Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Before we get to the usual agenda, if there is anything to say, the Chairman has to be the first to address the floor. I should take this opportunity to say a little bit and wish you again on the occasion of the Khmer New Year. This year seems a bit strange in that the people are happy, in a different way from the usual. In 2022, after the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented us from celebrating the New Year in 2020 and 2021, the people were also very brave in celebrating the New Year, which made me very concerned about whether it was a correct decision or not to allow people to celebrate the New Year. Fortunately, after the New Year, the rate of the COVID-19 infection had not increased.
For this year, our people are happy as we had prepared the Sangkranta everywhere. I am persistent to my previous assessment that there have been four factors that brings happiness among the people.
The first factor is peace and security. This is the first and most necessary factor. We have seen that in 1975, during the New Year, it was the time of the final battle in Phnom Penh. Could the people celebrate the New Year in a situation of war? Absolutely not.
With the peace and order that exists and the good management of law and order, our citizens travel without fear. This is the biggest factor. If we compare it with countries that are currently at war and our own country that was at war, this peace factor is essential that we must protect together.
The second factor, what has made people travelling everywhere possible, is the connecting infrastructure that has created a traffic flow easier for people to travel. If we compare it only to the year 2000 or a little after the year 2000, the situation is completely different in about 20 years.
In the past, not to talk about the mountainous areas of Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri, Stung Treng, and Preah Vihear provinces, just between Kampong Cham and Preah Vihear provinces, it was difficult for people to travel because at that time there were no bridges to cross the many canals. Once the bridges are built, people traveled by car and with their families, because it is easy to travel.
For the whole country, lately, we have put back in place the national road network which were there during the socialist era led by His Majesty the late King Father, and that were later destroyed in the war and the Pol Pot regime. We have repared those roads and added three new roads.
The first is National Road 8, which is a new national road. National Road 8 connects Kandal, Prey Veng, and Kampong Cham provinces and links the National Road 6 to National Road 7. The second is National Road 9, which connects Stung Treng and Preah Vihear provinces. The third road, which has been allowed to travel briefly during the Khmer New Year, is National Road 10 that connects Battambang, Pursat, and Koh Kong.
Traveling from Koh Kong to Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, or Pursat, people do not need to travel to Phnom Penh first before connecting through to National Road 5 and vice versa, people from Battambang, Banteay Meanchey, Pailin, and Pursat, who need to go to Koh Kong, do not need to come to Phnom Penh (and then connect to the National Road 4 and 48 to get to Koh Kong). This transportation network allows our people to travel easily, quickly, and move from one place to another happily.
The third factor is people’s means of transportation have increased. Even though (hit) by economic uncertainty, traffic is still congested, for instance, in Phnom Penh. This point has indicated growth. Although it is incomparable to (life in) the rich countries […] what we have done so far is quite remarkable.
The fourth point is people’s living standards have certainly improved. To compare this point to the COVID-19 time, it’s difficult, but seeing the number of people traveling, it’s not just those who don’t have money to travel. The retail sales of essential items serving the needs for travel has been in good business.
For example, fuel is needed for travel. No station had been without fuel supply, and people have the purchasing power, while the retail sales are still there. So the market trend is still good.
In addition to these four factors, we see that (the celebration) everywhere is well-organized. In particular, Phnom Penh, we see the number of people traveling to the countryside and from the countryside to Phnom Penh. According to the calculation of the Mayor of Phnom Penh, for one person, it may cost 80,000 riels to travel to and from their native places. (Arranging to transport people during the New Year holiday,) the Phnom Penh City Hall estimated that it would save 1.7 million dollars for the people to keep in the pockets […] which helps workers and people travelling from the city to every place in the countryside. Organization of the celebration had been quite entertaining.
The most interesting thing is that the old people danced as if they would never do that again. Dancing happily with success, and no one is worried about the tariff percentage […] It is like everyone forgot about it all in that situation. Except for analysts abroad who had nothing better to do than to keep talking nonstop. People in the country do not seem to care about the tariff thing […] The main thing is that they are happy during the New Year.
Now they are back to work. I would like to take this opportunity to thank and appreciate the government, authorities at all levels, all kinds of armed forces who have arranged all the events so that the people can have fun.
At the same time, we had welcome the visit to Cambodia of our friend – His Excellency President Xi Jinping of China, who has brought great benefits to the relations between the two countries, especially in economic, trade and investment relations, which signify important supports. One obvious fact to notice is the Funan Techo Canal project will pick up its pace. Please note that, whether there is or there is not help from our Chinese friend, we must do whatever we can to achieve it. Fortunately, the Chinese friend has announced assistance and recommended companies to participate in the canal project. We will complete this canal at the speed we have set.
This is my opening statement. It is not a bad thing, is it? Just a reminder of what happened during the past New Year.
