The upcoming commune elections will be one of the main topics of discussion this weekend at the CPP’s biannual central committee meeting and at the Sam Rainsy Party’s annual congress.
Senator Tep Ngorn, cabinet director of the ruling CPP, said 153 central committee members will meet Friday and Saturday to review what the party has done in the last six months and to suggest where it should head in the future.
“We will talk about how to strategize and compete in the coming commune elections,” Tep Ngorn said. “And we talk about ways the government can help reduce poverty.”
CPP spokesman Khieu Kanharith, who is also secretary of state at the Ministry of Information, said the commune elections, tentatively set for 2002, will be a crucial discussion topic.
Tep Ngorn said there won’t be much discussion on the draft law to try former Khmer Rouge leaders, one of the main topics at last February’s meeting.
“We won’t focus much on the Khmer Rouge law because it has already been passed by the legislature,” he said.
The party will meet at the Apsara TV station in Phnom Penh.
Meanwhile, the Sam Rainsy Party will hold its annual congress in Siem Reap province, where party members will talk about strategy, poverty issues and the commune elections.
Opposition party leader Sam Rainsy shed his monk robes at 5 am Monday so he could return to politics. He became a monk nearly three weeks ago to honor his mother, who died last month.
During his time as a monk, Sam Rainsy said he traveled to 10 villages to receive alms. “I found out the people are living with more difficulty,” he said.
He blamed the government’s poor economic performance, and also said donor agencies should not rely solely on economic statistics to decide aid, but should see firsthand how people live.
“In reality, people are still living in poverty,” Sam Rainsy said.
