Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Yoho), a valued member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, for his hard work on this measure. This is an example of what our committee does best: good, bipartisan legislation aimed at advancing American interests and leadership and, especially in this case, our values--our support for human rights around the world. So, I thank Mr. Yoho for this. Hun Sen, Cambodia's strongman Prime Minister, has been in power since 1985. He has clung to power longer than any other current leader in southeast Asia. He has violently suppressed dissent. He intimidates any opposition. Civil society cannot operate freely. His government restricts free speech and free media, the bedrocks of any democracy. For 30 years, the Cambodian people have hoped to see their country move toward a freer, more democratic system. Democracies around the world have hoped for the same thing, investing for decades in the hopes of building a pluralistic, multiparty system in Cambodia. Progress has been halting at best, and results are woefully incomplete. Six elections have been held in Cambodia since 1991. None of them was free or fair. But we won't give up on the Cambodian people. This legislation gives the President and State Department more tools to sanction Cambodian leaders who undermine democracy and commit gross human rights violations.…”