Unofficial Translation
 

Selected Comments at the Tapping of Rubber/Latex in Chub Rubber Plantation

21 May 2008

A Place of Memories

It is indeed my place of memories in the district of Tbong Khmum but I could not find the time to share with you all my joys and feelings for this place. I shared the hardest time here with my wife. I also got married about 17 kilometers from here. We also had our first son there. He passed away already.

First of all I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratefulness to the senior people here who helped protect me in the time of the struggle to liberate the country. I also was wounded many times. My hardships here could symbolize activities in those days for national liberation and salvation.

The song "Suffering of a Wife Separated from Husband" is also closely relating to the Kompong Cham's district of Tbong Khmum. My wife wandered picking rice uncollected after harvesting and she was so worried with her son in her chest thinking of me, her husband. It was clear that the songs narrated her life that she had to collect scattered broken rice to feed herself and child. I am so grateful to her support which has become a source of motivation that I could go on in leading the country.

A Dharma Hall & An Asphalted Road

My wife and I are grateful to be invited to preside over the inauguration of the new Dharma Hall of the Phnom Chan pagoda which is a sacred place not only for the workers of the Chub Rubber Company but our people from all over the country too. It is a wonderfully large hall and the road to the pagoda is well asphalted too.

Life-Taking Conspiracy

May I recall for you the attempt on my life on September 24, 1998, in which four RPG (rocket propelled grenade) were shot at me. I was unharmed but the conspiracy to take my life was hatched not by one or two men but more. If it were to be investigated, we would have more to finger at. But the incident was long gone and I am still alive here. The would-be investigation, if we ever did, would bring us to a more complicated conspiracy of its kind. My life has been precious and protected as I had gone through many life-risking incidents. I also faced so many life-risky situations under the Pol Pot time and thereafter. But, merit will stay on the side of who fosters it.

As religious people, Buddhists, Muslims or Christians, we should hold on to religious teachings that instruct us all to perform merit and avoid committing sinful acts. This should help the country to increase its morality. When the country has more knowledgeable persons with high morals, the society has achieved a great part necessary for development. On the contrary, immoral actions - taking for instance attempting on other people's life, should be defined as things to be avoided.

Do Everything & Nothing?

The elections runners have started to sound out a contradictory theory on the Royal Government of Cambodia as a whole and on me in particular. I am blamed for taking the job of HE Chan Sarun, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) because I visited the farmers transplanting rice, as well as the job of HE Sun Chan Thol, and before that HE Khy Taing Lim, Minister of Transports and Public Works because I inaugurate the roads and bridges, etc. and more. After blaming me for taking the jobs of those Ministers, at the end of the day, they said I did not do anything. It is like doing everything but nothing. I wish to respond to them that Hun Sen can do everything except stealing.

Tapping Rubber in Chub

I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the efforts made by the Chub Rubber Company (ChRC) for making all this possible. HE Minister Chan Sarun just mentioned that I was presiding in Tumring rubber plantation over the first sap tapping from the rubber trees, which is an annex of the ChRC. I have come to this place, according to my record, nine times, including this one. My presence before that had been so frequent.

We are in the process to rejuvenate the rubber plantation in Cambodia. We have had so many difficulties so far. The current solution for the housing question for the rubber workers have been more acceptable than what we did in the past. We also had difficulties in working out the salary system for them. We have in the end formulated a policy to transform the state rubber company into economy-oriented public enterprises with the permission to rejuvenate rubber plantations or to replace old trees with newly grown ones.

Coalition or No Coalition

I wish to introduce to you here HE Chieng Bak, member of the directing committee of the Sam Rainsy Party who defected from the SRP and I have appointed him the Under-Secretary of State for Social and Veteran Affairs in addition to his other position as advisor to the Royal Government of Cambodia. He is from Suong district of Kompong Cham too.

It also reminds of a picture they have of me and Sam Rain Sy together and they have it in the home screen of their mobile phones. I guess they have planned it so that they could convince their supporters that they would get a deal with Hun Sen in the next term. All this is because they used to raise high their slogan - "With (Rain)Sy, No (Hun) Sen." If I were to lose the elections, I would leave for him to take over. If I were to get re-elected, there will be no (Sam Rain)Sy in the coalition only Funcinpec. If Funcinpec has a bad fate, we will see to it.

However, with 73 seats in this term, it is possible that the CPP will have more supports. And we could think of ruling alone. Now we have appointed those defected SRP members to the Government positions and some had formerly been serious critics of me. The defection has been widespread from top to bottom. I also made a wrong judgment too. I am never prepared for this scenario because usually defectors from the oppositions would create a new party...■

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