Over the past twenty-five years, the trajectory of resource use in Cambodia
has been to secure military allegiance and maintain elite cohesion with the overall
objective of wining peace. With the achievement of peace and political stability,
the focus of the CPP elites has been on winning elections and promoting the further
accumulation of wealth among elites. The exploitation of natural resources, such
as timber and land, has been awarded to business tycoons who are, among other
things, financiers of the CPP mass-based patronage politics. We argue the political
use of natural resources has increased economic inequality and human rights
abuses. The discovery of oil has generated debates over whether this discovery will
be a curse or a blessing for Cambodia’s economy and politics. Given Cambodia’s
political trajectory, the impact of oil on politics will probably not lead to a significant
reversal from or to any improvement of hybrid democracy. Instead, the CPP
will selectively use oil revenue to secure support from rural peasants by providing
enough development progress to meet limited expectations, preventing challenging
demands for a meaningful redistribution of resources. Of course, the spending
effect is unlikely, as cases of other rentier states show, to completely block off
opposition.66 In the Cambodian context, opposition parties will continue to voice
discontent and attempt to mobilize disaffected groups. However, opposition politics
will be unlikely to garner sufficient voice for substantial political change.
Over the past twenty-five years, the trajectory of resource use in Cambodiahas been to secure military allegiance and maintain elite cohesion with the overallobjective of wining peace. With the achievement of peace and political stability,the focus of the CPP elites has been on winning elections and promoting the furtheraccumulation of wealth among elites. The exploitation of natural resources, suchas timber and land, has been awarded to business tycoons who are, among otherthings, financiers of the CPP mass-based patronage politics. We argue the politicaluse of natural resources has increased economic inequality and human rightsabuses. The discovery of oil has generated debates over whether this discovery willbe a curse or a blessing for Cambodia’s economy and politics. Given Cambodia’spolitical trajectory, the impact of oil on politics will probably not lead to a significantreversal from or to any improvement of hybrid democracy. Instead, the CPPwill selectively use oil revenue to secure support from rural peasants by providingenough development progress to meet limited expectations, preventing challengingdemands for a meaningful redistribution of resources. Of course, the spendingeffect is unlikely, as cases of other rentier states show, to completely block offopposition.66 In the Cambodian context, opposition parties will continue to voicediscontent and attempt to mobilize disaffected groups. However, opposition politicsจะน่า garner เสียงเพียงพอสำหรับการเปลี่ยนแปลงทางการเมือง
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