Five Parties Debate for K'Cham Voters
Voters asked delegates their election strategies for winning, the prevention of "dictatorship" and upgrades of the living standards in 
Voters asked Kampong Cham delegates Friday about their election strategies forwinning, the prevention of "dictatorship" and upgrades of the livingstandards in Cambodia'smost populous province. The Sam Rainsy, Human Rights, Khmer Democratic, League forDemocracy and Hang Dara Democratic Movement parties each addressed concernsfrom voters and questions from a moderator in a province with 18 NationalAssembly seats at stake. Around 1,800 people, including party activists andindividual voters, attended the debate, which was held by the NationalDemocratic Institute and will be later televised on TVK. Friday's debate wasthe last televised debate held by the institute. "It is very important for me to listen to the politicalparty message, before I decide to vote," said Nov Sophal, a 40-year-oldvillager who lived nearby in O'Rang Oev district. "So the debate is not only good for me, but forall the voters in the area." Party candidates promised their would-be constituentsstrategies for fighting corruption and decreasing the price of goods in theprovince, as well as agricultural promotion, establishing more jobs andproviding free healthcare to villagers. SRP candidate Mao Monyvann said his party's electionstrategy relied on campaigning from the grassroots to the national level. Theparty was campaigning on fighting corruption and inflation and jobcreation, he said. Human Rights Party President Kem Sokha told participantsthat his party's strategy was the promotion of agriculture for farmers and atwo-term limit for party president, to fight corruption, partisanship and a"dictatorship" within the party. NDI senior adviser Thomas Andrews called forums and opendebates such as this "an important ingredient to the creation of a strongand vital democracy." "We can find our real leader through debate, but I keepit in my mind," Buth Saroeun, a 55-year-old villager, said. "Today, Igave up my farm work to join the debate to understand what the parties aresaying before the election."