The Faces of Poverty in Phnom Krom, Siem Reap
Cambodia Real Situation
“When people fear their government, there is
tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” ~ Thomas
Jefferson
The ultimate objective of
any meaningful development is to raise the standard of living of the people and
end poverty and inequality. For ordinary Cambodians, this high growth has brought
hope and a sense of optimism. While the
government promises inclusive growth, the benefits have not been evenly
distributed and widening inequalities of wealth distribution are sweeping which
has resulted in sizeable disparities between the rich and the poor, and between
urban and rural areas. According to the report
from the UN Capital fund in 2010 on local development, 3.7 million people were
estimated to live below the poverty threshold, including 92 percent of the poor
residing in the countryside of which only 10 percent own a title to their land.
The controversial enactment of land-titling program initiated by Prime Minister
Hun Sen from June 2012 through May 2013 claimed to have distributed more than
125,000 land titles to the countryside people (The Cambodia Daily, June 14,
2013). Turning Cambodia’s sense of hope
and optimism into better tangible results, like establishing clear policies on local
rural development program with a more equal model of growth that aim to broaden
access to quality education, health care services, land rights, infrastructure
and irrigation, are among the most significant challenges facing Cambodia
today.
In Cambodia, too many leaders and most influential government
officials remain unaccountable to the people.
The love of power, extreme corruption at all levels, money, and selfish
deeds are the root of all evils. Top
leaders are overly obsessed with how they “look” and undervalue how poor people
live and feel. They
solve one problem only to create countless others for example by giving land
concessions to potential investors for the sake of development, the local
people suffer. They live their life
based on what they want as opposed to what they can do to help the
vulnerable. Freedom is often misnamed
permission: the license of a wealthy figure to pursue his own interests
regardless of consequences. They put
an overemphasis on getting an immediate remedy, instant gratification while
they ignore the problems that got them there in the first place.
The fact that the Cambodian people have courts
doesn’t necessarily mean they have justice and egalitarian law. The fact that Cambodia has a functioning
government doesn’t automatically mean people have real democracy, especially in
regards to freedom of expression and the freedom to gather. The
fact that in Cambodia “what powerful
people say will be typically right, and what small people say will be typically
wrong” is real. In Cambodia, it is typical for the high-ranking
government officials to use their power to punish political opponents and
secure impunity for political allies.
For instance, Mam Sonando, owner of independent
Behive radio station, was arrested on 15 July 2012 for alleged
insurrection, a so-called a secessionist movement in Broma village, Kratie province. He was charged and accused of aiding a
separatist movement by the prime minister in his speech on June 26, 2012. According to Amnesty International and right
groups and media watchdogs, his arrest was politically motivated and fabricated
by the government for a violent eviction of hundreds of families at Kratie’s
Broma village, in which a 14-year old was shot to death. People can see that when the powerful leader
decides that he wants to punish someone, it can be done so quickly. This illustrates a double standard that we see
and witness. It is also common practice that military and police officers, and
other well connected government officials who are involved in human rights
crimes, such as shooting innocent people walk free without charges or ever
appearing in court. As an example, Chhouk
Bundith, the former governor of Bavet city, remains free after he allegedly
shot three female victims on February 20, 2012, in front of Koaway Sport
Factory (The Cambodia Daily, December 19, 2012). This outcome is a good illustration of how a
strong patronage system works in Cambodia. The tragedy of life here is what dies in the hearts and
souls of the victims while they live.
The “money is everything”
philosophy can be seen and felt everywhere in Cambodia, and corruption remains
a way of life. For years, it has greased
the wheels of the economy and the political landscape in Cambodia. “Money Politics” is the “Mother of All
Corruption.” Cambodia faces a daunting
task in challenging a deeply embedded culture of “Money Politics.” Cambodia’s system of political patronage, in
which well-connected tycoons are favored for state contracts, has long been
viewed as a breeding ground for corruption.
Everyone knows that relationship and connections are very important. According to investors and the Foreign
Business Leaders, 55 percent of businesses felt that the anti corruption law,
which was implemented since 2010, showed no effect in stamping out
bribery. Most businesses are threatened
with corruption in all walks of life from the custom office to the court
system. Only firms with connections to the government get favorable business
conditions such as in paying tax and following regulations
In Cambodia, the winning party, in terms of media,
military, police, and economy, systematically control everything. Crony corruption and
political patronage is deeply embedded in Cambodia, largely because of its
system of special privileges to politician, especially government contracts
that tend to go well-connected tycoons.
While under-the-table payments are relatively a common thing, what
multinational companies object to most is the crony corruption that gives
special privileges to selected groups with high government connections, those
winning plum government projects. Administrative
work, commercial trading and negotiations of social life are settled not based
on current laws or rules but often through individual orders or instructions by
those in power, mostly high ranking government officials. This is what I call the
rule of ONE MAN. With this type of
leadership, there is a moral deterioration because the well-connected “Oknha”
(business tycoons) pursue material gains as freely as they desire.
In Cambodia,
there is certainly no evidence of any significant improvement in governance,
and if anything the evidence suggests a deterioration, at the very least, in
key dimensions such as regulatory quality, rule of law, and control of
corruption. For years, Transparency
International has placed Cambodia as one of the most corrupted nations in the
world. In
2012, Cambodia was ranked 157 out 176 most corrupted countries. Corruption costs and erodes revenues. It creates a culture that allows government
officials to rationalize stealing from the administration and can lead to
financial crisis. We have to have a
moral environment where laws are clean and enforceable so people are afraid to
break them. Furthermore, Cambodia’s judicial system is
generally recognized to lack legal know-how and political independence. According to the report issued in September
2010 by UN human rights envoy Surya Subedy, the judiciary of Cambodia is
corrupted and incompetent. The report
stated, “Corruption seems to be widespread at all level of the judiciary.” Nothing has changed much. I wish we could stand
here today and say everything is moving forward. It is not. Our present government
doesn’t provide equal treatment and basic needs to the people.
There comes a point where
we have to accept that the system is not working. Cambodia
needs more than wealth to be prosperous. It needs a change in direction. It
needs political reform, an end to corruption and the culture of impunity. It needs to provide better public services
ranging from hospitals to schools to roads and governmental forces. It needs to empower its citizens with human rights
and freedom of expression. It needs to
hold all politicians accountable for people’s wellbeing and security. It needs decent health care for all the
people. It needs better schools to
educate all its children. It needs to
develop a society in which people trust one another. It needs to foster a
climate of know how entrepreneurship. It
needs business opportunities not only for the wealthier but also for the
majority. It needs meaningful development that will benefit the masses instead of the
few. Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu
expounded: “If you do not change direction, you end up where you are heading.”
None
of these elements are achievable without the rule of law and effective
democratic governments who put their people first. The laws are
there. They are quite detailed and
good. And there are significant
penalties for breaking the provisions. But there is little implementation and poor
enforcement. The constitution of Cambodia states everyone
is subject to the law and no one, no matter how powerful and important, is
above the law. However, Prime Minister Hun
Sen is exceptional. On June 13, 2013, at the inauguration of the new offices of
the National Center in Phnom-Penh, he admitted publicly to breaking the law and
he said that it was perfectly acceptable to save Khem Sokha, the opposition
leader, when he ordered police not to arrest him for an alleged sexual
relationship with a 15-year-old girl (The Cambodia Daily “Hun Sen Defends His
Decision to Break The Law” June 20, 2013).
The government must pay
attention more to the needs and welfare of its citizens. The current emphasis
on economic development shouldn’t override democratization and human
rights. According to data from rights
group Licadho, local and foreign firms now control 3.9 million hectares of land
concession, or more 22 percent of Cambodia’s total surface. Almost everyday in the local media, we see
reports of clashes between communities and concession holders. The land grabbing issue is the latest example
of the state struggling to meet the needs of its citizens, needs as basic as
providing clean water, decent housing, health care, social justice and
education. One Cambodian woman
described good governance as: “A good
government is a government that does not abuse the people, that gives the
people the land back, and that allows people to earn a living.”
I believe if there is any real progress and
prosperity, it will come through being, not having. Real change may only come when people get
more and better educated and learn to speak their own mind openly without fear
of oppression. As Jimi Hendrix, songwriter and musician, stated, “When the
power of love overcomes the love of power,” then real development and
prosperity will flourish and Cambodia will know real peace and harmony. Finally, if today all
the children of Cambodia are provided with primary health care, good nutrition,
quality basic education, access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and the
protection from neglect, abuse, and violence, 10 years down the road, Cambodian
society will be completely different from the direction it is heading today.
