The government crackdown on Cambodia’s opposition, NGOs and independent media has led to a deterioration of the country’s system of checks and balances. This is hampering the democracy and deterring public from engaging in politics. Prime Minister Hun Sen delivered a six-hour televised speech calling on officials from his ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) to undertake significant reforms and win back popular support.
He said, “Firstly, you need to look at yourselves in a mirror at the time, adding that CPP officials should then scrub your bodies to rid yourselves of all the dirty things. You have to learn to accept reality based on criticism from stakeholders, the people, civil society and the opposition.”
However, since the last general election, the CPP has expended much of its energy discrediting critics of its governance, harassing lawmakers, rights monitors, activists, the media and even representatives of the United Nations. Authorities have arrested opposition chief Kem Sokha on charges of “treason” after CNRP won nearly 44 percent of all votes in Cambodia’s June commune elections. The party was therefore dissolved by the Supreme Court for its role in his alleged plot to dislodge the government (redistributing its parliamentary seats and councilor positions to pro-government parties, and banning 118 of its officials from politics for five years).
CPP spokesman Sok Eysan recently defended the dissolution of the CNRP and said criticism from the opposition party was not welcome in Cambodia. He said, “We don’t need an opposition as our mirror,” he said,” adding that the CNRP’s “position is evil and they criticize us just for the sake of criticism. They intend to sink us and make us look bad for their own political gain. They fool the people for their votes.”
Deputy President of the CNRP Eng Chhai Eang told RFA, “After an initial period in which debate was encouraged, Hun Sen’s government no longer welcomed engagement. After the 2013 election, civil society, the opposition, the public, and the media had some freedom to engage and help steer the government in the right direction.Nothing that debate had compelled Hun Sen to half the terms of land concessions, return management of revenue collection at the Angkor Wat temple complex from a private company to the state, and cancel contentious road tolls. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case since the government dissolved the opposition party, and enacted bans on [certain organizations within] the media and civil society.”
Political analysts and members of civil society agreed that the current crackdown on the opposition, NGOs, and the media eradicated the means to ensure government accountability and presented a major challenge for the fledgling democracy ahead of a general election scheduled for July 2018.
Housing Rights Task Force Executive Director Sia Phearum told RFA, “Since the government has restricted NGOs, it accuses of working to unseat the ruling party. Victims of land grabs and other rights abuse have lost crucial representation in the country. Everyone is a victim now—civil society, the opposition party, the media. Democracy is sinking in Cambodia.”
President of the rights group Adhoc Thun Saray said, “Cambodia is becoming a one-party state and that the dissolution of the main opposition party had “seriously undermined democracy” in the country. He urged Hun Sen to “be brave” and allow a “fair fight” by reinstating the opposition. He further said he should not be afraid to engage in a democratic competition. He can do many good things if he so chooses, and if he does, he will secure a good legacy in Cambodia’s history.”
In recent weeks, the U.S. and EU said, “They plan to compile lists of individuals who spearheaded the dissolution of the opposition and other rights violations in Cambodia, with a view to level sanctions against them, and have pledged to review trade agreements with the country.”
Washington recently placed visa restrictions on “individuals responsible for undermining Cambodian democracy” in response to the arrest of Kem Sokha and the dissolution of the CNRP. Whereas both the U.S. and EU have withdrawn funding of the election next year.
