CPP Wins Full House 125 Seats
Last week I dare not say how many seats the Cambodian People’s Party has won because it was until 15 August that the National Elections Committee announced the official elections results. It is final now that the Cambodian People’s Party wins every 125 seats (in the National Assembly). It is now clear that I will be the new Royal Government Prime Minister, and had been designated by HM the King to compose the Royal Government to seek the National Assembly’s approval.
There have been some comments on this by some. I just wanted to remind them to distinguish between the words “designation,” and “appointment” […] as HM the King designate a dignitary from the party that wins the lections to create a Royal Government and to propose it for approval from the National Assembly […] secondly, the article 119 of the Constitution and the additional Constitutional law calls for […] a recommendation from the most senior member of the National Assembly to nominate candidate for the post of Prime Minister […] we are implementing the additional Constitutional law, in this case, relating to continuity of national institutions […]
People Have Chosen Democracy, Liberal Pluralism, Peace, Development
All in all the Cambodian people have already chosen. Firstly, they chose to take part in the process of democracy, liberal pluralism, and go to vote. This has indicated clearly that people are mature and would not be subjected to incitement with destructive nature. Our people as a whole and workers in particular have chosen to maintain peace and development, a heritage left from your parents and/or grandparents, who journey with the Cambodian People’s Party since day one of our hardships […] on this note, a little over 80% of voters in Kandal gave their supports (to the Cambodian People’s Party). It is an overwhelming number allowing the Cambodian People’s Party to win all 11 seats in the Kandal constituency. Elsewhere, the supporting rate has not been lower than 70% […]
A One-Party National Assembly Comes from Pluralistic Elections
Let me take this moment to clarify one issue to the public that Cambodia has indeed stepped into a one-party status. However, I must affirm to our compatriots that the one-party status in the National Assembly, as was said by some NGOs and political parties, comes from the pluralistic elections, and it is the wills of the Cambodian people to give the Cambodian People’s Party a full house support. We cannot deny it […]
Let’s Build Country after Elections
That we had had a competition among twenty parties was not that simple. After the elections, noted that so far many political parties have not had their chances to take part in the elections and/or to occupy seat/s in the National Assembly, I have taken this initiative to invite political parties for consultation on organizing a mechanism through which we are working together to build our nation. We had competed against one another in the elections campaign period. The elections is now over, we must work together to build the country. It should be an interest not only for us at decision making level but also for voters too […] among 20 political parties, only one will be in the National Assembly. In the past, through to 2003, we had up to 30 political parties to contest in the elections. However, only three political parties won seats in the National Assembly, as a result of which between one election to another in a period of five years, those other parties could not contribute to national construction […]
“Supreme Council of Consultation” Enjoys Supports of Political Parties
Even if we were to have more than one (the Cambodian People’s Party) in the National Assembly through the elections, (this idea of convening political parties for a discussion would happen too, and in this regard) that I have taken initiative to invite political leaders for a consultation on Tuesday 21 August to create a Supreme Council of Consultation (SCC), for which leaders of political parties have given their full supports. We are giving them role to play and work to do. They are no longer sitting and criticizing from outside/inside the National Assembly. They could do a lot to help […] for example, though the SCC may or may not be up and functional in time, let me affirm to Deputy Prime Minister HE Bin Chhin that we should call on this council to discuss and have their inputs on the budget law of 2019. Let me ask you what would this role be? We are inviting leaders of political parties to tell us what they think about the draft national budget law for 2019 […]
MEF Will Do a Presentation of National Budget Law 2019
I am of the opinion that those political parties that participated in the Tuesday-21 August meeting have supported and sought to understand and take part in the process. Primarily, I think their first role to play is to discuss and give consultation on the major law. National budget law is a great economic wealth (to be aware of). We leave the door open for participations and suggestions. Some of you may not have the required experiences (and knowledge on this matter). However, the Ministry of Economy and Finance will do you a presentation for them and after that it will be their turns to comment on and make suggestions to the draft law before it goes to the Cabinet meeting, the National Assembly and the Senate as scheduled.
SCC Led by Monthly Rotating Chairperson
According to schedule, the budget law will go for adoption by the Cabinet meeting in October. By mid of October, whether or not SCC will be in place, leaders of political parties will still be invited to the meeting. HE Bin Chhin may need to chair the first meeting if the rotating chair is not going to be selected yet. (SCC) will be leading once a month by a rotating chairperson. The first chairperson will be picked through numbering ballots by Samdech the Buddhist Supreme Patriarch […] again, the Ministry of Economy and Finance will do a presentation of national budget law to you […]
War Cannot End War
This is a political message out of my goodwill that I have nurtured it since after I overthrew the regime of Pol Pot’s genocide. While trying to prevent the return of the genocide, I foresaw that we cannot make war to end war. The best option was to seek negotiation for a political solution. I went everywhere to search for political settlement to achieve national reconciliation. UNTAC (the United Nations Authority in Cambodia) could not realize its job fully. They were able to organize elections but they could not establish permanent ceasefire, and/or dissolve armed groups of parties in conflict. They left Cambodia leaving it in two areas of control and two governments – one was the Royal Government that came out of the elections and the other was the Khmer Rouge who controlled certain space of our territory along the Cambodian-Thai border, and certain pockets in Kompot and Kompong Speu provinces.
Win-Win Policy Ensures Khmer Winners
We have no other way better than carrying out win-win policy which guarantee that Khmer no longer are fighting each other in conflict but are winners in its outcome. I went to the Khmer Rouge stronghold and told them their retirement to conflict and making war was not at all a surrender or confession but an obligation that every Cambodian must uphold to untie the knots that the previous generation left us with […] when the war broke out I was not even 18 years old yet. (It is beyond imagination that) the war had brought me a chance to sort things out through win-win policy, a battle in which there were no losers but all winners. Up to this moment, it has been twenty years now.
We will throw a big party to commemorate this event on 29 December 2018. I urge our artists and performers not to engage in long distance program. We will have only one official ceremonial day but artistic performances and other entertainments will go in three full days – 29, 30 and 31 December, after which we will celebrate passing into international New Year at the win-win palace […]
Triangular Strategy – 2 December 1998
Thanks to the win-win concept implementation that people have voted to give full power to the Cambodian People’s Party in National Assembly as well as in the Royal Government, for which I am calling on and gathering human and intellectual resources to help build our country. I could remember that on 2 December 1998, in the Cabinet meeting, I launched this triangular strategy […] the first angle was to achieve full peace inside Cambodia […]; the second angle was to ensure Cambodian integration as quick as possible into international community […] including regaining the UN seat, joining ASEAN, ASEM, WTO, etc. […] and the third angle was to mobilize human and intellectual, and wealth resources, based on internal and external favorable factors, to achieve socio-economic development to reduce poverty […] aside from the human and intellectual resources of the Cambodian People’s party, we also have these resources in 19 other parties that we must not overlook for the sake of national reconciliation […]
Political Parties Should Reap Given Rights
I wish to take this forum to send a message to some political parties that do not reap their rights that I have reserved for them […] they were asking the Royal Government to clarify the sort of mechanism (of what SCC is going to be like) while I leave it completely up to them to say what they have in their mind and what they wanted to do […] it would be easy to frame everything my way and write a royal decree for you all to just get in without consultation. I wish you to discuss with me […] for instance, we have to frame the first task was to initiate and provide inputs to draft policies of the Royal Government. We still have many of those […], secondly, initiate and provide inputs on draft law and we also have many of those. Some of our laws needs amendment and/or maybe some new ones can come from anyone political parties’ leaders in SCC […] I leave you with right and I do not know what to do when you do not reap it […]
A Large-Scale Pardon
Let me talk one more thing before we are dealing with matters concerning workers. I wish to remind everyone that when there is a pardon requested (to HM the King), they should not claim that those actions are to be carried out under foreign pressures. They should be careful with what comes out of their mouths. I will launch a large-scale pardon to many, not a few, in the forthcoming time for them to rebuild their new lives. I will choose to do so in the forthcoming major events of our countries. Aside from those already released, we will continue to do for more. (However) people must not say (I were to do so) because of international pressure. I do not like this word. I have planned to seek pardons for twelve others but I needed them to write me letters to seek them pardon. I needed them to apologize. However, if anyone anywhere comes out and comments (this was done) because of international pressure, I will not seek you a pardon until the person seeking a pardon writes another letter condemning the one to comment. I could consider this as a condition […]
Do Not Infringe Upon Law or Face Arrest Again
… The ones not in jail, I understand, wish the ones in jail to go on living in jail […] those who are now out of prisons should not be too rebellious. They should not think that they would not face arrest again. The Cambodian laws and/or the world ones, there is no prohibition for a person who had been jailed once to be jailed again […] if they infringe upon law, law will arrest him/her again, will bring him/her to justice again, and will jail him/her again. This does not mean I shut them up. They can say whatever you need to but not to touch upon others. They should be aware that their boundaries of freedom is where they meet with freedom of others […] this is not a threat […]
A Heavy-Schedules September and October
29 August 2018 will be my last meeting (for this period of one year) because I will need five days to prepare for the National Assembly session. On September 5, we will have National Assembly first session as convened by HM the King. In the afternoon of September 5, the National Assembly members will take oaths. On 6 September, the National Assembly will conduct its full session to set up leadership mechanism and convey motion to the new Royal Government. On 7 September, it will be the first Cabinet’s meeting. On September 10, I will leave for Nanning, Guangxi, for the China-ASEAN Expo as Cambodia is going to be the Country of Honor […] in the morning of September 12, I will join World Economic Forum in Hanoi, Vietnam. After that, I may put in my program one or two meetings with workers. On 27 September, I will head to New York to deliver my speech […]
In October, after my return from the UN, we could have one more meeting with workers before I am leaving again to Japan for the Japan-Mekong Forum. From Japan, I will land in Bali, Indonesia, for the meeting between ASEAN heads of states and governments and IMF. On 17 October, I will take a flight to Brussels for the ASEM meeting. On 20 August, I will conduct a visit to Ankara, Turkey. Between September 22 and 25, I will be in Geneva for a trade forum with over 22 heads of states and governments. Upon my return, we will need to pass out national budget law and proceed to the National Assembly and the Senate by end of November or early December […]
… Yesterday, I had a discussion with the UK Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific. We were concerned that we would not know if after Brexit from EU, the UK would continue to implement policies regarding exported goods from Cambodia […] we have delegated our officials to seek negotiation with the UK, and one after the other, we have assurance that the UK continues to provide assistance for, investment in, and trade with for Cambodia […]
Ministries/Authorities Concerned Deal with Flood Damages
As of this moment some parts of our territory are facing flood menaces from heavy downpour in Pursat, Battambang, Pailin, Banteay Meanjei, Kompong Speu, a part of Phnom Penh, and a part of Kandal province. Provinces affected by seasonal Mekong flooding are Stoeung Treng, Kratie, Kompong Cham, and Kandal. I urge authorities at every level to take whatever measures necessary to rescue our people from flood. I am asking the Ministry of Agriculture to get ready with additional seeds as people may need them later. Their rice fields are now destroyed and they will need to replant them […] the Ministry of Rural Development, the Ministry of Public Works and Transports must review conditions of rural and national roads damaged by flood this year. We have saved fund for such disaster. We never ever spend money reserved for disaster management […]
We will be exercising thrift on other sectors to increase our financial ability to resolve issues after flooding. There are many damaged roads. The Ministry of Water Resource and Meteorology also has to take a full review of canals and dams. The Ministry of Health will have to provide whatever medicines needed in flooded areas. Local field and referral health hospitals must work harder to serve people’s health […]
I am calling on the National Bank and the Ministry of Economy and Finance to work with micro-financial institutions to consider favor for those who are on their terms while facing with flooding and damages […] they should either extend their payback period or leave out interests […] they should not confiscate their properties […]
Will Meet Mention-A Graduates of Senior Secondary School
It is so fortunate that the senior secondary school exam is over and was not affected by flood […] I will continue to meet with mention-A graduates. The Council of Ministers must be prepared with rewards as we did on previous years […] I am offering my greeting to those who will pass and also urge those who fail to make further efforts in their studies to get a pass in the next exam […] by the way, those of you who fail will stand a chance to study for bachelor degree to be organized by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports in vocational schools, which are administered by the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training. That is a great chance. We will not leave the failed ones behind in hopelessness. You must be hopeful […]
Post-Election Expenses Exceed Pre-budgeting
As we all know and see, national income has not fallen in the course of elections campaign. However, taking natural disaster factor into concern, more efforts and resources need to be put into rescuing our people, mainly from flood, burden of expenses will be larger compared to what we have planned. Time has yet to come for us to call for international assistance, still. We had just shared some one hundred thousand USD, along with fifty thousand USD from the Cambodian Red Cross, to Laos to deal with dam disaster. At this very moment, we do not have the need to ask for foreign assistance to deal with flood disaster in our country. We have this ability and resource to deal with it in our country […]./.
