Departing EU Ambassador ‘Optimistic’ on Democracy

[geovalin]

News by Khmer Times/James Brooke

PHNOM PENH (Khmer Times) – During Cambodia’s political roller coaster of recent years, European Ambassador Jean-Francois Cautain emerged as a consistent and powerful voice for democracy.

This Sunday, he leaves Phnom Penh for a new posting in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. Before packing his bags, Amb. Cautain, a French national, gave an exclusive interview to Khmer Times on today’s hot topics: the NGO law, prospects for Cambodian democracy in an authoritarian neighborhood, the new committee to administer future elections, and religious and ethnic minorities.

KT: You have served here as Ambassador from Nov. 2011 until today – a period that unexpectedly turned out to be crucial for Cambodia. What are the biggest changes you have seen in your 3.5 years here?

Amb. Cautain: “It is a period when Cambodia saw important developments – not so much from the economic point of view, because Cambodia is still growing at a rapid economic growth rate – but more on democratization. This is a process that usually takes longer, because it is about the mindset of the people. What I have witnessed since 2013 has been has been a dramatic shift in the mindset of people. Many people realized in the 2013 elections that it was their right as citizens to speak out, to express their political opinions, and to express their views. Of course, it was something that existed already before, but with the 2013 elections it took a new dimension. The election saw a combination of two elements: A new generation coming up, with more and more young people with access to new means of communication, the social media. And the fact is that there is a growing industrial sector which is manned with young women, who come from the countryside.

read more: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/12607/departing-eu-ambassador----optimistic----on-democracy/

[winstonc]

but no democracy in the eu though..another hypocrite.

[soalbundy]

how very PC of him