Today, a journalis critical of the PM and his gov't has been shot to death in a broad day-light. Did the PM or his people has any knowledge of the killing? If he has not, then it is politically and morally imperative that PM Hun Sen, himself, at this juncture of his political career needs to come out and forcefully speaking against political killings, plus violences against Cambodian people, friends and/or foes, alike. He needs to clam down on those who do the killings, stop all sorts of political intimidations, anything that might tarnish his own political image and future legacy, if any. It just does not help to continue killing anyone who disagree, politically wise. Take it like any democratic leader in the world, as simply a disagreement, and let celebrate life and the joys of living together. Our people has suffered enough. How can one enjoy his living when a child, a wife, are crying because they have just lost their loved one for always? What kind of person is he? Put yourself in the victim's shoes and can you feel the suffering?
If this kind of political assassination continues, it will eventually backfire and place the PM's political future at risk in the long run. He needs to look forward, not only for his own political sake but for the country and his people as a race and a nation. He needs to prepare the country and the people for the future, by accepting this democratic sea of change through peaceful process, respect view differences. He needs to look beyond today, and into tomorrow when he leaves the office. He will have to take his exit one day, there is no way around it because none of us are immortal. Peaceful transition of power from one man, one party to the other without a shot being fire or a drop of bloodshed is something to leave as an example for future generations. Peaceful or not, that is depend on how our PM understood past events and his willingness to put in place a well established democratic institutions and mechanism that will protect the people, the country, including his own interests and legacy. Most of all to leave behind some sorts of accomplishments for the country and enable it to continues moving forward peacefully and democratically. That would be something for him to reflect on the golf course at times, given the trend of the political reality in the country. We are still bounded by the Paris Peace Agreement, we still need money from donors countries. Remember, our people have matured politically and phycologically during the last 15 years or so. It is nearly, if not, impossible to revert back to the old days where dictatorship is the name of the game.
What does PM Hun Sen wants for the future of the country and for himself? Where does he sees himself twenty years from now? What changes will likely take place 25 years from now? Did he learn or understood anything from the legacies of dictators like Marcos and Suharto? Did he knows that we all only have 75 - 80 years or so to live? So, what does he wants to leave his name in the history of Cambodia, for his own children and his people? He has wonderful children, and I believed he has brought them up well. They are polite and decent men, and they are Cambodians, flesh and blood. He'd be better taking the opportunity given to him, to work with his people and his adversaries, to ensure that democracy prevail in Cambodia. It is to his own interests and the country, because that is the only way that we will ever be able to advance together, peacefully and democratically, as a people and a nation. Until then, we are not prone from repeating past mistakes - unkind histories from which many of us had bitterly experienced during the last half of the century, where millions of lives had lost. Let's make it right, and let's not kill our own anymore, even if that person doesn't agree with us philosophically or politically. Remain on the High Office as you are elected to hold, Mr. Prime Minister.
This recent shooting of a journalist, Mr. Khim, placed the prime minister and the Cambodian government in an uneasy spotlight. It does not and will not alter the frustration and the feeling of antigonism among the majority people who are going through economic tough times while the top elites are enjoying their lavish life styles. It will definitely not stop people from having critical issues raise in the future concerning this government policies or behaviours. In fact, it serves to reminds people and the international community, donors countries, whether the prime minister and his government has been completely truthful to them when he spokes against political intimidation and/or assassination. While remain silent on this issue, he allowed himself to look weak and somewhat suspecious for the crime those perpetrators had committed. They must be tracke down and brought to justice. This culture of political violence, assassination must be stopped before it gets out of control.
As Prime Minister of the country, a powerful figure in Cambodian politics, Mr. Hun Sen should use this political capitals to ensure safety of all Cambodian, to show that our young democracy can flourish - to a point that there will be no need for anyone to worry about being killed for exercising their rights, freedoms and liberties in order to advance our society forward. It will benefit all Cambodian people, all parties, including the Prime Minister, himself and everyone involved, I am sure.
I urge the Prime Minister to use his power to strengthen and promote democracy by going after those political assassins, and by getting rid of corruption, put an end to this on-going land evictions, as a matter of utmost priority, which only hurt him, his government and the country. It is to his personal interests to take time to digest and realistically review his political ambition by taking into account the political reality in the country, today and tomorrow, and plans accordingly to ensure that there is no more hatred, no more killing, no more political repercusion. He should be wise enough to learn from past mistakes of all those who have led before him, not just from Cambodian perspective, but from the regional and global perspective of the past, as well. If he can do that then the history will probably judge him a bit more kinder and gentler that it is now. It is the high road and the best one for all Khmers .
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