization.

The author has compared the current status of Cambodia’s two political parties as standing in different positions: Cambodian People’s Party is standing on the top of the hill, while the opposition party Cambodia National Rescue Party is standing on the ground. The uphill struggling of the opposition party to take the stage of government leadership is like an Political-Spectrum_MMactivism struggle. This competition has posited “none fair play” in a sound political system of democracy like it has been implemented in Canada, the UK, and Australia.

Our author suggested many different phases of “Sun Ray Political Platform” which shall be aired in the following weeks.

Posted by: | Posted on: June 17, 2015

Promoting Meaningful Reforms in Cambodia

Promoting Meaningful Reforms in Cambodia

Published: 14-Jun-15 09:24 AM

Give our kids a better deal

By: William E. Todd

The Montagnard refugee dilemma continued to make news this week, as many here in Cambodia and in the international community remain concerned about the status of those seeking asylum.  According to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, there are currently more than one hundred Montagnards in Phnom Penh who are seeking to register for asylum.  The media also reports that a significant number of Montagnards now in Cambodia have not been registered or are not pursuing asylum due to concerns about due process and the rule of law, leaving them in legal limbo.  This situation provides Cambodia with an opportunity to demonstrate a responsive and rules-based process that provides a positive example for other countries.
This dilemma leads me to this week’s question, which is on the minds of many Cambodians:  “Which reforms do you think the National Assembly should focus on in the near term?”  This is a good question and one that many will debate.  In my opinion, the country would best be served by focusing on topics that benefit the average Cambodian.  Rather than making a new NGO law the top priority, which I believe is not needed, the National Assembly could consider addressing poverty, education, health care, and environmental protection.  However, improving the rule of law, which encompasses a broad range of topics that would ultimately benefit Cambodian citizens, is an area where both parties could work together.