PHNOM PENH: As Prime Minister Hun Sen toured communities of the country’s factory workers last month, EAC News was on the scene to gauge the opinions of some of the nearly 20,000 in attendance at each event. Among the stops made on the PM’s tour was the Ang Snoul district in Kandal’s Tuol Prech commune. There, people expressed their satisfaction with the leadership of the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), which they credit for their community’s development over the last few decades.
Long Lang, 79, has witnessed four Cambodian statehoods including Prince Norodom Sihanouk’s People’s Socialist Community, Lon Nol’s Khmer Republic, the Khmer Rouge and the modern Kingdom of Cambodia established in 1979. He said the CPP has given him a second chance at life while leading the country from ashes to a proudly developed country. "Ever since I was born, especially in Toul Prech commune, I have seen that there was no development before! Only dirt roads, cart roads before,” he said. “Now we are very developed! We can see that now there is a maze of asphalt roads."
Long Lang has six children and was able to send them all to school, with one of them going to study in Australia. He believes that the CPP’s policies have brought peace to the country, which has allowed Cambodia to develop to a place where people have access to prosperity.
"This peace has reduced the poverty of the people. Without peace, the people will have a hard time living," he said. “How difficult it used to be to think about your own security, think about your own life. But now, there is peace, so life is prosperous. There is security, so the development of life of the family itself is more progressive. We train the next generation to go to school, have knowledge, and parents have the resources to send their children to school and invest in their education.”
Ong Kar Primary School Deputy Principal Khin Thorn confirmed this pattern, saying, “Before, students did not come to school, like nowadays. It seemed too difficult in the past, sometimes because the parents did not understand [about education]; they saw the school, it is difficult, so they do not let their children come to school. But now, the road is accessible and the school is clean, so they have sent a lot of kids to study.”
Choum Thon is a 44-year-old factory worker who also drives the truck that transports employees from his village to the factory. He said that over the past 40 years, peace has allowed Cambodia to develop and progress. "Cambodia is completely peaceful. You can see the development, especially today, with all the infrastructure in my Tuol Prech commune,” he said. “I have seen the development of asphalt roads almost everywhere, and the lives of our workers have improved too. “
"The main factor is peace. When there is peace, there is an opportunity to work, there is an opportunity to do all kinds of work, and there is an opportunity for children to get a good education and eliminate ignorance," said Choum Thon.
Cambodia was plagued by war, infighting and division that lasted for more than 30 years. A mass genocide followed by infighting, residual landmines and the constant sound of gunfire hampered Cambodia’s growth and development.
The division ended on December 29, 1998, when Prime Minister Hun Sen enacted his Win-Win policy that enabled Khmer Rouge members to defect to the ruling government. They did so en masse, effectively ending the Khmer Rouge party.
Speaking at a celebration of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s role in liberating Cambodia from the Khmer Rouge on June 20, 2023, Minister of Defence, DPM Tea Banh, reiterated that the Prime Minister’s role in dissolving the Khmer Rouge can’t be understated and is an undeniable historical fact.
"The story of the history of Prime Minister Hun Sen's leadership in the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge is not only his own story, but a part of national history that cannot be forgotten," he said.
Cambodia was designated a low-middle-income country by the World Bank in 2016 and is projected to become a high-middle-income country by 2030.
A World Bank report released that year stated that Cambodia’s poverty rate had dropped from 53% in 2004 to 20.5% in 2011, “surpassing all expectations and far exceeding the country’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) poverty target…Among 69 countries that have comparable data, Cambodia ranked fourth in terms of the fastest poverty reduction in the world from 2004-2008." the report added.
The income level assessment is divided into four categories: high, upper-middle, lower-middle, and low. Low-income countries have an average income of less than $1,026 per year, low-middle-income citizens earn $1,026 to $4,035 annually, high-middle-income earners see between $ 4,036 and $12,475 a year, while high-income countries are defined by an average income of over $12,476 per year. Under the leadership of the CPP, Cambodia aims to become a high-income country by 2050.
Labor Minister Ith Samheng said that the Cambodian economy has grown by an average of 7% annually for more than two decades, except during the Covid-19 pandemic. He said that the job market in Cambodia is able to provide employment to 99.3% of the total workforce of 10.8 million people. He added that currently there are 17,256 factories and enterprises registered with the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training that employ 1.5 million workers.
"If we look at 1997, there were only 64 garment factories, 80,000 factory workers, and the export value was only $227 million USD," he said. "But in 2023, the number of garment factories will increase to 1,326, with 840,000 workers and an export value of 13 billion US dollars."
The last 44 years have seen Cambodia go from a war torn country that was entirely dependent on international aid to one of the strongest independent countries in Southeast Asia. During his nearly 40-year leadership. Prime Minister Hun Sen has made many moves regarding national security and has set the course for the nation’s development.
Kampong Speu province is second only to Phnom Penh in number of factories. Provincial Governor Vy Samnang said that in the past, Kampong Speu was just a farming province and that people were not earning enough income. He said that at present, the province not only provides enough jobs for the people in the province, but attracts people from other provinces to work there as well. He credits the stability of the Cambodian government for the region’s economic achievements.
"Under this Win-Win policy, our whole country, especially Kampong Speu, has transformed from a battlefield to a country with potential," he said.
He added, "[Investors] have faith in the leadership of the CPP. They are clear about this and they do not worry that the country will go to war, so they will come and invest here."
Prior to the election campaign, the Prime Minister payed 19 visits to factory workers across the country, with an average of nearly 20,000 factory workers attending each event. The large crowds suggest the success of Cambodia’s Covid-19 response, which began in 2020.
During one of the meetings, the Prime Minister took a tally of who in the crowd had been vaccinated. When asked, 100% of the factory workers raised their hands to confirm their vaccinations.
One factory worker in Svay Rieng said she was pleased with the Prime Minister's leadership, which has brought development to Cambodia.
Keut Seth said, "I appreciate that Prime Minister Hun Sen is helping the country develop and grow, especially in Svay Rieng province. Encouraging investors who have built factories have allowed the people of Svay Rieng to develop a lot. Especially with roads, in particular. We have better vehicles for every house, electricity can be used from the city to the countryside-everywhere. I really like him.”
Another factory worker, Seng Srey Tou, also expressed appreciation of the Prime Minister. "I see him leading economic growth, prosperity, and employment for everyone," she said.
In a meeting with workers, Prime Minister Hun Sen said, "This is not just an election campaign. With what you have today, there is no other party than can replace the CPP! I built peace through Win-Win politics; meanwhile UNTAC spent over $2 billion, but could not end the war in Cambodia. In the end, it is the Cambodians themselves who benefit from the Win-Win politics that I led. It created opportunities for investment in Cambodia.”
The chairman of Manhattan Special Economic Zone, the first economic zone in Cambodia, Clement Yang told EAC News that he trusted doing business in Cambodia under the leadership of Prime Minister Hun Sen.“Actually [Cambodia] has all kinds of benefits. Not only is everything but weapons duty-free [to Europe]. But Cambodia has duty-free in ASEAN countries as well,” he said. In the future, Yang plans to bring technology and green industry to Cambodia in his special economic zone.
The CPP was formed on June 28, 1951 to liberate the nation from French colonization. On January 7, 1979, it overthrew the Khmer Rouge and has led Cambodia ever since. In addition to gaining the trust of the people by leading the state, the party also sent working groups to help communities throughout the country.
Yun Heng, chief of the CPP working group in Tuol Prech, said that from the beginning, the CPP has always been a party that sympathizes with the people, and he is happy to get involved in this work.
He said, "We see that only our People's Party can unite the people to participate in all national journeys. There is only one CPP. […] The question is: there are so many parties, is there any party that cares about the people and sends groups to check in on people like our CPP? There is no other party, only Cambodia People’s Party."
"What we do today is not just for all of us here, but it really has an impact on our descendants," he added. "If we want to participate in the development of the country, the best option is the CPP."
On July 1, the CPP held its first rally of this year’s election campaign and celebrated the party’s 72nd anniversary. At the ceremony, party President and Prime Minister Hun Sen, thanked the people for their trust and support of the CPP leadership, which has allowed the party to fulfill its duties to serve the nation and the people successfully for the past 44 years.
He promised that his party will continue to protect and build the homeland of Cambodia toward long-term stability and prosperity. He hopes that the people will continue in their support.
"I am confident that our compatriots, who have witnessed Cambodia's progress in peace, independence, unity, sovereignty and full territorial integrity, will continue to vote for the CPP so that I can serve for the seventh term in a row."
