Firstly, don't take me as CPP supporters or HS's... I post this coz I read too many newspaper nowaday.

Yes, The Sam Rainsy Party is experiencing quite a downfall coz some of its senior members leaves the party for a new one (and mostly to CPP). What do you think of the party future as well as his future?

Those SRP's party members who left, seek power and money and it doesn't mean the party itself is becoming bad or anything. I'm not a supporter of SRP but IMO Sam Rainsy would be a better leader because I think he's an educated man. If you ever hear HS's comments, you'll know immediately it's rubbish and he doesn't sound smart at all.

I think the future of the SR's party isn't that bad. Majority of Cambodians want a good leader who can actual run the country effectively. From each election, more Cambodians will realise how corrupt and incompetent the CPP government is. So there is still hope for the party.

IMO, SRP will get even more votes than the last election. Last election, there were three major parties but this time more Cambodians (especially the ones in countryside) have realised (hopefully) that FUNCIPEC isn't the party that worth the votes.

My prediction
1. CCP would get the most votes (not that it's the right party but people who benefit from CCP still vote for it, right?)
2. SRP would be second this time
3. FUNCIPEC or Norodom Rannarith Party "NRP" (yes he's got a party eventhough he can't get into the country) would get less votes
4. The rise of a new party called Human Right party. And that party would probably beat both FUNCIPEC and NRP

First - I dont feel that Kim Sokha : Leader of Human Rights Party can beat both nor either FUNCINPEC or NRP. Fin! Thats my feeling.

I must agree with you that, PM Hun Sen, by far, is not an educated man nor a great leader. I do support your judgment on his comments and the way he speaks, the way he response to certain circumstances and so on. Aggressive and indecisive, he is. He seems to make decision without even discuss with his subordinates. His subordinates seems not to work fine with their employees. Corruption is still on the head of every officials inside the government.

But what he did, and I think which is rite, is that he "build." He produces. I don't know what it will be like when Sam Rainsy has got the power to do so.

Yeah I agree that he's developed Cambodia but it could have been much faster without the corruption in his government. And I think it's time for a change! Somebody else should be given a chance to run the country.

"Change" like what Obama promises to his partisans?

Although I don't entirely agree with Hun Sen's party, I think what Cambodia needs more than change is stability. What were to happen if someone ousts Hun Sen for power? Would there be another civil war since his entire family practically run the country? Leaders fighting for power; we know exactly how it resulted as this is a familiar story to ALL Khmer people.

We certainly don't want that! I want a new leader that is elected by the people not someone who ousts Hun Sen and seize the power for himself/herself. I know Cambodian people had enough of war.

Goomba and I shares the same belief. But letting PM Hun Sen family rules over Cambodia will show no signs of good in the future. The world will then realize that we are only democrates in name, then, something might happens.

^ Cambodia may be corrupt, but remember your government does not practice barbaric savagery like one that I need not mention. I wish I had enough ភាសាខ្មែរ language skills to tell you exactly which government I'm referring to. Anyway no government is truly democratic.

Super Khmer - By no means is Hun Sen a good leader. But what does the whole of Cambodia need more at this moment?

My friend, have you been to Cambodia in the past few years? I just came back from Cambodia in May and I think Cambodia needs a lot. Four years since I left Cambodia to live in NZ with my family and when I went in April this year ខ្ញុំគិតថាស្រុកខ្មែរគ្មានបានផ្លាស់ប្តូអ្វីសោះ។ Phnom Penh is more chaotic than ever since more people move into the city. សណ្តាប់ធ្នាប់សង្គម​ is poor, people park wherever they want to, people keep driving even the red light is on. Some major roads in Phnom Phnom are still flooded when there is a heavy rain. That shows Hun Sen government didn't do much at all.

Although I agree there are some good things that HS government has done like កាត់បន្ថយភាពក្រីក្រ។ There are less beggars on the streets and markets (albeit there's still quite a few remain). I guess he also keeps Cambodia up to date with the rest of the world. Life in Phnom Penh is fun (I didn't want to leave) and just like other major cities in the world, there are shopping malls, bars, clubs, fast food restaurants etc. ទិដ្ឋភាពដែលប្លែកជាង​គេនោះ​ Phnom Penh is like a Luxes town. It's really popular in Cambodia especially in Phnom Penh and it's the way how អ្នកភ្នំពេញ show how rich they are.

I'm gonna take a middle road here, and agree with all of ya. It's not that I want to appease to ya'll, but it's because everyone has some good points.

IMO:
1. we need stability, peace.
2. we need to rebuilt our infrastructures for transportations, communications, and power supplies.
3. we need to improve our system of education and raise literacy rate.
4. we need a new form of government selected (somewhat) by the people
5. now we can get rid of corruption, at least, most of it.

Also, while education is a sign of having knowledge, it is not neccessary the indication of having intelligence. And having education does not make a person a good person or a good leader. Just look at Ranarith. To be a leader one needs to know how to command attentions, and get things done.

Just my thoughts.

^
2. Infrastructure is gradually on its way. I recall reading an article about national/international highways being expanded throughout the country. Communication = Khmer Unicode is being implemented as the standard for digitalized Khmer output. Cellphones/internet are available in Cambodia. As for power supplies, the government is looking into many hydro dams.
3. system of education is emphasizing the use of computers to children and teach IT at a very young age.

I agree. Man! Last night, two groups of gangsters shot each other just like in HK movies (while riding their motos), they came pass my house. I was sleeping and then I was awake due to the annoying sound. That is so terrible.

i heard on the news that they're starting to try to fix traffic rules and teach ppl about them. traffic there is so horrible.

anyhoo, does anyone have a list of who's running for pm?

such a shame.. i'm cambo and i don't even know what is going on in cambodia right now, beside the land value is sky rocket.

There are new traffic rules alright but it doesn't seem to work, I mean people still can buy their licenses. The new traffic rules only make the corruption in Cambodia worse.

Agreed.

Lets let Hun Sen dry up, then the peaceful road to a fully functioning democracy will come. I look to South Korea as a model, mainly because they also had a "Hun Sen" of their own, in fact one kept coming after another until they finally said enough was enough.

Its hard to say Sam Rainsy is deffinatly smarter and more educated then hun sen, but i'm not sure if the stability is there to have a change of power yet, the government of srok khmer is only 10 years old, and while i was pleasantly surprised last time i was there (about a year ago) with the economic growth in Phnom Penh i just think its too risky to take hun sen out of power. Not that i think hes a good leader A-hun sen is a horrible leader but hes got the country in a bit of stability and i think with the tourists flocking to Angkor in ever increasing nubers (wich is both bad and good, but good economically) and the oil thats been found on the coast, srok khmer will start growing even more economically, then the need for hun sen will wane, and his power will dry up, and hopefully the country will get a leader that cares about the khmer people and not just lining his own pockets and the pockets of the Vietnamese.

i agree with the above posts, you look way too tense and you look like your swinging pretty damn hard. if it works for you then keep doing it, but try and slow everything down and relax those arms. just focus on hitting the ball on the sweet spot and you will get distance and accuracy. BEST THING EVER SAID from none other than SAM SNEAD

Let me iron a thing or two out for you a bit here. What is your defintion of "downfall"? Is it your view that just because some members of the Sam Rainsy Party left for the ruling CPP faction, it means that Sam Rainsy Party is "experiencing the downfall"? First of all, the word "downfall" does not fit in the context. People come and go and the Sam Rainsy allows people the freedom to do so. It also show the true nature of those members as well if you know what I mean. Even in everyday life, people experience that kind of people too. The Sam Rainsy Party is fine the way it is. In fact, when other members left, then it create more opportunities for other members to gain the leadership experience. Nothing is lost. Opportunity is never lost. That is my view. I wish that the Sam Rainsy Party will win the next national election but it is tough because the playing field is not even. CPP will continue to use resources from their corrupt business people and police and soldiers and media and local rural leaders to intimidate the ordinary voters to vote for the CPP. I have watched on Youtube videos about the village leaders watching the people in their locality voting for the political candidates. That is a violation already. In America, the voters do not tell anyone about their choices. They have voting booth and privacy to make their choices.

If Sam Rainsy Party wins, Cambodia will be based on LAW. Then when everyone is under the law, everyone will know what to expect. Right now, too many people in Cambodia are lawless people. This needs to change. Check the news from Cambodia and you will know what I am talking about. In fact, the police officers themselves can't even arrest the ones who break the law of the land because they are afraid that they will lose their job or something. That is totally wrong.

I applaud!

You are pretty confident in that. I wish to see that future as well... but it is SRP himself who need to prove to the whole Cambodian people, not his supporters.

Stop your $hitty backward thinking already! Have Obama f*cked up America yet? No, because the office of presidency is an institution under the law. Everyone in America, even the president, is under the law. Can we say the same thing with YOUR Khmer Riche and Hun Sen? NO. In fact, your Khmer Riche people can actually kill anyone at will and still can walk away from the crime. If you want Sam Rainsy to prove it to you, then he must be elected to be the leader first. Was your Hun Sen a leader during the Khmer Rouge era? I bet you and your backward thinking Cambodian friends continue to vote for Hun Sen because of the political patronage system, huh? Learn to be enlightened for once. Learn to see the reality as is and stop twisting things around. I have seen the twisted kind as you before. The twisted reasoning goes like this: If Sam Rainsy is the leader of Cambodia, then there will be no monarchy. If Hun Sen is the leader of Cambodia, then there will be monarchy and peace. If Hun Sen is no longer a leader, then there will be war because Hun Sen and his army had staged a coup before against the 1st Prime Minister Rannaridth. So better keep on voting for Hun Sen so that Cambodia can continue to have monarchy and peace. Is that your thinking too? How can Sam Rainsy prove his administration if he is not in power yet. Read the article "Khmer Riche" and you will learn that the CPP people are above the law. That is not the way it should be.

No... that's not what I mean to say. I was talking more about "marketing."

I mean, I see SRP mostly active in the city more than in rural area. I mean, he's very active over here and there in the city... running from places to places dealing with problems. He occasionally appear in a far land... then spark a controversy (i.e. recent VN border case). I mean, what kind of "strategy" is he using?

SRP has members in the countryside, but they are all harrassed and sometimes killed by the CPP fanatics. Don't you read the news about the killing of SRP activist who got killed while fishing by the runaway CPP village chief? Regarding the border encroachment issue brought to light by Sam Rainsy, according to your logic Sam Rainsy does not go to the countryside, but if he didn't do that how could he was able to bright to light the border encroachment of the Viets to the Cambodian farmers. Farmers live in the countryside if you must know. Sam Rainsy was helping the Cambodian farmers getting their land problem resolved, but the Hun Sen government said NO and in fact even that chief of border committee did not even addressed the questions asked. So this is called betrayal of the nation. Hun Sen uses the French map to deal with Thailand, so how come he does not use the French map to deal with the Vietnam. Why did the people have to seek Mr. Sam Rainsy's help for? How come their complaints of the property losses submitted to the CPP court have never been resolved?

You are one disgusting onesided mather f*cker.