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<\/a>\nToday, I have a great pleasure to join with all of you and rector of the Pannasastra University once again for the graduation and diploma presenting ceremony for graduates of Ph D, Master, and Bachelor degrees. HE Kol Pheng made a speech about the progress that the University has realized so far. I am so proud because I have also involved from the beginning with this university and paid attention to the quality of education through the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports as well as other leaders and professors [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Investment in Education is a Necessity<\/p>\n
The Royal Government allows the private sector to take parts in human resource training through their investments to build schools, organize professors, teachers, and it is obvious to see that they have done a wonderful job. Without their capital investments, we may have difficulties in realizing this achievement. The same is true, if there is capital investment from the private sector but our people were to take no part in it, the effort will be fruitless. However, this has become a national movement and there has been a clear trend of knowledge seeking behavior among our people. Investment for youth and children is a correct decision. We must provide further favorable condition to guarantee human resource training and this achievement has direct impact on strengthening of institutional capacity. Talking about infrastructure, we have hard infrastructure to care about such as roads, bridges, airports, etc. [\u2026] and soft ones such as institutional norm and regulations, and especially human resource. It is in this sense that investment on education is a necessity [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Narrowing Knowledge Gap<\/p>\n
I am so proud that this matter concerns not one or two people but the whole society. I have frequently mentioned that reducing wealth gap is difficult to achieve and reducing knowledge gap is achievable. This matter has come through my experience that I started from when I was 25 years old and I became Foreign Minister when I was 27 years of age. I became Prime Minister when I was 32 years old. I led the country through storms and brought it to today. Did I come from a wealthy family? I came from a poor and wealth-lacking family. The song \u201clife of a pagoda boy\u201d clearly shared with you how difficult life could be when I had to part with my parents when I was thirteen years old. It was because of those experiences that when I have the chance to lead the country, I bring schools to people in rural areas. I have made it a policy for one commune to have at least one junior secondary school, and one district to have more than one secondary school. We have realized this policy to a certain extent now [\u2026]<\/p>\n
It was surprising that a secondary school in the district of Kon Mom in the province of Ratanakiri, when I traveled through on my way to Stoeng Treng, 97% of their students made it through the secondary school exams. Because of the good infrastructure, I crossed the Cambodian-Chinese Friendship Bridge over the Mekong and traveled on national road 9 to stop by the district of Kulen. There I discovered that 82% of their students also passed the exams. They have been good examples of how we can narrow the knowledge gap among our people [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Education and Health Enjoy High Salary<\/p>\n
Now, in the field of training and education, aside from the universities under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and those of the private sector, we also have those that are under the supervisions of the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training. We have elevated salary for teachers in those universities of education. However, we have readjusted salary for instructors in those vocational training institutions of the Ministry of Labor. I signed it yesterday. Our country is poor but our salary is higher if we compare with other countries, mainly in the field of education. Two institutions that staffs enjoy higher salary are education and health. This has clearly proved consideration given by the Royal Government [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Will Tell Trump Why Dislike on the US<\/p>\n
The other day I asked a leader of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) two questions. Firstly, I wanted to hear his evaluation of the world economic growth. Secondly, I wanted his prediction of prices of oil and food, similarly agricultural production that is plunging low. He was able to give me his thought only on my first question, which he seemed to have stated that the world economic growth rate is to fluctuating. We can understand what he meant. We have noticed that the US also declared that they would scale down 30% of their assistance to foreign countries, which many local newspapers argued naively that the cut is on Cambodia aiming to blame us [\u2026]<\/p>\n
\u2026 On 31 July 2013, three days after the general elections, I made a statement in the district of Khsach Kandal about cutting of the US assistance. I told them the Cambodian people are not to suffer directly from cut but non-governmental organizations that are working for the US. Then US Ambassador of the United States came to see me and asked why I chose to say that in that circumstance. I looked at him and got it off me that it was because certain US senators and congressmen called for cessation of assistance (to Cambodia). If they did not say it, why should I? It was all starting in Washington [\u2026]<\/p>\n
In the forthcoming ASEAN-US meeting this year I will find chance to get my message across to President Donald Trump. I intended to get it to the former US President Barack Obama in our meeting in Laos, but I thought he was at his term end already. This year, Trump could come to such a meeting. I would bring it to his attention matters why people do not like the US. As you may know now that applying for a visa to visit the US, applicant has to pay 150 USD \u2013 either s\/he would get it or not. I would ask President Trump if he could think of adjusting this. We need to bring this matter to their attentions in the interest of relations between ASEAN and the US [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Jobs in External Markets<\/p>\n
Cambodia is advancing and there have been many policies issued. We are putting them into implementation. Our effort to strengthen human capacity is demand of the time, especially when Cambodia is in the ASEAN Economic Community framework. Discussion is going on in the framework of comprehensive economic partnership of the ten-member ASEAN plus six other countries \u2013 China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. When people have better education and skills, they will be able to find better jobs [\u2026]<\/p>\n
As you may know that migrant workers is not an issue of Cambodia alone. The Royal Government has in fact made every effort to seek for jobs in every market. Some people blamed us by fooling people that the Royal Government is unable to find jobs for people. They blamed us for people to loom for jobs abroad. Let me take your attention. In South Korea, many countries are competing to send their workers there. We have requested to the South Korean side to understand our situation and allow our workers to go work in South Korea.<\/p>\n
My visit to Korea after President Kim Dae Jung came to power brought about many vocational schools from Korea to Cambodia. The whole idea was to prepare our workers and send them to South Korea. We have also made efforts to make some illegal workers to Thailand legal. We do the same in Malaysia. Many countries are searching for jobs for their people in foreign countries. Though Singapore and Malaysia do not send their workers out, they are the ones that import them. Thailand also sent their workers for jobs abroad and imported workers from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos to replace them in the country [\u2026]<\/p>\n
Thank NEC, Armed Forces, Political Parties for Smooth Elections<\/p>\n
\u2026 Please allow me to take a little more of your time to express my sincere thanks for the National Elections Committee, the armed forces, political parties, for their cooperation to achieve smooth and successful communal elections. The official results of the elections have yet to come out but we can be sure that the Cambodian people have won. They have come out to vote in big number. The elections were violence free. Foreign embassies, the US embassy included, issued statements that the elections was good. However, this Brad Adams\u2019s Human Right Watch said it otherwise. For them, as long as the Cambodian People\u2019s Party wins, the elections are not good. I would send a message to Brad Adams to change. What would they think of themselves when they say thing differently from and in contradiction to their governments\u2019.<\/p>\n
What is majorly important here is the fact that the elections took place according to schedule. Some said we had no intention to have elections though we said it long enough from the time to registration to posting our candidates. Would they ask for an apology? Even if they do not, they must accept that they said it wrong. Some people took insults on to Facebook [\u2026] now let me come back to the elections process. The National Elections Committee is pursuing their tasks of resolving protests concerning votes counting in so and so voting stations.<\/p>\n
Let concerned institutions do their jobs. I am taking this chance to express my sincere appreciation and efforts of the armed forces, local authorities of all levels for their assistance in creating favorable conditions for the electoral process to carry through from beginning to end. Matter has now come back to the NEC and perhaps to the Constitutional Council. While campaigning, where tens of thousands of people came out, where in some countries there were terrorist attacks, Cambodia did it safely. We could do that because the country is in full peace.<\/p>\n
Learning to Work Together \u2013 Our People\u2019s Will<\/p>\n
For ruling party, the first factor is to secure safety for the whole elections. The parties in opposition did not care about this issue. They only think of how to come up first. I thank every political party \u2013ones that scolded me too, to have kept their end to achieve safe and violence-free elections. In some countries, in every election, there would be deaths [\u2026] local plural elections commenced in 2002. Our people from different political parties are used to working together. There are not many communes now that one party has it all. There is no one single party in one communal council. In some commune, there are up to three or even four political parties. They must learn to work with each other. This is our people\u2019s will.<\/p>\n
Elected Parties to Fulfill Promises<\/p>\n
They must try to fulfill promises they made in the elections campaign. I am sure there will be two important issues that people are longing for. Firstly, prices and markets of agricultural production that they promised. People will expect the commune heads to come up with prices and markets for their productions. Secondly, what some whispered to people that should they get elected, they would help canceling their debts. Some promised people that when they win the elections, they would build them roads. Now they are raising fund to build roads. People will now see and think. No matter what happens, let elected councilors work together to respond to the people\u2019s will.<\/p>\n
Lifting Order Barring Return of Sam Rainsy<\/p>\n
Yesterday I called Gen. Tia Banh. He picked up the phone and I heard voice in the background. I asked what it was. He said it was a radio \u2026 I also tuned in to listen to it. I heard the person said should the ban is lifted; he would come right away. I called HE Bin Chhin, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister in Charge of the Council of Ministers, and asked him to annul the order so that the \u201cbrave man\u201d will be on his way. In fact, the order was to protect him and his life. I have declared that I would chop off my right arm should I sign requesting for his pardon. It happened twice already. There will not be a third time [\u2026] last night he declared that he would not come. He took our order to protect him as an order to block his rights. Ruling the country, we would not want to see violence. If he were to land, the court would order an arrest [\u2026]<\/p>\n
He did not say it on Facebook. He went on twitter and in English too. He added that he has to be certain that he was not the first among the 100 or 200 people whom Hun Sen threatened to take out.\u201d I commented in the Fresh News page that what really makes him change his mind is nothing but prison. If he is not afraid of prison, he should have come [\u2026] There (CNRP) has a party leader here. He already resigned. Why does he declare to return to challenge power with Prime Minister Hun Sen. So what happens to the party leader here? [\u2026] He would seek other pretexts. However, all will come in this form [\u2026]<\/p>\n
I know that not all of you here voted for me but even 100% of you did not vote for me, I would still say it because I need to send a message to our people, especially those who listened to RFA about this man\u2019s intention. He would do so. The court decision is still in force. The court will work with justice police to carry it out. They would do their jobs and there is nothing to do with me [\u2026] I have lifted this order that the man said barred him from coming to the country [\u2026] Well, I have problem standing for too long. My legs are tired. However, we are hailing our football team to have scored one-nil against the Afghan team. We never have tasted \u201cwinning\u201d and we do now.\/.<\/p>\n
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