Cambodian democracy advocate honoured with 'Asia's Nobel Prize'

And after a few days, he learned that his father had been murdered by them.  

The brutal regime claimed the lives of at least 1.7 million people from execution, disease, starvation and overwork. The Khmer Rouge tried to take Cambodia back to the Middle Ages, forcing millions of people from the cities to work on communal farms. Anyone thought to be an intellectual of any sort was tortured and executed in special centres; and of course Koul's father and many of his relatives were among those victims.

Thirty-five years after his father's death, Koul has turned himself into a fighter for democracy, and was made one of this year's winners in the Ramon Magsaysay Awards, in the category of peace and international understanding. The prize is considered as Asia's version of the Nobel Prize. The awardees receive a certificate, a medallion and a cash prize as their honours.

Koul noted that from what he had been told, his father did not easily let the soldiers take his life; he put up a great fight against them. Koul did not see this with his own eyes; but the image of that scene still remains fresh in his mind, and it has taught him the value of democracy.    

Koul and his father put themselves at the forefront of Cambodia's struggle for democratisation and fought against human rights abuses. Koul believes that to prevent a recurrence of that tragic period I the country's history, a free electoral system is crucial.

Now an engineer, Koul has always had a passion for the value of education. He studied at the Institute of Technology of Cambodia, majoring in chemical engineering, and later went on to learn more about teaching. With a great determination to pass on knowledge and raise awareness of democracy, he is interested in all kinds of work that can create a better understanding of democratic elections for all of the country's citizens. He trusts that this can be the way to bring lasting peace and prosperity to the kingdom.      

The Ramon Magsaysay Foundation has praised Koul for "his determined and courageous leadership of the sustained campaign to build an enlightened, organised and vigilant citizenry that will ensure fair and free elections".

Koul said he was "surprised" and "excited" to receive the award. "We will deploy our volunteers to inform people about the importance of elections and their right to vote, as well as advocating electoral fairness, integrity and an even playing field for all [political] parties."

Since 1998, Koul has been serving as the executive director of the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (COMFREL) and has taken a great leadership step in delivering many significant achievements to the democratic development of Cambodia.

In an interview on the "Inside Asia" television programme, Koul discussed the role of COMFREL by underlining its mission to work both prior to and after election dates.

He said that when compared with previous elections, the last election in 2008 saw a great reduction in politically related violence. The number of killings during the election campaign was only about 12 or 13 cases in 2008, whereas the number used to be as high as 300 in earlier elections.

Under his leadership the organisation has become the country's leading independent centre on electoral matters. Cambodians now are more aware of the importance and benefits they can gain from free and fair elections, as seen in the increased number of voters in the last election.

"Almost 80 per cent of the voters now trust that their votes will be kept 'secret' and will not harm them if the party they pick loses in the election", Koul said.

COMFREL has also been involved with the restructuring of the Nation Election Committee (NEC), in ensuring that it is more transparent and better organised, given that many Cambodian people did not trust the original establishment of the NEC.

COMFREL has attempted to make the Cambodian electoral procedures meet better standards for the effective functioning of free and fair polls, by excluding representatives of political parties from being members of the NEC.

But in this respect, Koul said, it was still very difficult to select the committee, as there was no way to guarantee that the recruitment is transparent and if there has been any indication of political advantage. Nevertheless, he and his team would continue to carry on their mission.

"I believe that democracy in Cambodia will generally keep on progressing in a better system, but sometimes it can regress, sometimes it gets better …  it's up and down, like the motion of the waves", he said.

Koul has made contributions that have transformed Cambodian society for the better; however, he remains humble about his achievements. "It does not mean that we are skillful or we can do everything. Political work is what we have to know, and getting involved in politics can train us all to become leaders."

It was the death of his father that pushed Koul towards the place he stands in today. And to prevent the return of an authoritarian rule that could claim hundreds of thousands of lives, Koul stresses the role of youth and of education. He is confident that with a better education system, the participation of the youth in elections will soon be increased, enhancing political integration and the development of democracy.

"Only democracy can guarantee peace and prosperity; free and fair elections are the key factor in achieving that goal," Koul concluded.

Learn more from and about Koul Panha on "Inside Asia" today and tomorrow at 8.30pm on ASEAN TV, Truevision 99 or at www.aseantv.net.