Cambodian voters show maturity
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Although you say Sam Rainsy is trying to appeal to "young voters and a well-educated middle class in urban areas", this implies that he has more elite support, but in fact if you talk to Cambodians, you will find he is very popular with "the man on the st
To Hun Sen’s credit, the government has less control of information and education than is the case in Thailand, and frankly I wish that low-income people here could make the kind of reasoned argument for a politician that I heard from their counterparts in Cambodia. By this I do not mean “Mr X is good because the kamnan told me he was”, or “I heard that this politician was good on some TV or radio programme” or “he paid for lunch” or has the most posters all over Isaan.
Frankly, during the red-shirt protests, the people terrorising others appeared to be incapable of explaining their point of view except through violence and attacking others. I guess holding up posters of Thaksin and flapping red-foot clappers is the extent of their ability to articulate their choice of candidate.
The choice between Hun Sen and Sam Rainsy is not the same as that between the Shinawatras and the Democrats, and opinions run all over the map. Many supporters of one Cambodian side agree that the other has positive points. And Hun Sen again deserves credit for being a poor boy with genius and leadership who became the youngest prime minister in the world and made Cambodia No 1 in public-private sector cooperation while creating a liberal legal system. Your story also underestimates Sam Rainsy, who is also ready to be prime minister, since he is a veteran politician, former banker and minister of finance from an old political family. His wife is also a politician.
Not same-same as Thailand.
Arnold Katz
Bangkok
