I am so glad to be able to join with all of you in this ceremony to hand out diplomas for 1,819 graduates of the Asia-Europe University (AEU). On behalf of the Royal Government and my own, please allow me to express my high appreciation for progress made by AEU as reported by Rector Duong Leang illustrating its gradual development until AEU established links with various universities abroad, through which there are students and professors in exchange programs. Those graduated today have become a major part of human resource of Cambodia – thanks to joined collaboration of both state and private sectors. I am taking this opportune moment to express my sincere appreciation and thanks for the management and professors of AEU in making their efforts for human resource development. I am also grateful to AEU for its scholarships provided to me to give out to students who need them.
Successful Efforts of Handicaps/Disables
What we have achieved today is a symbol of efforts made by handicaps/disables in various universities. Sreng Vandy is one of them. She did her study in information technology. This has clearly pointed out that we cannot consider people with physical disability to be mentally handicapped too. On the other hand, we have noticed that some people with good physical condition but have mimed themselves through their various improper actions such as taking drugs, engaging in gangsters, and so on, inviting concern from whole society. I am so grateful that Rector Duong Leang allowed Sreng Vandy to have education in AEU. Many disables – mute, deaf and blind, have graduated from AEU and two have taken jobs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and two in the Council of Ministers. People, in this era, can educate themselves because of high-tech availability. Disables can reap on that benefit. I am taking this opportune moment to express my sincere appreciation for the graduates of all levels for making their proud achievements. It is indeed individual efforts made by our students – through own efforts to pay for school fees, help from family and/or charitable people, like in form of scholarships provision. I have offered scholarships given to me to those who really need them. Should there be no individual efforts, however, there would not be achievement today.
Knowledge – the Best Inheritance
I used to talk about the difference between infusing blood from one person to another to save life of similar blood type and transference of knowledge. It is impossible to transfer knowledge from one’s head to another as they do in blood. There needs to be personal efforts from primary to tertiary levels. This pointed to a fact that were there no personal endeavor, one could not have come to this. Everywhere in this world, not just in Cambodia, no one could transfer knowledge in a way that people do with blood from person to another.
Please allow me to share my joy with families of graduates and signify that it is with their supports that our graduates have come to this day. It is the wisest thing to do from their parts as inheriting anything else would not be sure to be the best option. If they have thing to inherit is even better but property inheritance would not be sure they could keep them for their whole life. Knowledge is the best option to inherit and passing to them in a gradual manner since when they were young. In this note, graduates would of course have to be thankful to their parents, brothers, sisters and others in their families for taking care of times, works, etc. so that one could go to university. They also may work to earn for your school fees, hostels, travels and others.
Top-up Scholarships for Students Studying Abroad
… We have sent a great number of students to study abroad too. I had a chance to meet with representatives of students studying abroad in Russia. As Russia is one huge country, we could not have all of our students together for long travel. We only have some of them studying near and around Moscow. As our students have been facing with difficulties from depreciation of Ruble and small scholarship provided since 1991-92, with the presence of HE Hang Chuon Naron, Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, HE Aun Porn Moniroth, Minister of Economy and Finance, we have taken immediate decision to top up scholarships. It is still small but it would do to help to an extent. With Laos, we have a principle of reciprocation that we will provide equal amount of scholarship salary – we pay Laotian students studying in Cambodia whatever amount Laos would do to our students studying in Laos. In my visit to Laos last year, I asked Laotian Prime Minister to increase scholarship and I have not heard of it since. I hope our students in Laos reserve understanding on this matter.
End to Large Scale Water Provision Campaign
Please allow me, from this forum, speak on a few topics today. Today, as we are talking about concern of heat wave and prolongation of drought, coincidentally we are conducting this ceremony under rain. According to the report presented by HE Lim Kean Hor, last night, if there were not strong wind that came, Phnom Penh could have had a big rain. While people in the suburb and countryside need it, rain comes to Phnom Penh. What can anyone do to regulate it with the sky? We could see that in this world no one could do anything to control weather. Some countries suffered forest fire, some with flood and earthquakes, and some with storms.
Please allow me to take this chance to convey my appreciation and thanks to National Committee for Disaster Management, national institutions, armed forces, sub-national authorities, Cambodian Red Cross and persons of charity involved in water provision campaign from 26 April to 25 May, to save our people from lack of water for consumption. It is unprecedented in our history. We have campaign to distribute food, to provide medical assistance and save people from flood. We never had to provide people with water for consumption.
Today, on behalf of the Royal Government and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, I am declaring a closure of the large-scale campaign in providing water for consumption for people. However, please allow me to clarify what it means. We are ending the campaign in general but wherever people are short of water for consumption, we would continue to address the problem for them. By large-scale campaign, I mean that we stop channeling fund, using armed forces, and those water headquarters under the supervision of the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts. We have mobilized a large-scale operation and members of the working teams of the Cambodian People’s Party have been active in this effort. We are ending the large-scale campaign, but we would continue to provide for areas where water is not yet available.
The armed forces must call back their vehicles sending out on this mission, again, except a number of places where continued services deemed necessary. We will continue with the tasks to restore wells and reservoirs and to dig new ones. HE Ouk Rabun, Minister of Rural Development, sent in a report about how many wells the Ministry of Rural Development had built. HE Nhem Vanda, First Vice President of the National Committee for Disaster Management, should make a report listing reservoirs and wells restored in time of disaster, which we have transformed into opportunity.
Paying Attention to Strong Wind
I am taking this opportune moment to thank efforts made by everyone, including those helps that continue to provide in resolving needs of people and community, such as blown-off homes and schools. Provincial authorities have been working tirelessly to deal with consequences left by strong wind as I could tell from what I saw in reports sent to the group of provincial governors with Prime Minister. There is a place in Kratie province that I am asking HE Hang Chuon Naron to figure out help for a school building whose roof had blown off since April. Schools and hospitals are targets that require prioritized attention. We also have to provide assistance for people who suffered home damages from wind. It is indeed important to continue with this work.
“A Bereaved Wife” Narration Soon to Post on Facebook
On our way back from Russia, where attended the ASEAN-Russia commemorative summit, our plane stopped in Urumqi to fuel and then again in Chongqing. I could not sleep. I then wrote a text “A Bereaved Wife” and will post it on my Facebook page on 20 June. It should detail what happened. However, I noticed that some singers, while singing my song “A Bereaved Wife” to mistake its title to “The Pity Mehmot District.” In another case, the committee declared that a person singer winning the first class medal for singing my song “Saying Good Bye to Dad and Mom,” while originally it is “Life of Farmers, Destiny of Rice Growers” […]
Entering Cambodian airspace, along with reports from various provinces, we noticed that our people have prepared themselves for cultivation. I am also happy, according to the chance predicting ceremony of the Royal oxen, to see the positive prediction. Let us believe that it will happen that way. We had suffered ill-fate farming two years already. We also anticipate more water so that we could resume boat-racing ceremony this year.
Communal Council Elections – 4 June 2017
Please allow me to take this time to affirm that … received request from the Ministry of Interior, in which Samdech Krola Haom proposed the communal councils elections to take place on 4 June 2017, while he was accompanying the royal plowing ceremony in Siem Reap, I called to discuss if we should make it public now. According to law, Prime Minister must make the elections date public at least nine months before due date. I made it more than one year. There is nothing wrong. This should instead help facilitate every works of concerned parties – National Elections Committee, authorities involved in issuing identification cards for some two million more people, concerned ministries such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance, who need to prepare financial package for 2017.
Political parties – both with infrastructure in place and those that are newly established, could figure out how to speed up their actions. I have now made it known to them all one year before the due date. I hope there will not be commentaries that are not objective to what I have said. This is for every party’s sake. People too will readjust their schedules to fit in their obligations to vote. People will make sure they get identification cards in order to prepare themselves to vote. Parties will also figure out how to prepare their candidates and make sure they get the Party’s supports. People with identification cards will have to register for voting rights organized by NEC, probably on 1 September. I also will have to register again.
This should reassure accuracy of voters’ lists, which our people want. We will see then. Some claimed that the 2013 lists missed out 1.2 or 1.5 million voters. In the course of continued registration, there are about 200,000 of mostly newly eligible voters. While water is clearer, we could see fish, riverbed, and other plants in it. It is not a simple matter. Some had even caused trouble one day before the elections that indelible ink was removable … We must do a good job.
People to Issue ID Cards and Register in Voters Lists
I am calling on competent authority, and people who have no ID cards to seek for their identification cards made. It is impossible to place responsibility of the National Elections Committee if you do not have your name in the voters’ lists. You must know how to exercise your rights. In the past, people insulted NEC for their mistake or carelessness. You would not have voting rights too, if you only have your ID and fail to register. People must have their identity cards and register their names in voters’ lists. We issue identity card for people starting from the age of 15 years old. When they reach their eligible age, computer will transfer his/her name into the eligible voters’ lists automatically. As Prime Minister, my obligation is to inform the whole nation one year prior to due date for every concerned party to get their job ready […]
Recreation Program on Prime Minister Facebook Page
In my Facebook page, there will be more songs. I will have programs – Cambodia’s Idols and The Voice Cambodia, heel-digging dance, etc, posted with some live recreation spots. My Facebook transmits faster than some TVs. We have now come to a time when writing and sending is all at one’s figure tips. My handwriting is hard to read. I used to have a very good handwriting but, in demand of time, it has grown more difficult to read. It is not legal to present Prime Minister’s writing or instruction. They will issue a notification by the Council of Ministers according to instruction of the Prime Minister./.
