Published: 6/04/2012Writer: Umesh Pandey
Bangkok Post
Your Excellency Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, thank you for being such a good host during the Asean Summit in Phnom Penh on Tuesday and Wednesday. This visit to Cambodia changed my entire perception of your "poor" nation. Your country has always been labelled as one that still needs to close the gap with the better-developed nations in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).
Some reasons why this view needs to change are as follows:
- The magnificence of the billions of dollars in aid money that donor nations have poured into your country is visible on the roads as well. Your country takes the cake for perhaps having the highest number of Lexus vehicles per capita. Everywhere Cambodians are driving a Lexus, and Bangkokians would probably feel out of place if they came here in their cars or SUVs.
To top it off, these gas guzzlers are not fitted with liquefied petroleum gas in the fashion that many Thais choose. Cambodians really know how to splurge money on the things they like.
- The city itself was as clean as could be but then I give the credit to your government for having managed to scrub it to the point where it was looking as spotless as Singapore, at least in those areas where delegates were either visiting or staying. What was more surprising was the fact that in the three days I stayed in your city, I saw only three beggars. Is this because your country has exported them all to its neighbours or is there a government policy to fine or imprison them? This was not just in the summit area but also in areas where tourists visit such as the Central Bazaar among others. I think letting other Asean members in on the secret about this would be really helpful, and it would show how Cambodia is implementing its "One Community, One Destiny" theme of the 2012 Asean chairmanship.
- You showed your true colours during the press conference. As chairman of the Asean grouping you managed to steal the limelight and focus purely on Cambodia and its domestic politics.
Your ramblings about Sam Rainsy and how Cambodia was not a puppet of China for 40 minutes out of the 60-minute press conference gave an indication perhaps that some wheeling and dealing had taken place before the summit.
Why would anyone ramble and defend oneself and one's country about a thing that is not true for so long? In doing so you lost the opportunity of a decade to show your leadership to the world by telling everyone how you would like to see Asean develop.
- Chinese President Hu Jintao was on a state visit to your country until just a day before the summit. Massive posters of him were still plastered around the city when the summit took place. At the same time you managed to omit the crucial issue of disputed areas in the South China Sea from discussions, prompting many to feel that the Chinese leader was in Cambodia to lobby against putting the issue on the agenda.
The issue of the South China Sea impacts so many of your fellow Asean members but still you ignored it.
- To add even more fuel to this speculative fire you went on to praise China for giving your country aid money with no strings attached.
Now what kind of message does that send to the outside world?
In venting your ire on the western world, which I would have to say has supported your "poor" country for decades with funding, you came out to say that you do not want money from overseas with strings attached to implement changes in the way your country's system is handled.
Sir, which organisation in the West or even the East (except China) gives out funds with no strings attached?
Quite apart from how great your city looked, I don't believe funding from western countries is required in your country anymore as the word "poor" probably now only applies to the rural population. I personally don't believe that the funding ever reaches those Cambodians in real need in any case.
- To make matters worse you managed to intimidate a journalist from your own country when you said "you had better get your facts right because there is live coverage going on". Rather than taking the opportunity to show a softer side of yourself, you managed to cement your image as a hard-bitten strongman.
Sir, I may have asked too many questions here but as a first-time visitor to your "poor" country, I was left in total shock at how your city is much more beautiful than my own Bangkok. Your city has everything and yet you still have your begging bowl out asking for money from richer countries.
Umesh Pandey is Asia Focus Editor, Bangkok Post.
7 comments:
It's the foreign descendants living in Thailand that are usually condescending towards Cambodia, especially Chinese-Thais, but in this case he's from another background. Native central Thai are usually ignorant about Cambodia and rural Thais are easy prey for nationalist propaganda. However this journalist fail to see his own hypocrisy, Thailand got to be where it is b/c of foreign investors too, and foreign investors are still pouring money in.
Dude,Umesh pandey!
What's the hect you're saying!? Pm hun sen look like gangste,behavor like gangster,oh,dont hate you should appreciate and learn from him the school is called "Jungle school the professor name uncle Ho"still open to public its location is in the city called Hanoi.
I love Umesh Pandey he said almost true, PM has transformed Khmer to be beggar and exported them to its neighbour that no Khmer leaders ever dare do this before, for himself he keep bagging for money from any country who he visited or visited him. This is strategy to hide his corruption government from being shown. He kept saying Cambodian poor is just cover up his crony fortune. From 1979 everybody poor but now his crony very rich because his crony is allowed to have fortune and others is not his crony to be beggar.
If we look at his cronies such Sok Kong who he has billion of dollars for his casino in Bokor mountain, where those monies came from apart from steal ours ancestor Angkor Wat incomes, Angkor Wat belong to Khmer in name only but incomes from Angkor belong to Sok Kong and Sok … Vietnamese origin.
PM allow imbalance trade, the trade surplus from other country display goods in every market in Cambodia controlled by his crony or other word monopoly (not allow competition with his crony). Unesh Pandey spent 3 days in Cambodian capital he guest is almost right if he stay in Cambodia more than three days he will get 100% right. Good work 3 days in Cambodian capital.
Beggar is still better than robber.
The life in today Cambodia is very hectic and not different from other parts of the world. Of course, it is not too bad as Calcutta, a city in India.
Beggars is not bad to a compassion loving individual like you and me that understand basic needs to survive in the country that have zero opportunity to anyone, if you are not well connect to those Cpp cronies.India super rich country but has beggars every corner of their city,almighty America super rich and the country giving the opportunity to all it citizens or none alike.but still have beggars in every citiesin U.S.I believe if all those beggars Khmer people were giving an opportunity,jobs or just hire to work as servant they will do for less without complaint or work themselves to death to provide for their family,there will be no more beggars on any street in Cambodia.Remember,Hun Sen and his cronies were not born riches ,they stole from the country to make themselves riches,they are a thief of Khmer's society in this generation, they all(Cpp) the thief from the jungle thatwise they don't have mercy for the poors.
I read Mr. Pandey' article and I think he stated the facts. As a Khmer, I agreed with his statements.
All billion of dollars from donors or borrowed from foreigners go to feed Yuon army hiding in Cambodia, and every night Yuon collect money from Khmers hard working people to support Yuon economy, and the Hun Sen gangsters live in a castle while our people left no food no clothes, no places to live anymore.
Why are we Khmers not seeing? Instead of throwing a rebuttal to Mr. Pandey, why not accepting instead of denying?
Yuon use the ignorant brutal Khmer Rouge peasants to sit on the PM chair while Yuon control everything.
As I have said, DUMB Khmer only enjoys blamings everyone but themself.
Mr Pandey (Sanskirt word, meaning earth, if I am right) is an honest man, an educated and fast in detailed. After 3 days of visiting Khmer, he couldn understand why such a poor and uneducated country with billions of dollars flowing into the country goes missing every year.
How can the DUMB Khmer not see it? Stop blaming the YOUN, its the CPP steal your money!!
Stop voting for CPP DUMB Khmer!
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