Friday, June 25, 2010

Commentary: Mu Sochua Knocks at the Wrong Door

By Sam Sotha

“The United States is a champion of democracy and human rights.” That, at any
rate, is the opinion of Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Mu Sochua, as reported
in the 14 June  Cambodia Daily. She has the rights to  have her own opinion
about the USA. But to petition to the US President regarding her Cambodian
court case is a complete nonsense under the purview of the rules of international
relations between sovereign countries. Cambodia is not one of the states of the
USA. Cambodia is an independent and sovereign country. 

This is not the first time Ms Mu Sochua made hue and cry in the U.S. for help
whenever she encountered  the challenges in the course of her actions. Mu
Sochua should have learned from her past failures and her boss’ failures in their
pursuit of power. She can see for herself how base passions like greed, envy and
hatred prod her to various acts unmindful of other people’s rights and freedom.
Poor Mu Sochua ! For the thirst for power grows in strength if you follow it, but
dies away if you turn away from it and abstain. 

Crying foul for US President help is indeed insulting Cambodian judiciary with
ignorance.  Mr. Obama is a world top leader who is currently and personally
preoccupied with his domestic political agendas and his international policies.
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is the first major test for the leadership of Mr.
Obama. The prediction that the Democratic Party may lose the control of the
House in the following mid term elections in November and continued US
recession are among other domestic challenges the US President is currently
facing.  Other tough global issues such as the US trade deficit against China;
The relationship with Japan on Futenma military base; immediate priority to
prevent North Korea from  spreading its nuclear know-how around the world;
preventing Iran from its competition with the UN sanctions  to complete its
suspect nuclear programme...and current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and
continued peace process between Israel and Palestine.  Perhaps these issues are
too far for President Barack Obama to look into Mu Sochua personal case.    
 
Ms. Sochua strange view of Cambodian and world events, as far as one can tell
from the Cambodia Daily article, seems designed to disguise the real character
of her petition to the US president regarding her Cambodian court case. After all, if the USA is really the world’s outstanding “champion of democracy and
human rights”, a sort of global Supreme Court with the moral standing to judge
all the governments of the world, then it makes sense to appeal to the US about a
Cambodian court case. But  the US isn’t that, and so Ms. Sochua appeal is
nothing but a request for US interference in Cambodia’s internal affairs —
something that there has already been far too much of.

But Ms Mu Sochua knows very well that the US administration has very limited
options about her case. We should wonder what she hopes to gain by this kind of
spectacular initiative. And the answer  is crystal clear. For the same reason
someone who used to blame the Cambodian Judiciary but nevertheless lodged a
complaint through this Judiciary. Ms Mu Sochua is a politician. She wants to be
seen as a political star. That’s why she needs to be the focus of the media hoping
to become a political leader. For that purpose, there is no better way than to try
to involve in her plan the President of the United States of America. 
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About the Author
Sam Sotha is the Author of “In the Shade of A Quiet Killing Place”
His personal mémoire
About the book go to www.heavenlakepress