Cambodia has just been ranked 139th out of 140 countries in terms of the “Index of Rule of Law 2022”.
At first glance, Cambodia ranks second and lowest after the bottom line, which in 2021 ranked 138th out of 139 countries. Instead, Afghanistan continues to bomb civilians and suppress the rights of women and girls, leaving Burma 138th in a coup to overthrow the legitimate government, 132th in Thailand and 80th in the Philippines. Almost every day during Duterte’s 97th reign, communist Vietnam 84th, etc. This is a report by the World Justice Project (WJP) based in Washington D.C. United States.
First of all, I would like to inform the public that there are a total of nearly 200 countries on land and islands in the world. But the question is, why did the WJP not include nearly 60 other countries in its report? Do those countries have no rule of law at all? In order to get a better ranking than 139, should Cambodia follow the example of coups like in Thailand and Burma, or should Cambodia suppress the civil liberties like in Afghanistan or should it return to the communist regime like in Vietnam? Or in order to be ranked 26th, should Cambodia allow the general public the right to use firearms in public and amend the death penalty law, as in the Democratic Fatherland of the United States?
Despite some disturbances from the West, Cambodia continues to follow the path of multi-party liberal democracy through unwavering universal suffrage, in which Cambodia does not foolishly follow or fall into the WJP corrupt path.
Should Cambodia cut off WJP’s leg or pants?
First of all, the WJP should respectfully acknowledge that Cambodia is now moving slowly and quietly on the path to liberal democracy, although not yet in favor of the WJP. Rights, freedoms, the rule of law and democracy in Cambodia are no different from other developing countries in our world. That is, it takes a reasonable amount of time, as Cambodia cannot stop people from chewing democracy and swallowing it like food.
Therefore, let the WJP, including Brad Adams’ HRW, not use the context of democracy, human rights and the rule of law as political weapons to attack and discourage the Cambodian people who are continuing to live in harmony under their own shadow of peace.
Article: Stevenson
