The political elections just started when we got here and I can’t help but notice how different it is to, well, how the most of the rest of the world does things. Rather than the opposing parties giving speeches and stating their position on different topics, the actual people running are practically never seen. Instead, both parties pay people (generally college students looking to make a little extra money) to be supporters and hold pep rallies of some sorts around the city. Other than that, there is also the sort of, let’s say, brainwashing propaganda music that becomes the background music of life in Cambodia during this time. The parties get big cars with loudspeakers to blast the same 3 songs about the elections from dawn to dusk every day, no exceptions. Seems to me more like they’re trying to inject the idea of voting for them into the population’s minds through their subconscious, rather than actually persuading them to vote for them based on the parties’ beliefs. I would say that, at the least, that’s rather interesting.
After talking to a few local people, I’m getting the impression that they think the Cambodian’s People Party will win again. The older generation will, generally, continue to vote for them because they are the party that released them from their horrible history that was the Khmer Rouge Regime. Understandable. But, for the most part, the younger generation wants a change and movement towards a more democratic system. Regardless of their want for change though, the CPP will still probably win, according to them. It is just tough to change Cambodia’s political system when it has had such a ruthless history.
LM
After talking to a few local people, I’m getting the impression that they think the Cambodian’s People Party will win again. The older generation will, generally, continue to vote for them because they are the party that released them from their horrible history that was the Khmer Rouge Regime. Understandable. But, for the most part, the younger generation wants a change and movement towards a more democratic system. Regardless of their want for change though, the CPP will still probably win, according to them. It is just tough to change Cambodia’s political system when it has had such a ruthless history.
LM
