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(January 15,
2007/ Phnom Penh) Madam Mu Sochua, former Minister for Women’s
and Veterans Affairs and former Member of Parliament of the
Kingdom of Cambodia, was elected late December as Secretary
General of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP).
SRP is a
member of CALD and the Hon. Sam Rainsy, MP served as CALD
Chairman from 2000 to 2001.
Madam Mu Sochua left Cambodia at age eighteen to live and study
in France and then California, becoming a refugee when the Khmer
Rouge seized power in 1975. She returned to Cambodia in 1989.
She ran in the 1998 elections and won a seat representing
Battambang, one of the most war-torn provinces in Cambodia and
where her parents lost their lives. Minister Mu Sochua is
involved in numerous civic activities focused on strengthening
the rights of women, defending human rights, and preventing the
trafficking of women and children. She has also been involved
in campaigns to end domestic violence and raise awareness about
HIV/AIDS.
Madam Mu
Sochua has attended several CALD activities including the 2nd
NDI-CALD Political Party Reform Workshop (2003, Bangkok), the
Manila leg of the four-country NDI-CALD electoral visits (2004),
the 2nd CALD Communications Workshop (2004, Phnom
Penh), the SRP Mission to Manila during the Interparliamentary
Union General Assembly (2005, Manila) and the CALD Conference on
Public Accountability in ODA (Siem Reap, 2006).
Below is the statement of Madam Mu Sochua:
The
Secretary General is to make the SRP machinery work and that
task can never be achieved if one works alone or with just a few
groups of selected people. I believe in team work, I believe in
reaching out, I believe in the power of ideas and actions. But
with a real focus.
2007 and
2008 are the major challenge. SRP is ready because of our
internal reforms. Every village and commune election has
paid off with SRP being the only party that checks and monitors
the National Elections Commission during the registration period
of 24 days. The NEC is on its toes because SRP speaks out
against irregularities and bad performance. SRP is ready for
2007 because of its base. The power of a political party is
its base.
As other
parties are crumbling or fighting to survive or empowering
themselves at the cost of the poor, SRP is empowering the poor
to take action for change.
When I
travel to the base and see our party sign in front of a hut, in
the most distant and remote village, tears come to my eyes. If
the owners of that hut has the courage and pride to show that
they belong to SRP, our simple duty is to serve them, to make
the light glow not just for the hut but for the entire village.
We have come
to the end of putting up our candidate lists for the 2007
elections. We will field candidates in around 1,580 communes out
of 1,621 communes. This is an improvement from 2002 when we had
candidates for just around 1,300 communes. Considering the huge
task of selecting competent candidates-about 20,000 candidates,
we are encountering problems in only few communes. The process
of selection is a very tedious one as it must be conducted in
the most democratic manner. And problems must be resolved in the
most democratic manner.
Our teams
are in Preah Vihear, Rattanak Kiri, Mondol Kiri and reporting
back every day. Yesterday afternoon, our president spoke by
phone to a group of supporters in Preah Vihear and this direct
communication is a real plus for us and will be a positive
factor for 2007 and 2008.
As SG, my
main task is to strengthen and to re-activate the machinery so
it can be of support to each provincial team. Communicating with
the general public, the diplomatic corps and of course our
supporters and leaders abroad will be a priority as well.
Our website
is updated on a daily basis and the cabinet of the president
puts out a newsletter that can be accessed by internet.
We will
bring our candidates lists for 2007 to the commune election
committee offices (CEC) between 1-3 January. Our lists of party
agents will be completed by January 7th. And our training
program for party agents and candidates will be running by
February 2007. We have already started our "soft" campaign with
small community meetings and home visits. Our president travels
to the base several days each week and our MPs are with their
constituents on a regular basis.
Let's us all
give a V for SRP victory in 2007 and 2008. |
