Results of senatorial elections prove that corruption and intimidation cannot destroy the human spirit

February 5, 2012

RESULTS OF SENATORIAL ELECTIONS PROVE THAT CORRUPTION AND INTIMIDATION
CANNOT DESTROY THE HUMAN SPIRIT

CPP Prime Minister Hun Sen is reportedly furious with many of his
government advisers and provincial governors who, before the January
29 senatorial elections, had assured him that the opposition SRP would
not be able to win any senator seat. They had assured him that, in the
worst scenario, the SRP would just be able to keep the two seats won
by the opposition in 2006, thus leaving 55 seats for the ruling party
out of the 57 seats up for grabs in 2012.

The rationale behind their reasoning and prediction was the following:
-       Opposition leader Sam Rainsy is outside the country and SRP
activists are demoralized and disorganized.
-       Through vote buying the CPP would easily secure the support of more
than 50 percent of the 2,660 SRP commune councillors who have the
right to elect senators. If 1,000 to 1,500 SRP councillors effectively
voted for the CPP, the SRP would be deprived of any senator seat, and
the CPP would be in the “winner-take-all” position.

As a result of this reasoning, virtually every SRP councillor in all
provinces was approached by CPP officials and was offered between US$
500 and US$ 5,000 to sell their votes to the ruling party. This is a
real fortune given the salary of a commune councillor that doesn’t
exceed US$ 20 a month. This explained the confidence expressed by CPP
officials in provoking the “betrayal” of most SRP councillors. This
explained Hun Sen’s optimism.

In Kandal province where Hun Sen lives and votes, SRP councillors were
offered the highest amount of money (US$ 5,000) to sell out to the CPP
so that the Prime Minister would be very happy with the final election
results… Many forms of intimidation were also used to frighten the
opposition into voting for the CPP.
-
In the end, in spite of the prevailing extreme poverty and the very
tempting CPP money offer, only 160 SRP councillors, out of 2,660, did
sell out. The loyalty of the remaining 2,500 opposition councillors
allowed the SRP to win nine additional senator seats, making Hun Sen
extremely disappointed and very angry.

The provinces which resisted best to the CPP -- with zero defection --
are the following:
Kratie, Mondolkiri, Koh Kong, Banteay Meanchey, Oddor Meanchey and
Pailin. The first three provinces are the scene of extremely brutal
land confiscations and forced evictions. The last three provinces were
strongholds of resistance forces fighting against the Vietnamese
occupation army in the 1980s and the Phnom Penh regime in the 1990s
(everybody remembers the battlefields of Svay Chek, Thmar Puok,
Banteay Chhma, Banteay Ampil, Pailin, Anlong Veng, Trapeang Prasat,
Samraong Chongkal, etc.).

In his final appeal to all SRP councillors who were going to cast
their ballots, Sam Rainsy told them: “You are like volunteer soldiers
going up to the frontline to defend your country. Volunteer soldiers
fighting for their country always win over mercenaries who fight for
money. Cambodia expects every one of you to do his duty.”

President Sam Rainsy’s patriotic appeal was largely heard. The 2,500
SRP councilors must be praised for their loyalty toward their country,
showing that corruption and intimidation cannot destroy the human
spirit.

SRP Members of Parliament