The CCC 's Credibility is in Question

The Cambodian Constitutional Council 

The opening of  safety bags "A"

BY ខែ្មរវឌ្ឍនកម្ម


The Cambodian Constitutional Council's rejection of the opposition's litigations for invalid ballot's recount in krate Province, and other provinces; and  instead the CCC has preposterously ordered the NEC to reprimand themselves and to punish their local officials for damaging the so-called safety bags "A" that might affect the election results is another explicitly proof that their credibility is questionable. Without the UN involvement and an independent inquiry, there is nothing the opposition can get their justice from such a futile and flagrant institution.

The nine members of the CCC, virtually, at least six of them are the powerful members of the CPP: (1) Mr. Ek Sam Old, the President of the CCC, is a former CPP lawmaker from Prey Veng; he is the most arrogant MP the same as Chea Vun, when he disrupted and scolded the Opposition Leader Sam Rainsey in the past during a debate in the National Assembly without a reason. (2) Mr. Uth Chhorn, is a former CPP Auditor General; (3) Mr. Min Sean is another former CPP lawmaker from Prey Veng; (4) Ms. Chem Veiyrith, a daughter of Mr. Chem Snguon, a former CPP minister of Justice; (5) Mr. Prum Nhean Vichet, a former spokesman for the NEC; (6) Mr. Pit Taingsan is also a former CPP lawmaker. Along with these six CPP witch-hunts, the other three members are the quota from the Royal Palace, the three unscrupulous princes. Prince Chakkrapong, the most controversial politician who used to have close and odd relationships with Hun Sen. Prince Sirivuth, a former Forncinpec Foreign Affair and Interior Minister, and a close friend of Sam Rainsey before turning against him when he got position as the Co-Interior Minister. And Prince Sisovath Phandaravong, a hibernate and worthless prince. As we have seen, the members of this Constitutional Council, which have similar status and duties compared to the US Supreme Court, have done nothing to protect the rights and the will of the people but to manipulate the public in order to save the power for their Boss, Hun Sen who has increasingly become the most contemptible and controversial leader in Cambodian history.



In all alleged cases raised by the CNRP in many provinces, the CCC should order recount all invalid and questionable ballots or even re-vote in those constituencies in order to verify all dispute ballots and find the correct results before they decide who should be punished. But the CCC has rejected  this important procedure which is the only way to uncover the truth. To manipulate the public, the CCC have to punish the local NEC officials using them as the scapegoats to avert the public from the facts and causes of fraud and to contain the possible rampant uncover of more systematic fraud. If the CCC let the invalid ballots recount, it will affect the results in those provinces and open for more polling places possibly throughout the country to be rechecked or verified that lead to the CPP's loss. And if the CCC just opened the so-called safety bags "A" and did not allowed to do any thing, what is the point for opening the safety bags "A"? Or does the CCC just want to finish its job before the NEC announce the already known dubious results?

The opening of the safety bags "A" have overwhelmingly proved that the results from each province had been rigged by the NEC, especially from the hot contest provinces. The eight out of thirteen safety bags "A" in Krate and six out of twelves in Searm Reap found to be opened without explanations have justified the CNRP's demand for recount and re-vote in those polling centers. In the US, any close or slim election margin result automatically qualifies for recount by hands (in the US all ballots counted by machines, but all dispute ballots would be recounted by hands.) even without complaints from the parties. For instance, the 2008 senate race in Minnesota resulting less than 200 votes margin for the incumbent Senator Norm Colman to win; but after ballot recount by hands, Senator Alk Frunken, a Democrat, won with just about 300 vote margin. This is an example of a free and fair election that produces a graceful result when the loser and the winner are delightful to accept their defeat or victory with dignity. In Cambodia, even though the overwhelm evidences of irregularities in the cases of the opening of the safety bags "A", the CCC has done nothing to make a correction but to declare those irregularities as the technical issues without explanation. How did they make such a conclusion if they had not checked or verified them first?

The procedure of opening the so-called safety bags "A" by the CCC has produced nothing more than just another manipulation after the NEC had done. The disclosures only a few safety bags "A",  the rejection of recount invalid ballots requested by the CNRP, and the punishment of the local NEC officials have clearly proved that the CCC is just another political tool of the CPP, which has well cooperated with its flagrant partner, the NEC to cover up the systematic fraud and to manipulate election results. The CCC has totally lost its credibility as a final source of justice for the people and should be dismantled in the future. The only way that can bring the final justice for the will of the people is to find the third independent party, namely the UN and the Civil Society that have full credibility to settle all electoral disputes and find a fair result that is acceptable to all parties.