The state of democracy in Cambodia took centre stage last month when lawmakers from different political parties sat down together during a seminar to recognise International Day of Democracy on 15 September. Under the theme “Democracy and Political Tolerance”, the event featured lively debates, particularly between the ruling and opposition parties, about the progress and direction of the country’s democratic practices.

 

Although divergent views were expressed, this was an important part of strengthening democracy, according to UNDP’s senior parliamentary advisor Susan Cowley. “The objective was to help the Parliament provide political space to dialogue about the state of democracy in Cambodia – a space which is otherwise currently not available,” she said.

“It demonstrated that it is possible for all stakeholders in Cambodia to come together in an inclusive and constructive way and have a dialogue about a fundamentally important issue like democracy. The basic premise of democracy is participation and the exchange of diverging view points,“ she said.

Cambodia’s lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, organized the event with support from Konrad Adenauer-Stiftung, the Inter-parliamentary Union and UNDP. For the first time in a parliamentary activity a multi-party panel was convened to respond and contribute to the role of political parties in strengthening democracy in Cambodia.

But the event was not limited solely to politicians. More than 200 people, including representatives of foreign embassies, civil society, minority groups and the media took part in the discussions about the state of democracy, human rights, rule of law, good governance, freedom of expression and their links to poverty reduction.

Impartiality of the debate was assured through the moderation of sessions by ambassadors from the United Kingdom, Germany, United States and Australia. A senator from the Philippines and a Member of Parliament from Malaysia were also on hand to share their experiences about democratic developments in their countries.

Speaking as panelist, Pilipino Senator Aquilino Pimentel talked about how opposition groups in his country used to be cast as “the enemy” for expressing views different to the ruling group. In his view, an opposition party is an important part of political process if a democracy is to flourish. Observing the intense discussions between Cambodian politicians during the seminar, he said: “I see that democracy is still alive in Cambodia.”

The head of opposition Sam Rainsy Party Sam Rainsy called for the inclusion of all political parties in decision making. His party is one of the five parties who hold seats in the 123-seat National Assembly.

“The decision making process should be based on participation from other political parties and the people,” he said.
Sam Rainsy also expressed concern that Cambodia had a long way to go before it was a truly democratic country.  However, speakers from the ruling Cambodian People’s Party disagreed.

“Democracy in Cambodia is progressing but we cannot compare it with democracy in other countries,” said Mr. Sin Bun Hok, a ruling party’s lawmaker.

Cambodia began charting its democratic path in 1993 when the first democratic election was held with the help of the United Nations. Following decades of violent past, the country has faced a lot challenges in trying to develop democratic institutions and improve the living standards of the Cambodian people.

As a witness to the debate, a representative of Cambodian Disabled People’s Organization felt that so much emphasis was devoted to the political aspect of democratic freedom but not enough to the need to increase disabled people’s participation in the development process.

“Disable people are part of a society. They are the most vulnerable and poorest population in Cambodia. They want to participate freely in the society to improve their living condition,” said Eang Chan Dara, the group’s senior programme officer, who himself is a disabled person. “No one knows disable people’s difficulties better than they themselves, so our participation in social activities is essential for us to solve our problems.”

UNDP’s Susan Cowley said she hoped that the seminar set a precedent for many future opportunities to dialogue about strengthening democracy in Cambodia.