Today I am so pleased to be able to preside over the graduation and present diplomas to some 4,901 graduates. Our country has today achieved new educated human resource. I would like to express my sincere appreciation for the efforts made by our country as a whole and particularly for the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports for leading a new phase of fundamental reform. I also reserve my appreciation for the National University of Management for its sharing contribution in human resource development […]
Stemming from correct policy in the field of education, which also attracted investment from private sector locally and externally due to permission for fee-paying students program, we have resolved the need of further education of our students who have finished their secondary school education. Among them all here, there are some 125 students have graduated with my scholarships, which NUM kindly offered to me and I gave them to those who needed them.
Making Efforts to Prove Local Graduates Are Capable
While hailing progress of NUM as well as successes of graduates who are receiving their diplomas today, I am urging more deep reform in the field of education. Though one or two people insulted the quality of education locally, I wish everyone conscientious to translate those insults on local diplomas into real knowledge, and make further efforts to achieve higher education than they are. Having done that, we are not defeated before insults from some politicians. They preached about that those of us getting local education are worthless. Have they forgotten that those who prepare themselves to rule the country in 2018 are educated locally? Are they also subjects of insult?
Please transform sufferings of insult (by those politicians) into a studying force not only for each individual but also for educational institutions, where promotion of concrete reform is required. We are in the context of strong regional and world competition, where human resource has become key in integration efforts and competition at regional, sub-regional and world levels. Cambodia can. We have been able to do it already. While the US sent its Secretary of State to Cambodia prior to the meeting between ASEAN and the US, it proves that Cambodia is also a sovereign state with its owns mind. Cambodia is not the best in the world or big brother in the region, or so and so, but Cambodia also does not like to be insulted.
Cambodia’s Independent Foreign Policy
In days now, there have been comments that Deputy Prime Minister Hor Nam Hong’s visit to Beijing was to calm China as the US Secretary of State John Kerry had been to Cambodia and Hun Sen would soon attend the US-ASEAN meeting next week. I wish to reaffirm that the Cambodian foreign policy is independent and sovereign. Cambodia need not seek any country’s input. I was Foreign Minister when I was 27 when some of these analysts were just kids. Should its foreign policy be dependent, Cambodia would not have climbed out of abyss of dark past. Its win-win policy would not have yielded a success. There is no need (for Cambodia) to report to China what we did with the US or to the US what we did with China. The same is true for Tokyo. Cambodia is Cambodia. No one knows Khmer better that the Khmers. Only the Cambodians will hold the rights to decide of their fate.
John Kerry clearly said to me that he was here not (for Cambodia) to choose between the US and China …” I responded immediately “I also do not have to choose who from who as I would need them all to be my friends. What interest should it be if I would choose one and abandon the other or help one fight the other?” However, I have made a point to John Kerry that “maybe it is time to return justice to me. It is time to make it up on issue of South China Sea in 2012.” I told John Kerry I was disappointed when they said that Cambodia’s closeness to China was the obstacle to realizing COC (Code of Conduct in South China Sea). I had John Kerry’s attention that when, before Cambodia took its turn, Vietnam and Indonesia were rotating chairs of ASEAN, why could they realize it? After Cambodia’s turn, Brunei, Myanmar, and Malaysia – did they do it? What could they say about it? Is now not the time that those who attacked Cambodia or me personally apologize to me and repay my justice and cleanness?
I made my point to John Kerry that maybe because Cambodia is poor and small. When it is Brunei, no one said a word about it. I said to him “no gas should be place in fuel on issue of South China Sea.” There needs to be efforts for countries in conflict to resolve their differences. Whether there will or will not be COC, ASEAN will not have rights to divide land among them. Vietnam and China would have to sit down and work together. The Philippines and China, or the Philippines and Vietnam, will have to sit down and work out their differences. Take for instance on issue between Cambodia and Thailand, there is no one else but Cambodia and Thailand to work on it […]
Cooperation of Education and Education Related Institutions
I wish to give my sincere appreciation to Dr. Hang Chuon Naron for his leadership in reform of education with wide ranging support from our people, students, and their parents. Transformation in the way secondary school exam take place has brought about major impacts not just students in the secondary educational level but also students from primary upwards. Parents are now feeling that their kids are making more efforts in school. There is a community sense for that matter. Its repercussion has vibrated into our society and leading change of moral among our youth and children. I am calling for closer cooperation between the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports with parental institutions and their own educational brands such as agriculture, health […] We have increased a big slide of fund for education and our civil servants have had their salary increase last January and will have another increase in April. Increasing budget for education, health … has close relation with this idea of human resource training and development.
Service Required Vs Service Suggested
There was a student who sent in his comments and requests to my iPad and iPhone. I just learnt of another problem. Medical students have six years to study and they have to take exam to get a license of their specialization, by which there would be those with full and temporary status. I transferred their requests to Whatsapp of HE Mam Bun Heng, Minister of Health last night. I also texted the students who filed the request that HE Mam Bun Heng received their requests already. I also added that there should not be full and temporary status after they are taking exam anymore. We have now come to a consensus […]
… (I have made some prior decision) and amendment of law could follow. We have adjusted demand for driving license and even canceled those required for operating any motorcycle with 125 CC or less cylinder volume. We also have given money back to those who already paid for licenses. As for inheritance of property from parents to children, grandparents to grandchildren or between husband and wife, brought up by the CPP officials to the CPP Party convention, I decided to make a decision to cancel stamping taxation of inheritance. People complained about paying toll fee on Veng Sreng road, on National Road 4 … we now have ended those contracts and people can now use them free of charge. Having done all that, has Cambodia fallen? No, it is not.
We must review people’s demand by dividing them between services required and services suggested. What are services required? They could range from people’s ID cards to their letters of certification of their births. I am calling on officials to pay attention and improve this work. Relating to trade, there are some requirements that would facilitate local and external trade. Ministers are here today and they should sit down and work out together what are the requirements in their areas of expertise and management. People may ask for a road, a well, etc. These are services suggested. If we can resolve it today, we do it. If we could not, we could try to find other means – like organizing a Buddhist ritual to raise money for it, for example.
Welcome Chinese New Year With Care for Fire and Traffic Accident
Today is one day closer to the celebration of the Chinese New Year. May have stamped their houses with Chinese letter but they knew nothing of what they all mean. In Cambodia, our people celebrate New Year three times – International, Chinese, and Cambodian. Some of you who have received diploma today would go to native village. The Ministry of Education already issued a notice to advice students to go to school on the Chinese New Year day. Sometimes, students are half-Chinese or teachers are, so very often there were no classes. I also beg all of our people to abide seriously by the traffic law. In January, though the number of traffic accident was lower, the number of fatal injuries was higher. According to weather forecast, on February 7, the weather will be cool. Since we often had fire during the Chinese New Year, mostly because of incense sticks burning while making offering for the ancestors, people should exercise extreme care.
Cultivate One Dry Season Rice for Water Retention
I would also take this opportune moment to appeal to our people to pay attention to water after the RGC issued a circular on lack of water. Last year, flood had not filled over the Mekong, Tonle Sap, Tonle Bassac and we would not celebrate the water festival’s boat race. There was not much water reaching to lake. I suggest that our people cultivate dry season rice only once and keep water for animal and human consumption. According to weather forecast, not until June will we have rain. Climate change is a common problem for the world. The forthcoming US-ASEAN meeting will also discuss this problem. The world is in turmoil of climate condition, natural disaster and contagious diseases […] the fact that North Korea threatens to fire missile test is another serious issue for Asia […]
Keeping the Country’s Peace and Stability
I thank our people for placing confidence in me to continue leading the country. The most important factor here is to maintain stability. Should there be no peace and stability, no one could imagine of development. We must be clear, and see it through. In Italy, perhaps, if I remember it correctly, there has been a view that it is now too late to save Libya. What are consequences of terrorism? In Europe, Middle East, ISIS conquers large areas and has its own oil for sale. Cambodia – on that instance, must take heinous consideration on the country’s need for peace and political stability. To break peace and take away stability is easy. To find them back is difficult. We must not allow extremists to destroy the Kingdom’s peace. We have made indescribable efforts – life included, to bring peace, life, and national unity back to the country thanks to the win-win policy. I hope our students; professors and people understand these interrelated reasons and glance at what happened in the world. Would Cambodia want the sort of situation that is happening in Libya, Syria, Iraq, Yemen or the others? I am sure this is what our people should sleep on it./.
