Global Courant
On July 23, Cambodia will witness another historic milestone, the seventh five-yearly national elections.
This election further reflects Cambodia’s peaceful democratization based on the rule of law.
Cambodia is a rare example among post-conflict countries in three respects.
First, it is one of the few post-conflict countries that did not relapse into civil war.
From a historical perspective, peace is the most important condition for Cambodia as it continues to develop into one of the most successful post-conflict countries. Many countries, such as Afghanistan, Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, Somalia, Sierra LeoneAnd Sudanthat the United Nations received peacekeepers in the 1990s are still in conflict.
In contrast, since the 1993 UN-brokered elections, Cambodia has been generally peaceful with no large-scale conflict.
After the integration of the remaining Khmer Rouge forces in late 1998 by the “win-win” policy of Prime Minister Hun Sen, Cambodia unified its national army for the first time. That was key to eliminating a structure of violence that had long existed in Cambodian politics.
For example, until late 1998, Cambodian political parties still controlled various factions of the army, and therefore the system allowed for violence when different parties failed to reconcile their differences. The collision in July 1997 was the main example of armed struggle between forces loyal to the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and the FUNCINPEC party.
Therefore, the achievement of national army unity for a country like Cambodia cannot be underestimated in terms of its contribution to peace.
It is important to note that all previous Cambodian governments had never been able to control the entire national army and occupy all sovereign territory without guerrillas or autonomous regions.
The constitution supports democracy
Second, the democratization of Cambodia is peaceful and irreversible.
According to Article 153 of the Constitution, revisions or amendments affecting the system of liberal and pluralistic democracy and the regime of the constitutional monarchy are prohibited.
Despite criticism, Cambodia continues to hold regular elections without fail, and it looks unlikely that it will stop holding elections and adopt a different form of government.
One should not rush to demand full democratization of a post-war country like Cambodia in a few decades. The entire social system needs time to adapt. It takes time for people to understand how to distinguish between the rights and obligations of citizens.
Some people are just claiming their rights, but they don’t really understand their civic duties to respect the law. For political parties that have only experienced armed struggle and mutual elimination, it takes time for the culture of dialogue to take root.
Freedom of expression and political freedom should not be promoted in such a way that democracy becomes an excuse for extremism and populism.
Cambodia strives for democracy that can be adapted to the Cambodian historical context, cultural identity and Buddhism, which strongly respects peaceful coexistence and tolerance. Even if Buddhism is the state religion, Cambodia’s religious harmony stands out in the region and the world. Christianity And Islam in Cambodia can be practiced freely without discrimination, and there are no religious riots.
The elimination of foreign interference in domestic politics and the democratization process is also an important feature of Cambodian politics. Cambodia has been steadfast in pursuing peaceful democratization based on its own sovereign choice, while firmly rejecting foreign intervention and interference in internal affairs. The case of Kem Sokha is a good example.
Cambodia makes no apologies for its own ways of democratization. After all, even the United States has more than two hundred years of democratic history, the recent one violence on Capitol Hill is not something democratic countries strive for. The United States rejection of foreign influences in his election nothing differs from the Cambodian cause.
Economic progress
Third, Cambodia has achieved high-level economic growth with a significant contribution to poverty alleviation and improvement of people’s well-being, including the protection and promotion of fundamental human rights.
With peace and stability, Cambodia’s economy grew at an average annual rate of 7.7% between 1998 and 2019, making it one of the fastest growing economies in the world. As a result, poverty has been dramatically reduced and Cambodia has made significant progress in improving health outcomes, early childhood development and primary education in rural areas.
Life expectancy at birth and maternal, infant and child mortality have improved significantly between 2000 and 2021.
This is something that developing countries in the world want first and foremost.
In fact, not many post-conflict countries have the above three elements for a longer period than Cambodia.
Sometimes countries have peace and development, but their government is not inclined to adopt a democratic system. Sometimes countries have democracy, but their domestic politics are messy, their society is not peaceful and the economy is stagnant.
To look at Cambodia’s democracy, therefore, one has to take a step back and look at it from an international comparative perspective rather than from a set paradigm and preconceived notions.
Cambodia can confidently say that it has done well in its own way given its tragic past. Democracy is a process, not a goal.
Cambodia has gradually begun to transform itself into a society with positive peace which attempts to settle political differences through “ballots instead of bullets”. This is a great transformation for a country like Cambodia that has experienced endless bloodshed and great misery for the people.
There is no turning back for democracy in Cambodia. Cambodia is only moving forward.
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