Suddenly, everything seems fresh and open-ended in Cambodia. A new government with new faces led by the youngest prime minister in the regional bloc has already gained the attention of leading economies in the world. There is a new wind of change happening in this country, once ravaged by the Khmer Rouge regime led by dictator Poll Pot.

When former Prime Minister, Hun Sen — projected as an autocrat by the western nations, for being the longest serving ruler in the country — handed over power to his eldest son, Hun Mamet, there was little hope about change in governance. Everyone thought Hun Sen’s shadow will reflect on every decision he takes.

To everyone’s surprise, Prime Minister Hun Manet introduced the ‘Pentagonal Strategy’ as a replacement to his father’s ‘Win-Win Policy’ in his first cabinet meeting – thereby setting the tone of change.

One visit to Cambodia is enough is enough to reflect that it is not really replicating itself as a third world country like Yemen or Afghanistan, or the struggling African nations. Indeed, it reminds of Dubai in the early 2000s where the cranes never went silent.

Such is the situation now, and Cambodians owe that to former prime minister Hun Sen’s Win-Win Policy, which marked the end of the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. Under this policy, the leadership pardoned certain Khmer Rouge leaders and helped them to integrate in the society. Some of them were even welcomed into the corridors of power.

The fact is, Hun Sen took a giant step to restore peace by compromising with his enemies, and his efforts have paid off. Smiles were back in the faces of people and Phnom Penh has once again become a bustling capital city where people from across the 24 provinces come and work. On its streets, you do not see jobless people hanging out, or beggars chasing tourists.

Begging is discouraged in Combodia, and people are motivated to work so as to earn their livelihood and sustain their families. The country is abundant with fruits, fish and flowers, and most of the people depend on natural resources for an income. More people are getting educated these days as educational institutions and training centres are mushrooming all over. Several countries have made their presence in Cambodia either through projects or via aid and grants.

Of them, China has decisively entered the infrastructure development sector under the Belt and Road Initiative. Rural sanitation and water supply is Japan’s monopoly. India is keen to offer help in science and technology, while it has already made an indelible mark on Cambodia’s cultural sector by restoring several archeological sites which were severely damaged by the Khmer Rouge.

The famed Angkor Wat, a major tourist attraction for the world, has been rebuilt by Indian archeological experts and engineers. China is trying to enter this area also, giving a stiff competition to India’s decades-long efforts to help the Cambodians protect their archeological structures and ancient heritage spread across the country.

The Pentagonal Strategy will be implemented in the next five years with the vision to transform Cambodia into a high-income economy by 2050. The first phase of the new policy will focus on transforming the country into an ‘upper-middle-income’ country by 2030, and, subsequently, to achieve the high-income country status — the ‘Cambodia Vision 2050’. The policy is for overall development in line with the changing times, and, as a continuation of the policies followed by the predecessor of the current PM.

Besides, Hun Manet and his young team seem to have a more qualitative approach, compared to the previous policy-makers. It is too early to assess the outcome of the shift from the Win-Win Policy to the Pentagonal Strategy. However, the wind of change is being felt not only by Cambodians, but by its allies and the world outside.

World leaders look upon the new PM as a sign of hope for the young population who make up 65.3 per cent of the total population. Indeed, they are still struggling to overcome the simmering scars of the brutal regime of Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot and his accomplices. With the last living member of the Khmer Rouge, Khieu Samphan, sent to jail last year after years of trial, elderly Cambodians have heaved a sigh of relief, though justice has not been fully done to them, and many still feel that severe punishment should be given to those who executed the genocide under Pol Pot.