MORE CORRUPTIONS, MORE EVICTIONS OR A BETTER CHANGE FOR TOMORROW

On July 27, our people and many cooked-up foreigners will go to the poll to cast their ballots. While more than a million or so Cambodian abroad are being denied their rights to vote, it is perfectly alright that foreign settlers, on the lakes, near the borders, inside the land, and MAYBE those with Cambodian ID can cross the border to vote on that day. Cambodia is one of the unlikely democratic countries that does not recognized the voting rights of its own citizen abroad for purely political reasons.

As you are about to cast your vote on that particular day, please ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you think that you and your family, are more secured now financially and economically?

2. Do you agree with the way your government empowering briberies & corruptions?

3. Do you approve the way your government handing land evictions? Want to see more people moved off their properties, as it continues to happen every day across the country?

4. Do you like living in a rather fearful, repressive regime where human rights and democracy is likely not to be respected?

5. Would you like to see any of your family members or their lands be evicted on a grandiose scale because your government needs new development projects?

6. Would you like to see foreigners took over your country in the future, like Kampuchea Krom?

If you said yes to any or all of the above questions, then I really have nothing else to say. You are on your road to that destination of your dream. However, if you are like me, then your conscience would tell you that NO, we can do better and it begins with your single ballot, a piece of paper in your hand where you make sure that your vote does count for a change, for better tomorrow, for yourself, your family and your country.

You single vote can help changed the direction of the country to a much more open and properous society, a civilized nation where the values of its citizens' life is truly precious, not gunned down on broad daylight like the recent killing of Mr. Khim Sambo and his son. Your vote would help fight corruptions at all levels of governmental institutions, and it will put an end to this on-going madness of land evictions where the poors and helpless people are being displaced daily, some are camping out not too far from the Prime Minister house complex, itself. You vote will make all the differences in the world in improving quality of life for you, your children and all Khmers all over the world. It will make us a proud people once again, regardless of where we are residing. Your vote will determine how confidence our country will move forward, and how our people will live and prosper together, not just a few self-indulged elites.

You will vote to solve not only your economic needs today, but a better prospect for your children and their futures. There is a need for empowering public education, creating national employment, providing decent pays to help offset the astronomical costs of living today and tomorrow, espeically for those who are finding themselves harder and harder to make end meet. There is an urgent need for medical cares and new facilities. There is a question of government financial and economic accountabilities when it comes to collecting revenues, waste and spending. There is question of how to do away with this entreched corruptions - something that make life difficult for all Cambodians - without resolving this issue the country is facing an uphill battle to improve people's economic well-beings.

Now, just look at what your government has done for you during the last 15 years since they were in power. Actually, under PM. Hun Sen it has been more than 25 years. Now compared that to the time when Samdach Sihanouk was ruling since gainning independence from France back 1954. Most of you still remember rather well back in the 60s. It didn't take 15 years for the country to be an envie of the region. We were first in every sector of society.

What do you expect to see in the next 15 years, more or the same? Look at the fabrics of our cultures today, look at how big an economic gap between ourselves, the riches and the poors. And look at your costs of living vis-avis your earned income, if there is any. Luckily, we are still more or less an agrarian nation, otherwise, there would be so much hungers on the street of Phnom Penh today.

Are you satisfied with this so-called Rectangular Economic Policy, and the economic conversion theory where our national treasure, forest are being turned into a new plantation. This policy did not empower local entrepreneurs where jobs and factories can be created in Cambodia for Cambodian workers. It has indeed allowed the privileged fews and corrupted officials to get richer at the expenses of the country and the majority of Cambodian at large. It has now left more Cambodian people behind, far below the poverty line than ever. The inflation has sky-rocketted to a point where people can no longer afford their basic necessities. The factory workers, teachers and government employees, are facing tougher time as their cost of living has risen unproportionally high. Cambodian people, regardless of how young or how old have to resort themselves to looking for work in other countries, and many have been gone through enormous abuse, jailed and deportation - something that is on the rise which we have never seen in our history. Women are being bought and sold, fixed marriage to any national whom they have no clue of to what their future will bring once they left Cambodian soil. Some stories of those women have returned home with inconceivable horror, prostition, force labour, as slavery or some sort. Many children are not going to school, but rather too occupy scavenging the mountain of trash in Stung Mean Chey looking for whatever they can find hoping to feed their hunger for a day. And so it goes, the never-ending story of land grabbing and force evictions. We have seen more people have been evicted from their homes under this coalition government, CPP & Funcinpec. The stories tell it all, just look at those people walking in groups from rural districts across the country, family after family, coming to beg for relief from one person, Mr. Hun Sen, hoping to get their shelters back.

Take your time to reflect and vote for a better tomorrow. The choice could not be clearer than what I have just outlined above. You can vote, I have no right to vote because I was born in Kampong Chhnang but residing outside the country due to war and Vietnamese occupation. Perhaps, I might have to change my name to Nguyen or Tran Ma in order to have a shot at voting with you in future elections. In any event, I wish you my compatriots that you remember how our ancestors gave their lives in defend of this tiny land so we can all call it our HOME and ourselves Khmers. You vote means a whole lot. I urge that you vote for the righteous reason, and when you look at all those leaders involved, there could not be anyone more patriotic and competent as our new leader of the nation, The Right Honourable Sam Rainsy. There is a real Koun Khmer right there, intelectually bright, hate corruptions, willing to put his life on the line in defending our people's and our nation's interests. Remember when he was a Finance Minister, he was well praised and well respected internationally, people in the International Monetary Fund and the world bank included.

Give him a chance to bring you, your family and the country to a new respected high given our Cambodian history, economically, socially, politcially, and internationally. We have that ability and resources to build the country to be a new envie of the region once again. So, my friends,

VOTE SAM RAINSY FOR A BETTER FUTURE OF ALL KHMERS.

CHEY YO SAM RAINSY PARTY, CHEY YOU KOUN KHMERS KROUP KHNEA, AND

LAST BUT NOT LEAST CHEY YO KINGDOM KAMPUCHEA AND OUR GRACIOUS KING, PREAH MOHAKHSAT NORODOM SEHAKMONI.