… I am so glad that we have a chance to be together once again for this ceremony to confer diplomas and celebrate graduations for 4,709 students, some of whom have already taken up jobs, of the Build Bright University (BBU). May I seek your understanding that my wife has a prior engagement that she could not make it today to be with me here and I have come a little late too because of latest communication about possible flood in the Mekong due to influx of water made way down from Laos to our province of Stoeung Treng. I had to contact the Minister of Water Resources and Meteorology and Governor of Stoeung Treng for updates since negligence on this matter would catch us off guard in terms of flood management in the Mekong.
However, we are now meeting and I am so happy for that. I have been informed that some of the graduates have already taken jobs but we have made it our meeting today to celebrate graduation and diploma conferment. I wish to take this opportune moment to give my appreciation to the progress made by BBU which up to now has been in service nine years already, as it was first in operation in 2000 as a faculty and then a university. According to the report of Mr. Diep Seiha, BBU has made its progress obvious because of its many branches opened in Phnom Penh and provinces – Siem Reap, Battambang, Bantay Man Chei, Stoeng Treng, Takeo and Sihanouk.
BBU also plans, as far as I know, to have a new building which is eight stories in between 2010 and 2013, with a size of 120 meters by 40 meters on a two-hectare land at Khan Russei Keo, Phnom Penh, with a capacity to accommodate 300 study rooms. Well mentioning 120 by 40 meters, reminds me of the centre for international symposium which is also under construction and adjacent to the building of the Council of Ministers. It is my architectural requirement of 120 meters by 45 meters, five stories but with a height probable to 7.5 stories because each story is 9 meters. We have many important international and regional meetings to host. Lining up in 2010, there are ACMECS meeting, CLMV meeting (Cambodia, Lao, Myanmar and Vietnam meeting) and in 2011, Cambodia will host an international meeting on Mines whereas in 2012 the ASEAN Summit and ASEAN + partners meetings.
Because we have so many international meetings lining up and because every time there is one we have to make it to hotel, etc. and since we have our Chinese friends help in building the Council of Ministers, we have set aside our fund to build this conference hall and it will be for next generations too, as I won’t be sitting forever. However, I would not be easily evicted as long as I am elected by the people. No matter what they (the opposition) have said, the more they say the more I will do for the sake of the people. Everyday, on Radio, though I do not say a thing about them, still they make us their direct target of criticism. When we take action they say we have blocked their rights. However I have the feeling that these people are apparently undeterred …
It has been stated in the report that BBU has got in all 35,171 students, among which 12,416 have already graduated so far, including the 4,709 today. It is indeed an important achievement as a contribution from BBU and what is more breath-taking is that the University has prepared and made it possible for about 80% of graduates to take up jobs. According to a research (conducted by the University) about 67% of the 3rd and 4th intakes would be able to get a job in fields relating to banking, tourism, private sector, non-government and various other public foundations … It is indeed a pride that 698 of them have got a job at the ACLEDA Bank and 113 at Hattha Kasikor Bank … Having noticed this development, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to the management and faculty members of BBU whose common efforts have brought about so impressive achievements …
Because of the development I would have your attention on interrelation which is core to every work we have done. The establishment of this university requires so much number of professors, management and teaching staffs. It is also true in companies, take for instance media ones, where there involves both direct and indirect workers. In art and performance for example, many indirect staffs are needed for movie making, music performance, etc. so we could see that dancers, reporters … all have a role to play in it. Some dancers have taken their performance arts that are so care-free that they are mistaken to have lost their mind on stage.
Some critics have said that the country is under dictatorial regime, but judging only from freedom that dancers have showed, I think those who said so could be in danger … If the term is to be defined they may be in serious problem again … The regime is not Hun Sen’s if they wish to say that Hun Sen’s regime is a dictatorial one. I am just the head of Government whereas the regime is the constitutional monarchy and also pluralism … any criticism should be aware of the danger that would befall them because they made a wrong accusation … This cannot be considered blocking freedom or rights of speech but you have made wrong speeches … they should be aware how liable it is to have claimed oneself a lawyer, learned person and politician.
To be a dictatorship there has to have the constitutional monarchy abolished and a different one to be established in its replacement … If they say the Royal Government is a dictator then that will fall only on the Royal Government, or on Hun Sen … But they all joined in the elections. Because I am elected and a real Prime Minister I have made the country peaceful and any concern about war would not be in question, including the war at the border … If there were going to be one it would be very small because we have practiced the policy of using no force and vowed to resolve conflict bilaterally.
All these remain hypothetical questions for those “exemplary” Prime Minister (this literally means that every five years all contestants in the elections have to tell or act among people as if they are Prime Ministers, or if they are elected Prime Ministers) … Trust could be of no avail because some had split a party into many, and their presences in any party would put it in a state of limbo … I would raise one case that happened in 2006 … A political party leader came to meet me and if I am not mistaken he also has taped the conversation as I did too … We could compare them if he likes. I asked him (about another person) what does he want? He said he (the other person) will be taking categorical opposition … In another instance I asked about his political nature whether the person could affiliate with anyone he said (the other person) will continue to be categorically opposing … Also in 2006, the other person, who asked me if it is time for him to set up a political party and I said yes it is. He also said the other one is opposing persistently. The two have said about each other that they will be in absolute opposition.
Prior to the elections, one defined oneself to be a mountain whereas another defined oneself to be sand … but they now have sought after each other to make an affiliation like a Cambodian saying that goes “the good would go to the good, the bad would go with the bad” … I do not care what they have done but what I want us all to take note here since they have blamed enough of each other, lost the elections, exhausted, etc. Who would be in a position to help whom? They both don’t swim. Well it is up to them. All I am saying here is to warn them of what they have said wrongly.
Returning to the University, what we have achieved is because we have right path and operation and, I mean, being sustainable. To have a university established is a difficult job but to sustain. It is no easier task. The same is true for setting up company or political party … For instance some political parties are no longer in existence …
In 1998 we had 39 political parties registered with the Ministry of Interior in contesting in the general elections and 2003 there were 23 of them and in 2008 there remained only 11 political parties. I just want to say no matter what to be created, one should be ware of what will happen in the future. How to sustain it? How to proceed? And this reminds me of the fact that the Cambodian People’s Party being rankled number 4 in the list of contested Political Parties.
A Radio station then made a broadcast saying that this number, according to Khmer, Chinese and Vietnamese beliefs is a bad-luck sign … The whole night of that day I woke up many times to write down one or two sentences and I have brought it up the next day at Punnhea Leu and my analyses of the number 4 are – it represents the four main directions, the four elements (soil, wind, water and fire), the four Buddhist wishes, the four faces of Brahma, etc. Whatever it is, what I wanted to mention to you here is that how qualified these politicians are when they fought because of the rank number like that. When they have picked up number 1 and 2, have they been assured of their victories?
Let me give you as example – the Cambodian People’s Party was ranked 35, in 2003, 17 and 2008, 4 except in 1993, CPP was ranked number 1 and won 51 seats only … while for other ranks mentioned thereafter the number of seats have gone from 64 to 73 and to 90 … They have demanded so and so commissions but they could not assure because there were not enough votes to support them … Because they do not have their people in those commissions … (they would say) there is no freedom and democracy.
I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to those who have graduated after excelling in their studies together with participations and contributions of resources from families and friends which help your studies successful. I would like to take this opportune moment to express my gratefulness for the University for providing around 820 scholarships to me so that I could offer them to applicants whose financial resources have been limited …
The same amount was also allotted for HE Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister, and others. I will soon go to the University of Laws and Economics to preside over the diploma conferment and also to inaugurate a new building as well.
All this is possible because we have provided an opportunity for all state education institutions to incorporate a program that allows those students who fail to get the state scholarship to be able to get admittance as fee-paying students. The fee collected has a part been allocated for bettering living conditions of professors and another reserved for further development of the University … About one month ago I have approved a proposal from the military medicine school to also provide fee-paying courses …
This policy has been defined and put into practice in view of the fact state universities are not able to absorb increasing number of students who have finished their secondary education … The policy also allows private sector to take up active role in providing education services … This is not a particular situation for Cambodia but all over the world … It also allows our students and also our government officials to have better chance to go on with their studies … This is indeed an encouragement …
However, what remains to be critical here, while we have efforts by students and encouragement by the Royal Government policy, is how we go about improving quality of education … I have learned in some case that some people never come to school but appear to have graduated too … This is studying for diploma and in the last few months I have appealed to various institutions involved to work out this situation … thesis presentation and defense is also included …
Praise should also go to the Accreditation Committee of Education who have been doing this important job … Knowledge could not be transferred in way of infusion but by self effort …
No matter what you want to do and what you have, without human resources you cannot achieve your goal. This is not new as I have said it since when I mobilized forces in 1977-78. The most pressing issue that I encountered was human resources. There were so many battalions which together could form into brigades and regiments but I resolutely disagreed at the time … Judging by effective figures in battalion, only four of them would make a brigade already because in each battalion we had up to about 600 effective soldiers at the time … But my question is at that very time whether we have human resources to lead and command the brigade or regiment level. This is not to mention about commanding three brigades and one regiment with three infantry brigades at all because there needs to have nine battalions plus its commanding mechanism …
Gathering forces could be done but commanding them we could not do … Our capacity to command troops was not there … It is not simple as it looks because it requires capability in various sections involved – general staff, logistics, paramedics, which also include chemistry group, while our army officers at that time just started their military training …
If we were to make them commanders what cost of lives would they make from inexperienced and incompetent command … When I arrived in Phnom Penh, what I did first of all is not my house but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for which I started gathering human resources … I was able to find at that time some economists and engineers, who had their studies in former East Germany and West Germany, and even some education specialists who after a while I sent them to help with other areas …
Some of them have now become Deputy Prime Ministers, Senior Ministers, Ministers, Secretaries of State and Under Secretaries of State … We did our best to get on our feet and as of now that situation has been far off now … as is said by HE Dieb Seiha without January 7 victory there would be no today or any lives at all … If those who were born by that time were to die, who would have given this generation their lives as you have seen that most of our students here are under 30 years old. However I would urge those of you who have graduated to go on with your studies and do not take this wrong opinion that when taking up important position there is no need to learn more as there is nothing that one might know all about it.
According to my experience, it has been quite enough for me to conclude that from one stage to another of my life, there has not been an instance that I was in a particular situation forever … The current situation could not be approached using 1979 or 1980 ways when we only thought of getting everyone alive and to survive embargo from outside while internal reform was undertaken, which gradually transferred us from centrally planned economy to a combined state of both centrally planned and market system in the transitional period … We were in the stage of bettering market economy …
The nature of being state employees, they work not better than those working in the private sector. They tend to think no matter how much or efficient they may be, they will benefit from a fixed salary and despite the fact that we have now implemented incentive system in order to screen for able staffs, still we have this situation of too many but too little, which I mean we have so many officials with less qualifications but less officials with better ones. I may take this opportunity to share with you one good example. In my life, I never compare so person to so person … for who they are but only for what they are … What is important is not where you go for your study – inside or outside of Cambodia, but your competency and quality …
Because of financial situation, some of our students could not go for well known Universities or to go abroad to further their studies … According to my experience, there does not seem to be any major differences between studying abroad and locally. First, I have around me those who have studied abroad before and after the Pol Pot’s regime and I never have made any evaluation as to who would be better than whom because of where they studied at all. I am looking at how best their work result could be.
The second example is my review of my children and in-laws who have studied abroad and got higher degrees … From my observations I see no differences between those who studied inside the country and abroad, except of course foreign language, which as we know, being there for a certain period of time, one has familiarity with language in particular and culture as a whole … That is perhaps the main differences.
This is my clarification for those of you who may have the thought of being inferior and invaluable because failing to have a chance to go for study abroad … every institution must give a proper and similar value and also should not deny those who come from abroad as unworkable or incompetent. We need to gather educated people to work together. Being pessimistic is not what we are after here.
Another example which is perhaps a good one, if you observe the trial of Duch or Kaing Gech Iev in the Extraordinary Chamber in the Court of Cambodia (ECCC), I am so proud to have noticed that, and what is going to be the outcome from the trial is the Court’s matter, our lawyers have competently showed their working ability and skills no inferior to those from abroad …
If you have followed the trial closely you might have come across some stages that Duch has been able to catch some foreign lawyers off guard for questions that are not relevant or naïve. In some instances it has indicated to me pretty clearly that it is not true always that those with sharp noses are the best. Months ago we also have acted as host of Asia-Europe meeting and coordinated between ASEAN and Europe, the relations of which was celebrated in Singapore in 2007, and last but not least Cambodia also was host of ASEAN Summit once and would soon be hosting and chairing the second one in a not too long future …
All this should be a good example for all of us who do not have the ability and chance to go for further studies abroad …
Today I would like to take the opportunity to inform provinces, especially those along the Mekong river – especially Stoeung Trng, Kratie, Kompong Cham, to pay attention to flood situation as more water is coming from Laos and Vietnam and together make their way to the Mekong in the part of Cambodia, which prompted flood level prediction from between 9.5 and 9.75 to 10.25 meters at our flood monitoring station at Chadomuk. The station is the central indication whether flood is high or low.
According to our records, if the flood level here reaches 10 meters or more, it indicates that the flood level is high. However, many years have gone by with flood level never reaches 10 meters at all. So the prediction of 10.25 meters would be an alarming situation but not like what we called “millennial” flood in 2000 at all.
My appeal here is for those provinces to look after areas where flood is making its way as in a short time the flood could level up to half a meter within 4 or 5 hours. With this speed there is a need for preparing an evacuation, especially those who are living along the river banks and streams because they may face with land erosion issue …
I also urge all sub-national level officials and the armed forces along the concerned areas to take this matter seriously … In the coming days, because of the flood in Stoeung Treng has been reported to be one meter, by the time it reaches Phnom Penh perhaps about 0.5 meters will be recorded … Also, if our record and experience is not wrong, the first flood period will extend to end of September and early October … and there normally is a second flooding after Phchum Ben … The mother nature has been so unpredictable …
So, HE Keat Chjhon, Deputy Prime Minister, under my command, has agreed to keep a package of fund at hand for bad situation and relief efforts until the flood is over. As far as agriculture is concerned, because of sporadic rain, rice cultivation has been unevenly cultivated. In some parts of Takeo province there has no rain for rice cultivation though in general the speed of cultivation has been fast. As of last week, about 64% of rice cultivation in the whole country has been recorded. If this is the central figure, then at the local level we might say it is 70% already. The speed is good and at the same time our people are busy harvesting their short-term rice too. It is good that Cambodia has made every month a harvest time.
We must try to bring our agriculture to forge ahead. We have talked about social safety net system and the Ministry of Economy and Finance together with Asian Development Bank have prepared for a program that provides financial assistance in replacement of food or rice for labor. This is also a good thing for our people to find jobs as well. They dig canals or build dirt roads which we have used as strategy in 2000 and 2001 when the country was hit by a high flood … We strategize providing works to local levels throughout the country, which included building hydraulic stations and roads so that these works for food will keep our people from coming to Phnom Penh to look for jobs …
It is a sad moment that we have to fight to better our economic situation while the world economic crisis hampers us though at a lesser impact … Taking one example, I just returned from France and the price of gasoline is 1.39 Euro which is at least 1.7 US dollars there or 7,000 Riels per liter. You may be reminded that France is a country that produces gasoline. Why some economists who have boasted to have studied in France never mention about this?
What I am saying is not to encourage gasoline dealers to increase the price at all but to continue to appeal on the contrary to companies to bring the price down … So far the local companies have been doing a lot to help but it has been difficult for those coming from abroad … According to the report of HE Keat Chhon, these companies have got a share holdings in the security markets so they could not bring their prices down … Do they need to make profit here to help weathering their loss elsewhere?
Another issue of concern today is that I wanted to reiterate once again the need to strengthen traffic rules in which wearing helmets has been an obligation. However I noticed that there are still people who do not wear the helmet. I wish to take this opportune moment to once again appeal to our people to wear helmets for your own safety and I would urge our law-enforcing agencies to see through that the law is fully implemented … I also notice our uniformed not wearing helmets too and they should be the first to be an example …◉