Cambodia
students hold the Cambodian national flags as they attend the
Independence Day celebration at the Independence Monument in the capital
Phnom Penh.
31 August 2012
PHNOM PENH - The new US ambassador to Cambodia, William Todd, has
initiated an Ambassador’s Youth Council, aimed at engaging young people
in issues of national importance. But the new initiative faces a number
of challenges, including the attitudes of youths themselves.
The ambassador would like to see more young people involved in social and political affairs that affect them, the embassy’s spokesman, Sean McIntosh, told “Hello VOA” Monday.
“If the young people realize what kind of benefit it is for themselves and for their country to take the interest in the serious issues, then those young people will come around and start being engaged,” Sean McIntosh, spokesman for the embassy, told “Hello VOA” on Monday.
Say Mony hosts 'Hello VOA' from Phnom Penh, on 27 August, 2012
The ambassador would like to see more young people involved in social and political affairs that affect them, the embassy’s spokesman, Sean McIntosh, told “Hello VOA” Monday.
“If the young people realize what kind of benefit it is for themselves and for their country to take the interest in the serious issues, then those young people will come around and start being engaged,” Sean McIntosh, spokesman for the embassy, told “Hello VOA” on Monday.
Say Mony hosts 'Hello VOA' from Phnom Penh, on 27 August, 2012
About 70 percent of Cambodia’s population is below the age of 30, making
them a powerful constituency, but few in that demographic are socially
or politically engaged.
Chheng Niem, a Facebook user, wrote recently, “Cambodian youth spend too much time on entertainment.”
McIntosh said Monday that Cambodia’s youth have the potential of getting
more involved in issues once they see how they matter to them and have
someone to inspire them.
Critic warn that getting people involved in serious issues faces a
number of challenges, including their disillusionment with corruption
and poor governance.
“From the primary to tertiary education, young people see only
corruption due to the current bad leadership in Cambodia,” a caller
named Virak said on “Hello VOA.”
“Corruption causes problems for a country when the country wants to have
further development,” McIntosh said. “With any realization of the
negative impacts of corruption, young people want to change that.”
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