Mr. Sam Rainsy distorts history again

(Baonghean) - 1. Cambodia implements political pluralism. According to the Cambodian Ministry of Interior, by April 2013, there were 42 registered political parties in Cambodia, of which 8 parties participated in the election of National Assembly deputies on July 28, 2013.

On October 9, 2012, the National Assembly of Cambodia elected the National Assembly Election Committee for the 5th term (2013 - 2018) consisting of 9 members, of which 5 members belong to the Cambodian People's Party (CPP), 2 members belong to the Funcinpec Party and 2 members belong to the Sam Rainsy Party. On October 1, 2012, the Ministry of Interior of Cambodia issued a decision to recognize the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) on the basis of merging the Human Rights Party and the Sam Rainsy Party, chaired by Mr. Sam Rainsy. Thus, of the 9 members of the National Assembly Election Committee of Cambodia, 5 members belong to the CPP, 2 belong to the CNRP and 2 belong to Funcinpec. The Cambodia National Rescue Party (chaired by Mr. Sam Rainsy) is the largest opposition party in Cambodia and has the greatest influence among intellectuals, youth, and students in cities, urban areas, and large economic zones.

Recently, the Cambodian National Election Committee (NEC) announced the preliminary results of the July 28, 2013 National Assembly election, according to which the CPP won 68 seats, the CNRP won 55 seats (the Cambodian National Assembly has 123 seats), and the remaining 6 parties did not win any seats.

The Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) of Mr. Sam Rainsy claimed that there was fraud in the election and therefore did not accept the results announced by the National Election Committee. Mr. Sam Rainsy requested the establishment of a Joint Investigation Committee including representatives of the CPP, the CNRP, representatives of non-governmental organizations and chaired by a representative of the United Nations to clarify the doubts related to the election results on July 28, 2013. The National Election Committee of Cambodia (NEC) stated that they did not have the authority to establish a Joint Committee as requested by Mr. Sam Rainsy. According to the functions and tasks assigned by the National Assembly, the National Election Committee of Cambodia has established a Subcommittee under the NEC to examine and verify the doubts in the election.

Cambodian and international public opinion believes that the CPP winning 68 seats and the CNRP winning 55 seats in the 123-seat National Assembly is a true reflection of the balance of political power between parties in Cambodia. At the same time, the above results also reflect the will and aspirations of the majority of voters in particular and the majority of Cambodian people in general. Therefore, the National Election Committee's investigation, verification, and clarification of election-related doubts is necessary and correct, but it is difficult to change the results that have been preliminarily announced.

2. In a pluralistic, multi-party opposition political system, before and after the National Assembly election, the Presidential election, the Prime Minister election, political parties, especially the major parties, criticize and attack each other, which is normal. This is still common in the US, EU countries and in most countries with pluralistic political systems. Usually, opposition parties criticize the mistakes in domestic and foreign policies of the current government. On the contrary, those who are dominating the political arena (in power) attack the demagoguery and unrealistic nature of the election platforms of opposition parties.

In general, in the US, Japan and EU countries, debates and criticisms of candidates from the opposition party and the ruling party take place openly, frankly and in a civilized manner before and after major elections (parliament, president, prime minister, etc.). Such debates are extremely necessary, reflecting both the level of democracy of the national political system and the political maturity, honesty and moral qualities of the candidates.

In Cambodia, before and after the National Assembly elections, there are often many completely abnormal phenomena and events (like in the US, Japan, and the EU). Remember, before the election of the 4th National Assembly on July 27, 2008, Mr. Sam Rainsy, then President of the Sam Rainsy Party, put forth a campaign platform that if the Sam Rainsy Party won the election and formed a government, he and the Cambodian government led by him would carry out 3 major tasks: 1. Amend the Cambodian Constitution and identify Vietnam as Cambodia's number 1 enemy; 2. Expel all Vietnamese people from Cambodia; 3. Reclaim the South of Vietnam (he believed that the South originally belonged to Cambodia and had been transferred to Vietnam by France).

The above election platform proves three things: 1. Mr. Sam Rainsy is blind to history; 2. Mr. Sam Rainsy is a dishonest person; and 3. Mr. Sam Rainsy is a person of low character because he repays kindness with ingratitude.
Therefore, the Cambodian people did not recognize Mr. Sam Rainsy as a politician with enough qualities to hold power and the Sam Rainsy Party failed in the National Assembly election on July 27, 2008 (winning only 26 seats, CPP won 90 seats).

Before the Cambodian National Assembly election on July 28, 2013, Mr. Sam Rainsy adjusted his campaign strategy to reduce the ridiculous and shameless slogans and promises like in 2008, but still aimed at the anti-Vietnam campaign of a professional who repays kindness with hatred.

In particular, after the July 28, 2013 election, Mr. Sam Rainsy made a number of historical distortions, such as Phu Quoc Island (which had been under Vietnam’s sovereignty for more than two hundred years) belonging to Cambodia. In order to please someone and find support outside, Mr. Sam Rainsy recklessly said nonsense like a “deaf person who is not afraid of guns” that: “all islands protected by China are Chinese territory. Those islands belong to China and belong to China only.”

Saying the above false things proves that either Mr. Sam Rainsy is completely blind to history, or he knows but because of base motives, he tries to distort history. Mr. Sam Rainsy comes from a family with a long history of political activities, is well-educated, has lived in France for many years, and has interacted and interacted with many politicians and scholars from many countries. Thus, it cannot be said that Mr. Sam Rainsy is blind to history.

But anyway, let me reiterate a few basic things: 1. In 1862, the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam ceded three provinces in the Southeast to France, and in 1874, it ceded three provinces in the Southwest to France. Since 1874, France has turned the South of Vietnam into an overseas territory of France. 2. On June 4, 1949, French President Vincent Aurilô signed Decree No. 49733 returning the land of the South to Vietnam.

Thus, the ceding of the South to France by Vietnam and the return of the South to Vietnam by France only took place within the bilateral relationship between Vietnam and France, and had absolutely nothing to do with Cambodia. That is a historical fact and the above important events are also clearly shown in official documents and records of the French Republic and Vietnam.

In the letter from the French Republic Government to King Norodom Xi-Ha-Nuc dated June 8, 1949, there was a passage: “Apart from practical reasons, legal and historical reasons do not allow the French Government to contemplate bilateral negotiations with Cambodia to revise the borders of Cochinchina. The King must know that Cochinchina was ceded to France by Annam under the Treaties of 1862 and 1874… Legally, France has sufficient grounds to negotiate with Emperor Bao Dai to revise the political status of Cochinchina… History contradicts (refutes - LVC) the thesis that Western Cochinchina was still dependent on the Cambodian Court when France arrived. Among other examples, let me recall that Ha Tien (and Phu Quoc - LVC) were placed under the suzerainty of the Annamese Emperor since 1715 and the canal connecting Ha Tien with Chau Doc was dug by order of Annamese officials half a century before our arrival” (From 1819 to 1874). 1824 Nguyen Dynasty - King Minh Mang - dug Vinh Te canal connecting Chau Doc with Ha Tien).

There have been tens of thousands of documents, papers, articles, monographs, and books of all kinds published in the last few centuries that indirectly and directly confirm Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos. Surely Mr. Sam Rainsy did not have access to many of the above documents.

To avoid being labeled as a person who is blind to history, I advise Mr. Sam Rainsy to read the book “Sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos” by Professor Monique Chemillier Gendreau, Professor of Public Law and Political Science at the University of Paris VII, former President of the French Democratic Lawyers Association, former President of the European Lawyers Association, published in Paris in 1996. In this book, Professor Monique Chemillier Gendreau cited convincing evidence of Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos.

3. There are three things I would like to note about Mr. Sam Rainsy: 1. During the process of sacrificing blood and bones to save the Cambodian people from the genocide in 1979 and the following years, the Vietnamese people and the Vietnamese armed forces did not do anything to harm the physical, mental, or personal interests of him and his family, even in the smallest way; 2. He comes from a family of "noble and prestigious" origin; 3. He is also educated, has a bachelor's degree, is studying to become a politician, and has a burning ambition to soon become a person in power in Cambodia.

Therefore, Mr. Sam Rainsy must be careful in his speech and statements. To become a politician, he must first clearly show that he is a decent, honest and cultured person. The chain of his actions over the past ten years forces people to consider him as a dishonest, ignorant person with low communication culture, a person who distorts history and repays kindness with hatred, and slanders others. If he continues on that path, even the souls of more than two million Khmer people who died due to the Pol Pot - Yeng Xari genocide will not leave him alone!

In the history of world politics, ancient and modern, there have been those who ruled in the style of “tyrants”. That is the evil path to power. But sooner or later, those people will be thrown into the trash bin of history by their people. There is still enough time for Mr. Sam Rainsy to return to the righteous path.
Repentance and correction are essential and very beneficial for everyone.
Better late than never.

If from now on, Mr. Sam Rainsy lives a decent and honest life, there is still a chance for him to become a politician. As the proverb says: “Hit the one who runs away, not the one who returns”. The Cambodian and Vietnamese people are always open-hearted and willing to welcome him on the right path. Returning to the right path is in line with the interests of the Cambodian people, in line with the trend of peace, stability, cooperation and development of the ASEAN region in particular, and the world in general.

Le Van Cuong (Major General - Former Director of the Institute of Strategy, Ministry of Public Security)