Published: 04-Jan-12
PHNOM PENH (Cambodia Herald) - The ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) celebrates the 33rd anniversary of the January 7 liberation from Khmer Rouge rule on Saturday. But young voters, who know little about the Khmer Rouge regime, need more than that.
Koul Panha, executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL), told The Cambodia Herald that the celebration could attract voters who suffered from the Khmer Rouge regime as well as young voters who influenced by their families.
“It's still effective, but I think it's decreasing from year to year,” he said.
Chea Vannath (pictured), an independent analyst, said Cambodia's "younger generation does not care much about January 7.” However, the CPP still sees it as an important opportunity, she says.
Koul Panha explained that the January celebration was just a lead-up to the elections. “Political parties will focus more on what the voters need,” he said.
According to the National Election Committee (NEC), young people aged between 18 and 35 years represent 54 percent of the total 9.4 million registered voters, the most important voters in the coming commune elections scheduled for June 3.
“Cambodian youth show more interest in daily life issues like education and jobs," Koul Panha said ."So all political parties need other strategies to gain popularity."
In addition to this year's commune elections, national elections are scheduled for 2013.
4 comments:
It is not too important not just for the young but most of oldest. The older generation are still mentalist suffering from the Vietnamese hegemonist politic.
But it is a duty to remember the day of liberation.
"But it is a duty to remember the day of liberation." ???????
Liberation or invasion???
My answer is.
The day of liberation and the day of occupation.
Without the collapsing of the USSR in 1989,Cambodia would have been turned into another province of Hanoi. Hun and his cronies could have still been living in Hanoi's zoo. At that time,all of the puppets such as Heng Samrin ; Chea Sim and many other were guarded heavily by Hanoi's soldiers around their houses.Even their families were not allowed to visit them without permission from top Hanoi's A40 polit-bureau-officers.
Some of the corrupted CPP puppets now are multi-millionaires and their some of their cronies businessmen are billionaires,under Hanoi's occupation they were penniless were they?.Were they allowed to have cars and bank accounts to fill in illegally? Were their children and themselves allowed to travel abroad and learn English language like they do now?.
The puppets and all Cambodian should kneel down, pay respect and feel deep gratitude to all the resistant soldiers ,who laid down their lives for Cambodia free from occupation and their freedom.
We should remember that Hanoi was the father of the Khmer Rouge and the father of the CPP.
True Khmer
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