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Cambodia poll shows improvements | |
(1 day later) | |
As Cambodians vote in a largely peaceful election, the BBC's Guy De Launey reflects on the sweeping changes made in the country since its first polls 15 years ago. | |
Hun Sen's CPP is likely to benefit from five years of economic growth"Is the glass half-full or half-empty?" asks Tom Andrews, as he sips an iced coffee in Phnom Penh's Hotel Le Royal. | |
He is not referring to the cool drink in his hand, but rather about how far Cambodia has come since this colonial landmark served as a ramshackle base for the international press corps in the chaotic days before the city fell to the Khmer Rouge in 1975. | He is not referring to the cool drink in his hand, but rather about how far Cambodia has come since this colonial landmark served as a ramshackle base for the international press corps in the chaotic days before the city fell to the Khmer Rouge in 1975. |
The former United States congressman has been a regular visitor since the mid-1990s, and it is not just the standard of accommodation which has changed. | The former United States congressman has been a regular visitor since the mid-1990s, and it is not just the standard of accommodation which has changed. |
United Nations assistance made possible the first democratic election in 1993, and despite several hiccups in the intervening years the fourth national poll has been largely trouble-free. | United Nations assistance made possible the first democratic election in 1993, and despite several hiccups in the intervening years the fourth national poll has been largely trouble-free. |
âThat's all to the good,â says Mr Andrews. âBut is there an independent judiciary? No. Do broadcast media feel the need for self-censorship in their coverage? Yes. Is the state being used as a way to silence the opposition, in some cases to detain the opposition? Yes. But there is still discernible progress.â | âThat's all to the good,â says Mr Andrews. âBut is there an independent judiciary? No. Do broadcast media feel the need for self-censorship in their coverage? Yes. Is the state being used as a way to silence the opposition, in some cases to detain the opposition? Yes. But there is still discernible progress.â |
The infrastructure, the bridges, the roads, the buildings, the schools, the hospitals are what we need - so people feel very satisfied about that Chea Vannath, political analyst | The infrastructure, the bridges, the roads, the buildings, the schools, the hospitals are what we need - so people feel very satisfied about that Chea Vannath, political analyst |
That, in a nutshell, is the quandary facing those who hope to nudge Cambodia down the path of democracy and human rights. | That, in a nutshell, is the quandary facing those who hope to nudge Cambodia down the path of democracy and human rights. |
It already does better than some of its South East Asian neighbours in those departments, and it has come an awfully long way since that first poll 15 years ago. | |
Yet there are dozens of foreign and domestic organisations which have marked Cambodia's report card âcould do better.â | Yet there are dozens of foreign and domestic organisations which have marked Cambodia's report card âcould do better.â |
Looking at the country's recent history, it is tempting to label that stance impatient. | Looking at the country's recent history, it is tempting to label that stance impatient. |
The Khmer Rouge presided over the deaths of almost two million Cambodians when they held power in the late 1970s. | |
Even after they were overthrown, the civil war continued, only coming to an end 10 years ago. | |
'Systematic corruption' | 'Systematic corruption' |
Thousands of troops fought battles in the streets of Phnom Penh in 1997, as the first coalition government between the Cambodian People's Party and the royalist Funcinpec movement fell apart. | Thousands of troops fought battles in the streets of Phnom Penh in 1997, as the first coalition government between the Cambodian People's Party and the royalist Funcinpec movement fell apart. |
Rioters set fire to the Thai embassy and destroyed dozens of businesses in 2003, and a year without a government followed as the parties quibbled over forming a coalition. | Rioters set fire to the Thai embassy and destroyed dozens of businesses in 2003, and a year without a government followed as the parties quibbled over forming a coalition. |
The picture now is quite different. Successive years of double-digit growth have done wonders for the Cambodian economy. | |
The Sam Rainsy Party campaigned for democratic reform | The Sam Rainsy Party campaigned for democratic reform |
Millions of tourists are discovering the country's heritage and charm every year, providing jobs for an ever-increasing population. The Khmer Rouge is no more, and a UN-backed tribunal has charged its surviving leaders with crimes against humanity. | Millions of tourists are discovering the country's heritage and charm every year, providing jobs for an ever-increasing population. The Khmer Rouge is no more, and a UN-backed tribunal has charged its surviving leaders with crimes against humanity. |
The CPP and Prime Minister Hun Sen have been quick to take the credit for Cambodia's new-found stability. | The CPP and Prime Minister Hun Sen have been quick to take the credit for Cambodia's new-found stability. |
Election campaign billboards across the country featured the faces of the party leaders alongside pictures of new roads, bridges and schools. The message was simple - stick with us, and you will get more of the same. | Election campaign billboards across the country featured the faces of the party leaders alongside pictures of new roads, bridges and schools. The message was simple - stick with us, and you will get more of the same. |
Independent political analyst Chea Vannath acknowledges that achievement. | Independent political analyst Chea Vannath acknowledges that achievement. |
âOf course the infrastructure, the bridges, the roads, the buildings, the schools, the hospitals are what we need - so people feel very satisfied about that,â she says. | âOf course the infrastructure, the bridges, the roads, the buildings, the schools, the hospitals are what we need - so people feel very satisfied about that,â she says. |
âBut if you ask another question - how about democracy, how about the respect for human rights, then the answer will be different." | âBut if you ask another question - how about democracy, how about the respect for human rights, then the answer will be different." |
The opposition Sam Rainsy Party made that point loudly in the run-up to the poll. Its leader, a former finance minister who named the party after himself, has been on the receiving end of several defamation and disinformation suits from high-ranking CPP members. | The opposition Sam Rainsy Party made that point loudly in the run-up to the poll. Its leader, a former finance minister who named the party after himself, has been on the receiving end of several defamation and disinformation suits from high-ranking CPP members. |
He has accused the government of presiding over systematic corruption and manipulating the judiciary. | He has accused the government of presiding over systematic corruption and manipulating the judiciary. |
Other concerns include a widening gap between the rich and poor, and regular cases of forced evictions and land grabs. | Other concerns include a widening gap between the rich and poor, and regular cases of forced evictions and land grabs. |
The dispossessed often take their complaints directly to Hun Sen's private residence, illustrating that many Cambodians view the prime minister as the 'strongman' holding the country together. | The dispossessed often take their complaints directly to Hun Sen's private residence, illustrating that many Cambodians view the prime minister as the 'strongman' holding the country together. |
Now it seems his party will have the chance to govern on its own for the first time. | |
As Tom Andrews puts it: âThis is where the rubber meets the road. We're going to see whether there's genuine progress or not. Let's take advantage of this opportunity - but let's keep the pressure on.â |
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