ABSTRACT
Cambodia is perhaps at the beginning of the continuum from non-democracy to constitutional pluralism. Transition itself clearly implies change. For some countries it can be tumultuous, for others it may be smooth. Most, however, demonstrate a tension between continuity of tradition and reform for change. Cambodia's recent political transition reflects a number of tensions that derive from the fundamental confrontation of values, culture and experience. Equally, emphasis has also been placed on the concept of patronage and clientelism, the khsae, and the bonds that connect elites to the periphery. The deploring of this model of organisation clearly implies an emphasis on the inalienable rightness of democracy as the leading political paradigm, in much the same way as authoritarian states dictated the purity or ideological correctness of their chosen path. Democracy alone would not provide the essentials of life for many Khmers in either 1993 or 1998. In fact, implanting democrac.
