INVEST IN CAMBODIA

Brief Conversation with DW Akademie about Situation of Democracy in Cambodia

Ou Ritthy is a political blogger in Cambodia. In the run up to the UN's “International Day of Democracy” on September 15, DW Akademie asked its Asian partners and democracy and human rights activists how they see democratization in their countries. NOTE: The views expressed in this series of posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect DW Akademie’s assessment of the situation.

Vireak Mai of the Phnom Penh Post

How would you rate democracy in Cambodia on a scale from 1 to 10? 1 means that you don’t see any democracy at all in Cambodia and 10 means that you see Cambodia as a fully functioning democracy.

Ou Ritthy: It’s hard to give a rating for democracy in Cambodia. Yet, I have observed that for the last year - after the so-called culture of dialogue of the leaders of the ruling CPP and opposition CNRP came to an end - the democratic situation as a whole has increasingly deteriorated. We’ve seen the arrests and imprisonment of human rights defenders, members of the opposition party CNRP, active youth and the assassination of the most prominent analyst, Dr. Kem Ley.

What do you see as the most serious shortcomings in Cambodia’s democratic development?

Ou Ritthy: I personally call the democracy in Cambodia an “illiberal democracy” because it primarily functions without rule of law and without an equal playing field of political participation. Additionally, “abuse of power” from the ruling political leaders has been a main threat to Cambodia’s democratic development. They have used political power and connections to interfere and manipulate, in order to get advantages, favors and special interests without following the hierarchy of public administration.

What are you proud of in terms of the democratic development in Cambodia?

Ou Ritthy: I’m at the same time very proud of active youth who are courageous to form different kinds of community-based and grassroots organizations and informal groups and clubs in many different sectors. These range from fine arts, business, environment, human rights to partisan and nonpartisan political activism.

How can the media help democratization in Cambodia?

Ou Ritthy: The youth have used social media to network one another and express their voices. In this respect, social media can be used to hold Cambodian government accountable because the young voters are the majority and the game changers for the coming elections. Of course, the expression via social media can be monitored and censored, but it cannot be controlled by the Cambodian government. So this is the only effective channel for freedom of expression for the dynamic Cambodian youth. Hence, through the active use of the social media, it makes the democratic sphere in Cambodia look less like “the worst”.

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