Silenfores, Land-grabbing is a major problem facing Cambodian small farmers, peasants and poor. It is horrible to have the feeling that sooner or later your land and home will be stolen from you and there is nothing you can do to stop it. I wonder if PM Hun Sen and other officials ever have such a feeling like that. During last year electoral campaign, the issue was raised and put in front of Cambodian voters. However, most voters didn't think that it (land-grabbing) would happen to them. Additionally, the reasons why they didn't vote on this issue because they didn't belief that the oppositions could solve this issue either. Many felt that all politicians are the same and if the oppositions won the election, they would be more corrupt than the current officials. They believed that in Cambodian society poor people (if elected) tend to be more corrupt. Looking back to my experience in dealing with many politicians, I have to agree with the voters who thought that politicians are more or less the same. This is not to say that everyone is corrupt, but the majority are. My messages are always the same-- if you (politicians) are corrupt, you cannot blame on corruption by others. You just don't have that moral authority. Some writers put the blame on the Khmer Rouge era for the today's corruption and land-grabbing due to the fact that most of land and other documents were destroyed. We cannot use the Khmer Rouge as the scapegoat for everything that happens today. Leasing land to the neighboring countries and to the Gulf States for farming is a new problem and the government of both countries cannot practice forced evictions in the name of economic development just to please a few greedy investors (at the expense of poor and powerless Cambodians.) Regards, ======== In a message dated 6/10/2009 11:50:53 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, [email protected] writes:
Timo, Good topic on stealing, I am amazed at your facts and findings. I hope your friend’s bad experience will not demoralize him in starting a new venture somewhere else. Stealing like this is likes cancer cells that are killing their own host in which cells has to die too when the host die. Stealing is so wrong because it’s like owing other people money and materials. When people steal, it’s mean they show lacking. The practice of stealing transfer serves the purpose ones temporarily, but may cause others to loss balance and hope in the course of servings and creating more which are good for humanity. In the practice stealing of lands by the government officials from the farmers are they throw the farmers off balance. In due course there will be less food for the country; consequently it increases the levels of corruptions, poverties and insecurities. Lacking is the opposite of the ability to create wealth and materials. One of the acts of lacking is by stealing. Those who did it would automatically attract more of the same lacking to them. Hence, no debt will go unpaid. The more they steal, the more lacking they will be. High ranking government officials fall into this category too. They might already have a million dollars, but the lacking mind wants more. Corruptions and stealing go together hand in hand to make good laws unenforceable. Bear in mind, there is nothing worst than seeing small children go hungry. My heart will always go out to them. On Jun 10, 1:27 pm, [email protected] wrote: > During my stays in Cambodia, I have met/interviewed with young men and > women who were HS students and University students about their future. Most > of them had minimized their hope just to work in a factory, go overseas as > laborer in foreign countries or simply hope for government jobs so they > might land in "kanleng klanh" or gold mine in the departments in which you are > talking about. > What scares me the most is not only the corruption in the government > sectors; it is also the corruption in business segments as well as in the whole > society. > A friend of mine used to own a hotel in PP but went out of business due to > his employee's dishonesty. They stole everything ranging from kitchen > utensils, computer chips to bed sheets; that just to name a few. Sometimes the > numbers of days of occupancy in certain rooms shrunk (in paper) from one > week to just 3 days. Workers reported that financial statements were lost due > to computer problems. When the Hotel owner checked the computers, no > chips remained in the CPUs. > You are not going to find out who is corrupt or not corrupt easily because > the bribers and those who receive bribes (bribees?) work together as a > team. It’s the payers, donors and business owners who usually pay the price. > Part of the problems is that most people in Cambodian society accept that > bribery is tolerable and it is a part of their life. Government is still in > denial that the level of corruption in Cambodia is not bad and that there is > corruption in every country hence don't worry about it. > It is ashamed to say that in politics, too, you will find the level of > corruption, nepotism and favoritism, etc… in the same proportion in all > political groups. When clean politicians are corrupt, corrupt politicians are > clean then clean equal corrupt. Can you figure out that equation? Political > contributions given to politicians to fight corruption, justice and freedom > have been used to feed politicians, their family members and friends. > Who/what is left to fight this monster called corruption? > Most Cambodians have not learned that when everyone in the household steal > from their own family, only their neighbors will get richer. No wonder why > Cambodia is shrunk to where it is today. > ============== > > In a message dated 6/10/2009 8:29:47 A.M. Korea Standard Time, > > [email protected] writes: > > Tim,Absolutely right, it’s not surprised at all. The ruling government > lives on handout from the donors, what do you expected the millions of > poor Cambodian to live on. > > The systems over there are most the corrupted and unproductive. You > reap what you sow, if they don’t sow anything over there, of course > they will have nothing to reap. > > Many people in the cities study real hard just are looking forward to > get out of the country. The systems are unorganized and offer little > opportunities for the populations as whole. > > The corrupted beaurocrates only interested in doing one signature and > get at least $3,000. Someone I know wanted to help Cambodia so he > organized to import agriculture products to sell at his shop. All > those products have to pass about 5 signatures which would get him at > least $15,000 excluding the cost of buying, containers and shipping. > Where can he get the profit from? He also has to wait four weeks to > get right amount he wants. > > In the end he has no choice but to import from Thailand and Vietnam. > > Everyone over there only interested in reaping, but not sow. So, I am > not the least surprised if they are starving. > > On Jun 10, 2:04 am, [email protected] wrote: > > > Interesting! > > > Millions of Cambodians now are at the stage where they just wish to have > > enough food to eat, some basic shelters to cover their head, little > > medication for their illness, peace, justice and freedom to live as > "frustrated > > animal." > > > ======= > > > In a message dated 6/9/2009 8:12:49 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, > > > [email protected] writes: > > > Man is a frustrated animal. For example, the age of 15 years old, he > > would be most happy if he has $2000 to spend. How happy he would be if > > he has $50,000 to spend. Slowly he accumulates it at the age of 30. > > > Let’s make it to $100,000 for spending spree, and he reaches the age > > of 40. > > > No, it’s still not exciting enough; he wants to accumulate it to > > $600,000. At the age of 60 he makes it, but it’s still not enough, he > > wants it more. > > > Finally he reaches his goal and accumulates it to $1,000,000 at the > > age of 80. By this time at this age he would be too tire to enjoy life > > and his money is of little value to him. > > > You go through prep, kindergarten, primary school, high school, > > college, and university and the end result can be disappointing. > > > Man thinks the final end is the most fun, but it’s not true. It’s the > > journey along the ways that count. Stop worrying about this and that. > > Enjoy life to the full whether you are young or old. > > > The world will know how to take care and balance itself out. Look at > > the global recession. Some parts of the world have too much and many > > parts have too little. > > > Although the divine do not take away from the rich and give it to the > > poor, it is reducing the surplus of the rich. If the poor want to be > > rich they have to be efficient in creating something. > > > The nature law is: > > > When it’s efficient it creates and increases. > > When it’s surplus it reduces. > > > **************Download the AOL Classifieds Toolbar for local deals at > your > > fingertips. > > (http://toolbar.aol.com/aolclassifieds/download.html?ncid=emlcntusdown...) > > **************Download the AOL Classifieds Toolbar for local deals at your > fingertips. > (http://toolbar.aol.com/aolclassifieds/download.html?ncid=emlcntusdown...) **************Download the AOL Classifieds Toolbar for local deals at your fingertips. (http://toolbar.aol.com/aolclassifieds/download.html?ncid=emlcntusdown00000004) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Cambodia Discussion (CAMDISC) - www.cambodia.org" group. This is an unmoderated forum. Please refrain from using foul language. Thank you for your understanding. 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