Speech of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen,
President of the Cambodian People’s Party, at the Meeting to Commemorate the 64th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Cambodian People’s Party
(28 June 1951 – 28 June 2015)
Esteem Samdech Preah Akka Moha Sangraja Dhibadei, Samdech Preah Sangraja and Buddhist monks,
Samdech, Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen, National and Foreign Guests,
Members of the Meeting and compatriots,
It is a very auspicious day that we gather to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the foundation of the Cambodian People’s Party, which is well known of its history in leading the people’s struggle movement against foreign invasions for national independence, a political force that led the fight and overthrow of the Pol Pot’s genocidal regime to rescue our people to survival. It is also a Party that led in defending the motherland, preventing the return of the regime of the genocide, while leading the national restoration, defense and development to progress till the present.
From its inception to the present, the Cambodian People’s Party adheres strictly to its aim and ideal attaching to the principle of “people’s democracy” meaning the Cambodian People’s Party is one that is from the people, by the people and for the people, exists with the people and shares hardships and happiness with the people in all circumstances. The Cambodian People’s Party also serves as core of national reconciliation and unites people’s forces of all strata without discrimination. It also serves as a great solidarity force that overcomes obstacles and dares to sacrifice without hesitation for the course of Cambodia’s independence, peace, freedom, democracy, neutrality and social progress.
That is the historic truth that the people of Cambodia in the whole country clearly acknowledge and is a foundation of firm support given by the majority of people in the whole country for the leading role of the Cambodian People’s Party over the past 36 years.
Today, we celebrate this even in the spirit of profound respect and gratitude for male and female soldiers, compatriots of all generations for their heroic and determined fight and sacrifices of blood and lives for the course of our nation and people so that we have everything we do today and to the future. In response to those invaluable sacrifices, we are determined to maintain and promote all national achievements while continuing to strive for defending our motherland’s long lasting existence, and constructing our country to be as advanced as other civilized countries in the region and the world.
In this auspicious occasion, may we express my profound loyalty and gratitude to the most revered Preah Karuna Preah Bat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, and Samdech Preah Mohaksatrei the Queen Mother, who stay as lasting cool shade for every Cambodian. We are wishing Their Majesties strengths, intellects and longevity to continue to lead the Cambodian ship to shore of prosperous progress and peace.
Also in this occasion, the meeting expresses condolence and sadness for the demise of Samdech Akka Moha Thamma Pothisal Chea Sim, which is a great loss of the Cambodian People’s Party and the Cambodian nation. Samdech was a great son, an outstanding dignitary and hero who sacrificed his physical and mental force for the course of national independence, especially participated in leading the struggle for the liberation of our country and people from the regime of Pol Pot’s genocide, while making active contribution for peace making, political stability, national restoration and development to the present progress in all fields. We all carve in our hearts this model of heroism and supremely grateful deeds of Samdech and pray for his sole to retire in eternal peace.
On behalf of Samdech Akka Moha Punnhea Chakrey Heng Samrin as well as those leaders of the Cambodian People’s Party and my behalf, I would like to express my respect and warm affection to the people in all corners of the country – farmers, workers, employees, businessmen, monks, priests of all religions, ethnics, civil servants and the armed forces for their solidarity as one strand and active participation in the implementation of the political platform and Rectangular Strategy Phase III of the Royal Government to make our beloved country a nation of peace, political stability, security and strong public order, energetic strive of socio-economic development, steadfastly raising national honor and prestige and gradually improved living condition of the people.
Meeting Participants and Compatriots,
In the past 64 years, though there had been innumerable hardships and complexity, the Cambodian People’s Party has always been sharing happiness and sufferings with our people and sacrificed everything for the sake of national and people’s interests in all stages, which include the fights against the regime of colonialism, the war created by the Lon Nol’s regime of the Khmer Republic and foreign invasion from 1970 through to 1975, and especially the struggle to liberate the country and people from torture and the most brutal killings of the regime of Pol Pot’s genocide for a period of three years, eight months and twenty days that ravaged the country to its nil.
The historically great victory of the people of Cambodia on 7 January 1979 over the Pol Pot’s regime of genocide rescued the Cambodian nation and people to life once again. Based on this victory, the Cambodian people regained their rights and freedom, democracy, honor and dignity that were completely lost under the regime of Pop Pot. Through this historically great victory, Cambodia closes its page of dark era and ushers in a page of new era of independence, democracy and social progress.
Over the last 36 years, with firm support rendered by people of all strata, the Cambodian People’s Party has navigated the country through numerous obstacles and hardships while making scores of historic and invaluable achievements for the motherland. No one could forget that after the regime of genocide, Cambodia had had to start from scratch without being inherited anything than ashes and consequences left from war and the regime of genocide. We have laid foundation once again for the reconstruction of a completely destroyed to become a full grown national structure and led national rehabilitation and construction efforts and scored progress one after another.
In the situation that the world at large continued to be covered by ideological and cold war politics, we have striven to overcome famines, prevented the return of the genocidal regime and led the rehabilitation and construction of our country in all fields, while rebuilding our people’s stable livelihood to the present. We have taken core role in searching for peace and national reconciliation for the people through the Paris Peace Agreement in 1991. We ended entirely the war between Khmers without a drop of blood through the win-win policy to create full peace and national unity and territorial unification.
Along with this, we have defended firmly our foundation of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, created wide ranging relations and cooperation with international community and actively participated, as a country of real independence and sovereignty, with equal rights and footing, in regional and international affairs. We have transformed ourselves from a country that received help from the blue beret soldiers of the United Nations to one that sends its blue beret soldiers to peace keeping operations of the United Nations in some of the world’s hot spot countries.
These historically dignified achievements enable Cambodians to raise their heads high once again as a country that used to be known of its prosperous culture and civilization, a country that possesses freedom, solidarity, spiritual and material foundation to be the master of its own destiny. These positive changes are great pride of the Cambodian nation. On this segment of historical road, the Cambodian People’s Party has constructed, strengthened and expanded tirelessly in all fields to take over innumerable tasks entrusted by the people. Based on the principle of people’s democracy, the Party has served as the centre of national solidarity and unity. It leads the country ahead on a correct direction always.
On this basis, the Cambodian People’s Party draws a conclusion on invaluable lessons and factors of victories in its leadership, liberation, and national defense and construction that the Party maintains political rightness in all circumstances, enjoys firm support from the people, possesses strict discipline and serious working manner, holds rich human resources with capacity, patriotic conscience and high responsibility as well as strong internal solidarity. These major feats and achievements not only are the cause for continuing to build and defend our beloved motherland but also valuable heritage for generations to come.
Meeting Participants and Compatriots,
Victory of the Cambodian People’s Party in the fifth legislative term of the National Assembly elections has given a full chance for the Party to continue to fulfill its historic mission in serving our nation and people to transform Cambodia into a sacred land of lively development in peace and prosperity with smile and hope of people who live in harmony. Well guaranteed peace, security and public order as well as the realization of detent of the political situation in late 2014 and early 2015 have created favorable conditions for the process of national development.
While achieving positive result in the implementation of political agreement on 22 July 2014, especially the preparation of laws on the Organization and Functioning of the National Elections Committee and on the Elections of the Members of the National Assembly, as well as the creation of the new National Elections Committee itself, to guarantee that every elections thereafter will take place with trust and evade political stalemate in the post elections period, the political parties with seats in the National Assembly have agreed to adhere to the “culture of dialogue” as basis for consultation to resolve by peaceful means every national and social issues that they have divergent opinions on, respect and value each other. It is one more major precondition that ascertain confidence on the march forward of Cambodia.
In the field of economics, despites the fact that the country has had to face with uncertainties and a number of major risks, internally and externally, such as natural calamity, political instability as well as turmoil and uncertainty in the labor market in the post election periods, and furthermore continued uncertainty in the world economy, Cambodia could still score economic growths of 7.3% in 2013 and about 7% in 2014. For the year 2015, the prediction has it that the Cambodian economy would maintain a score of 7% growth. The GDP per capita has been expected to continue to rise from 1,042 USD in 2013 to 1,123 USD in 2014, and possibly 1,220 USD in 2015. The yearly inflation has been managed to stay below 5%, i.e. around 3.5% in 2014 and 2015. The exchange rate has been guaranteed to stabilize in general around 4,050 Riel to a USD. The poverty rate has been brought to below 18% in the year 2013. Furthermore, fruits of the economic growth have been more equitably distributed as reflected through the fall of Gini coefficient from 0.41 in 2017 to 0.29 in 2012 with expectation that the figure would continue to fall in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Implementation of budget in the year 2014 clearly showed encouraging results of deep reform in the field of public financial management. Collection of state revenue, especially those from custom and taxation, has been remarkably strengthened indicating strong growth of current revenue of state budget in 2014 at a probable rate of 11.7%, more than the target set in the financial law for 2014, or increase to about 24.6% compared to the implementation in 2013. In term of public operational costs, the cost-benefit principle of expense that aims to guarantee budget expense to better respond to the Royal Government’s prioritized policies and principle of effective and efficient expense, at level of allowance, technicality and operation, have been adhered to and promoted steadfastly. The most outstanding point here is the increase of salary for civil servants, soldiers, policemen and retirees, and especially for teachers and medical staff, while reform of salary system and public administrative system focuses mainly on guaranteeing timely payday within the fourth week of each month using banking system to transfer into account of each individual civil servant in the commercial bank.
Meeting Participants and Compatriots,
Tragedy, suffering, fear and loss that our nation experienced in the recent past is over now. Presently, we are living on a land that is in full peace, political stability, national reconciliation and internal national unity under the roof of one Constitution, deeply rooted democracy, and energetically and dynamically advancing socio-economic foundation. These are brilliant achievements that are stemming from efforts and determination of every member of the Cambodian People’s Party, the civil servant, the armed forces and the people of Cambodia, as well as those valuable contributions given by partners and friends from near and far for the cause of peace, democracy and development in Cambodia. Every Cambodian in the Kingdom of Cambodia are benefitting from these valuable achievements.
In this context, the Cambodian People’s Party, having obtained mandate from the people through the free, fair and just and democratic election to continue to lead the fifth legislative term Royal Government is determined to promote implementation of its political platform to score positive results in all fields.
The Cambodian People’s Party adheres firmly to safeguarding national achievements especially peace and political stability that are invaluable achievements and preconditions for national development. In this spirit, the Party will continue to implement the policy of whole national solidarity, irrespective of political tendency, pasts, gender, faiths, origination and social strata on the basis of adhering strictly to the Constitution and motto of “nation, religion, king” to maintain and expand achievements scored over the past 36 years and to guarantee success in the process of further building and defense of our motherland. While pursuing this policy, we will continue to enhance culture of dialogue with all political parties by ending confrontations in the aim to ensure whole national solidarity, stable and harmonious political environment in the whole country conducive to trust of local and foreign investors.
In socio-economic sector, the Cambodian People’s Party actively and fully supports the Royal Government’s determination to promote implementation of the Rectangular Strategy Phase III and the National Development Strategic Plan for 2014-2018 to score successes expected by focusing on the following works:
1. Continue to strengthen peace, political stability, security and public order;
2. Continue to promote implementation of policy to raise high growth, work, equity and efficiency aimed at reducing people’s poverty and equitably distribute the fruit of growth to people of all strata through continued efforts to realize high economic growth at an average yearly rate of 7%; to guarantee macroeconomic and financial stability through inflation management to stay below 5% and maintain stable exchange rate; to continue to collect revenue and guarantee effectiveness of state budget expenses; to increase national economic resilience to crisis and risks of all sorts in combination with continued investment on infrastructures necessary such as the availability of lively logistic system; to guarantee harmony in vocational relations and in labor market aimed at increasing attractiveness for investment and to create jobs and increase income for Cambodian laborers;
3. Continue to give priority to increase of minimum salary of the civil servants and the armed forces aimed at realizing the objective of over one million Riel in 2018 along with reforms of salary system, public administration, public financial management and fight against corruption; continue to focus on guaranteeing appropriate working conditions and raising high living conditions of workers while making further efforts to resolve concrete issues relating directly to daily life of our people such as prices of electricity, water and supply chain of clean water, agricultural produces and micro-finance for farmers, etc.;
4. Continue to implement necessary reform programs of the Royal Government to get deeper and to achieve real results such as to reform the armed forces, de-centralization and de-concentration, justice system and court, land and natural resource management, especially forest, fisheries resource and mineral resource by continuing to make further efforts to strengthen national institutions and good governance for efficiency, accountability, transparency, equitability and social justice,
5. Continue to drive human resource development through enhancement of quality of education, vocational and technical training, betterment of quality of health service, while increasing attention in promoting culture, arts, sports and social affairs to respond to speedy demand of national construction; and improve quality of life of the people, raise high moral value and cultural heritage and national identity;
6. Raise high quality and effectiveness of public service to satisfy demands and needs of our people.
In addition to these, the Cambodian People’s Party offers special priority for youth development as they are the chief pillars and successors for national construction and defense, and raises high rights of women, children and disable persons as well as provides protection for vulnerable people in society to achieve appropriate living condition in accordance with national progress.
The Cambodian People’s Party supports the creation of Laws on Association and Non-Governmental Organization and on Trade Unions for the protection of rights, freedom and interests of associations, non-governmental organizations, and trade unions and public interests while guaranteeing effective functioning of these organizations in conformity with rule of law and good governance. The Party resolutely opposes actions of interference from foreign circles into the process, which is a violation on independence and sovereignty of Cambodia, and calls for respect of the Kingdom of Cambodia as a sovereign state and a member of the United Nations.
The Cambodian People’s Party vehemently supports willful determination of the Royal Government in defending sovereignty and territorial integrity, especially efforts to resolve border issues with neighboring countries on the basis of Constitution, national and international laws and relevant judicial papers aimed at building a whole borderline of stability, peace, friendship, cooperation and development with neighboring countries.
In this auspicious occasion, I would like to express my deep thank to friends, foreign partners and international organizations for providing supports for the just course of the Cambodian people, and for continuing to strengthen and expand good cooperation with the Kingdom of Cambodia as they are indispensable contributions for peace, democracy and development in the country.
Once again, on behalf of the Cambodian People’s Party, I would like to express my deep respect and gratefulness to our compatriots everywhere for noticing clearly the truth of revival and progress of our nation, whilst giving confidence and wide ranging supports for the Party in every stage. Based on supports of our people, the Party is determined to continue to gather the force of great national solidarity and make all-out efforts to drive for successful implementation of its historic mission in the fifth term of the National Assembly.
To this end, I am offering the four Buddhist blessings to Samdech, Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs, honorable national and foreign guests, members of the meeting and compatriots.
Thank You
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