Last week elections took place throughout Cambodia for
the local commune councils. Not headline breaking news I know especially as the
results hardly came as a surprise with the ruling Cambodian People’s Party
picking up the lion’s share of the votes cast. Nevertheless to watch the
mechanics of a fledgling democracy in action was pretty interesting for me
especially given the political problems of the not too distant past. The
turnout figures at over 60% were down from the last local elections but
certainly in comparison to the UK these figures are impressive. One tends to
take for granted our right to participate in democracy but of course here it
really is in its infancy.
The United Nations oversaw what were supposed to have
been the first free and fair elections ever held in the country in May 1993 and
since then there have been a further three general elections. The last one in
2008 saw the People’s Party gain an outright majority for the first time
allowing them to govern without the need for coalition partners. The first
commune elections were held in 2002 and last week’s exercise in democracy was
the third such at this level. Early elections were marred by instances of
violence and intimidation but of late this seems to be a thing of the past.
Opposition parties regularly call foul but international observers have
declared recent ballots to be generally fair. The main problem these days seems
to be with voter registration which on paper appears to be an administrative
issue. There were instances last week of people attending polling stations only
to find their name was not on the register and they could therefore not vote.
Cambodia is a fairly transient society with people often working far from home
so it is possible to see why there might be problems. The challenge then for
the National Election Committee, the body which is responsible for
administering the elections, is to address these issues in the future although
whether they do so in time for next year’s general election remains to be seen.
Postal voting without a postal service would be difficult I would imagine!
Many of our staff at Bambu Hotel were voting for the first time and it was good to see most of them genuinely excited about taking part in their democracy. To ensure that people do not vote twice electors have to dip their index finger in indelible ink which leaves a reminder of their participation in the ballot as the ink stays with them for around a month!
June is probably the quietest month in the tourist
season here in Cambodia. It is actually a good time to visit places like Siem
Reap and Angkor Wat which are increasingly overrun with tourists in the high
season. By June temperatures have fallen since the highs of April and May and
the evenings are especially pleasantly cool. True, the rainy season has started
and with it a rise in the humidity levels, but rainfall is generally light and showers seldom last
for more than an hour. Farmers have started planting rice and the countryside
looks magnificent. Another good reason to visit Cambodia at this
time of year of course is that you can drive hard bargains with hotels that are
desperate to attract the few customers around!
This quiet period is a good time for us hoteliers to
catch up with maintenance and renovations to our buildings and we are no
exception at Bambu. The tropical climate can be pretty harsh on building fabric
and a certain amount of redecoration and minor repairs are often necessary. We
do a lot of this throughout the year but obviously to avoid inconveniencing
guests larger projects have to wait until the hotel is less busy. By the end of
August we will have been open for two years – a period which for me has flown
by. With help from our staff and guests I have highlighted many things which
work well and others which do not. I hope we have made the necessary
adjustments where required. Certain things have surprised me – for instance the
amount of space needed for our laundry facility and the continuing need for
more room to store all the behind the scenes “stuff” that a hotel needs.
Lastly there was a maintenance job which, perhaps
understandably, I have been putting off for some time – an inspection of
Bambu’s five septic tanks. Clearly we don’t want any problems with these and a
couple of days ago an investigation was made and I am pleased to say all were
found to be in tip top condition!
