Cambodian hopes and Western shame

The guy I go to get my haircut beside my work once asked me if Australia was close to England. He thought France, America, England and Australia were all beside each other. In fact, he said that for him, they were all the same country. When you think about it, this isn't as strange as you first think. The people he would have met from these countries would mostly have been white, dressed similarly and spoke with him in English.

Other people, such as those that I work with, have more international knowledge and indeed aspire to be like other countries. In a previous blog I wrote about the allure of Obama and America that exists  in Cambodia, but the more I speak to people, the more I realise that it is only an idealised knowledge of America and other countries that many have.

Before the Cambodian election, Cambodians would discuss how the playing field for the election might not be level, because the ruling party controlled the media, had garnered huge finances and generally had the apparatus of the state at their disposal. I would be asked how fair campaign finance, an objective, independent media or judicial independence was organised in other countries, with the clear belief that they existed in America or the UK. I felt slightly ashamed.

Currently, the election disputes continue. The ruling party released their results on the day of the election on state TV saying they won 68 seats and the opposition 55. The opposition has rejected these saying there has been widespread manipulation. The National Election Committee (NEC) has, as expected, rejected these claims after a quick investigation. The NEC has not announced official results for each seat yet but have released total votes by province which supports the Government's version of results. The denouement is approaching.

The opposition is now lobbying the UN to get involved, and friends are asking me about whether the UN would get involved if potential protests were met with armed police and soldiers. When we talk about this, you can see people staring into the distance, or more accurately the future, as they contemplate what may happen. The Government has made sure they don't have to look too far to notice the extra soldiers around Phnom Penh.

Cambodians have a good experience of the UN, having been governed by the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia in 1992-93 which ended with the King returning, an elected government and much greater peace. This feeds the belief amongst some that the UN must intervene, because the UN is on the side of justice and right and opposing electoral fraud and corruption are surely these.

Unfortunately, their lack of international knowledge means that there is little realisation that the UN cannot act without the consent of the Security Council, which takes us back to individual countries like America, the UK and China. They ask me about Egypt, the 650 deaths and why the UN has not intervened. The implication is a fear that if 650 Cambodians die, nobody will come to help.

I am about to leave to go back to the UK for a week, with a greater understanding that what we do over there serves as an example to people who believe that their country should enjoy honest politicians, a free and objective media, independent courts and freedom of speech. We weaken their cause when we set a different example.

Gordon
PS, by different example, I mean arresting a man because his partner wrote articles about a man who exposed the truth that democratic Governments were spying on their own citizens to a huge extent.

Angkor Wat explains a lost love in election

Since 2003, the Cambodian GDP has grown at an average of 7% per year. Life expectancy has risen from 59 to 63 over the same period and more people have access to clean water. But when the official results are announced in a couple of weeks, you will find that the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) has lost 22 or 23 of its 90 seats. It has enough to retain a majority, but the opposition party will have won about 56 seats, whilst believing that it actually won more if not most.

For a few days over the election, I was in Siem Reap, and parts of it encapsulates why some people have fallen out of love with the CPP.

Who could say no?

Siem Reap, home to Angkor Wat, has some of the most luxurious hotels I have ever seen and restaurants which would be expensive in London. And like Phnom Penh, you will see large 4x4 Lexus and Range Rovers dominating the roads in amongst people on motos. For a province in which the Tonle Sap floods annually, the trickle down of these riches remain dry; Siem Reap is the second poorest province in Cambodia. It is a place where 2 million internationals come to visit but in which local people leave for Thailand in order to find work.

This juxtaposition of garish wealth and enduring poverty does not go unnoticed. During the election campaign in Phnom Penh, it was noticeable how many expensive cars also had CPP stickers or flags on them. The symbolism of who would benefit from a CPP victory stark. For some, the distaste runs deeper than a gap in wealth, being borne from a sense that Cambodia itself is being sold for others to profit from.

People queueing up to vote in a polling station (a school). You could vote from 7am - 3pm. At 4pm, it started raining - impeccable timing. 

Sokimex is a company ubiquitous because of the number of petrol stations that it has dotted on the highways. It has also managed to secure a 99-year lease on managing, and taking large revenues from, the Angkor Wat Archaeological Park. People find it strange that the building that appears on their flag can be leased to a private company to make huge profits from. 

In my area of work here, education, one statistic stood out for me. Between 2009 and 2012, there was only 1 province of 24 in which primary net enrolment fell (% of children aged 6-11 enrolled in primary school). That province was Siem Reap. When local people look around at all of the wealth, they do not feel that they or pubic services are benefiting. (Plus, they complain about the price of petrol. Clinton's mantra could actually have been "It's the price of petrol, stupid"). 

Just voted and got the ink to prove it. My tuk tuk driver friend was able to wash the ink off quite easily, which caused some to joke that he wasn't actually Khmer (because he hadn't been able to vote). Others found it a more serious issue because of potential double voting, which has been alleged.

When in the Angkor Wat Park, my bicycle got a flat tyre. A tuk tuk driver offered to put my bike and me in his tuk tuk and drive me to the nearest bicycle repair shop, which are not common in an archaeological park. After deflecting his questions about who I thought would win or which leader I liked more, I asked him who he voted for. He told me that before he "loved" the CPP, but now, he voted for the opposition. He was not happy, he wanted change. 

The man was speaking Khmer to me, so he knew the word that he was using, and he deliberately used the word love. The jilted lover that is the CPP now has to decide whether to go it alone or change its ways, and the new mistress (Cambodian National Rescue Party) will have to decide whether to push for a full-blown messy divorce based on a belief that they won the election or be content to wait for five years. 

Make love, not war. Supporters from Funcinpec and Cambodian National Rescue Party shake hands during a parade before the election. Funcinpec used to be a coalition partner of the CPP, has royalist links and lost all of its seats in this year's election. 

I think most are hoping that both sides choose their latter options. 

Lots of love folks

Gordon

Postscript added 31.07.13
My last sentence should have read:
I think some are hoping that both sides choose their latter options, whilst for others, it's not just a case of whether the CNRP accepts a CPP government or not, but whether the people will accept a CPP government or not.

Speaking to some more people today, admittedly in CNRP hotbed country (Phnom Penh), they say that everybody now knows that the CNRP won the election, so if the people have asked for change, change is what should happen. The CNRP has taken the first step to rejecting the CPP's unofficial results by releasing their own provisional results showing they won at least  63 of the 123 seats. Enough to form a government.

The more support shown for the CNRP, the bolder more people are becoming. Weeks ago people would have been frightened of speaking out, but now they feel that they are the ones in the majority and cannot be silenced. When asked about possible violent repercussions if the CNRP demands CPP hands over power, they said that the CNRP must not back down.

A view of home from afar

Claire and I were back home for a few weeks, and when I got back to Cambodia (Claire's still home), there were a few people who said that they had seen our Facebook photos and were so surprised how beautiful Scotland was. And I felt like saying that those weren't even the best bits!

Best bit no. 1: Beautiful beaches - clear blue water; pure white sands; nobody in sight. 

When I was home, I noticed the huge media focus on the referendum on Scottish independence that will be held on 18th Sept 2014. Since we have an international audience (the Google analytics tells us so), I'll give a quick overview or watch the start of this you-tube video. The King of Scotland became the King of England & Wales in 1603 but Scotland and England & Wales kept their separate governments and parliaments until 1707, when the governments and parliaments joined (Scotland has since got a devolved parliament again), and now we have the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The arguments for either side have been rehearsed for years: Scotland benefits economically from being part of the UK; Scotland could be richer if it had control of its oil and not tied to an economy built around London. Scotland has a greater voice and influence as part of the UK; Scotland has unique interests and opinions that are neglected as part of  the UK.

Best bit no.2: The Callanish stones (& other historical stuff) - we even have our own Stonehenge - again with nobody there!

Most of the time, the argument predictably focusses on economics. However, economists don't have a great record of predicting three years in advance never mind decades or centuries, which is what we're talking about here. The vote on independence isn't about the next five or ten years, it's about the next two or three hundred years.

This is why I find it strange that people are so concerned about the process of change if independence happens. It's like basing a decision on where to live for 30 years on whether you can be bothered spending one week packing and unpacking and trying to figure out where everything will go. Anyway, it is this uncertainty surrounding what changes might be needed and the numerous things that would have to be sorted out, that campaigners and the media (most of the media covered stories opposing independence) are focussing on.

Best bit no.3: The stillness of snow - not enough to stop you doing anything or freezing, but enough to go sledging, make things look pretty and create an amazing quiet as the snow muffles all sounds.

In Cambodia, the general election will happen on 28th July and the ruling party has also been using the uncertainty about what would happen if they lost as a campaigning tactic. The Prime Minister warned that the country could descend back into war if they lost (not a threat, just a prediction). Cambodians have said that this is very powerful given that change in 1970 led to civil war, change in '75 led to the Khmer Rouge, and change in '79 led to more civil war and refugee camps. Things are a lot better now so you could understand any reluctance to "gamble" on change.

Another tactic here is the politicisation of the civil service. This basically means that to get a job as a civil servant at any level - teacher, policeman, doctor - you have to join the ruling party and then pay party membership fees. Then at elections, you are expected to be out there campaigning with your t-shirt and cap giving out gifts (traditional scarves, money) to people in your community.

Best bit no.4: Men in kilts - even ugly Scots feel that they could give Brad Pitt a run for his money when they've got a kilt on

This hardly makes it a level playing field. The British tradition of a completely neutral civil service with separation of party and government has certainly not found favour here. Nor is it always found in the UK. I noticed many media reports quote a "Treasury spokesperson", which gives the impression of it being a civil servant from that department and thus neutral. In this one, a "Treasury spokesperson" presents as fact that Scotland would be better off in the Union. The truth is that the spokesperson is probably a politically appointed Special Adviser to the Treasury Minister who is a member of a party opposes Scottish independence.

Anyway, as a Scot in Cambodia I'm not allowed to vote in the election here and if we're still here at the time of the referendum in Scotland, I'm not sure that it would be right to vote given I've not lived there for what will be 6 years. Anyway, that was my answer when a mischievous German guy asked me how I would vote when I was standing next to the UK ambassador here.

Best bit no.5: The green - a wise man once told me that if it wasn't for the rain, you wouldn't get the green. 

I will leave you with one more pic. This was the view from our bed and breakfast when Claire went to Skye before Harris (beach pic above) and Lewis (Callanish Stones). Despite the negativity of those who say Scotland is too rubbish to go it alone or those who say we're rubbish because we're not alone, it's not a bad place really.

Gordon