Phnom Penh Post, Issue 16 / 01, January 12 - 25, 2007
David Lempert cannot have too many friends, especially in Cambodia, with a "crooked" conclusion that a civil war awaits the country ("Foreign aid: Creating Conditions for the Next Civil War," Post, December 29, 2007).
Few can see beyond the current rosy picture of the economy which is based on, as Lempert puts it, exploitation and selling off resources, rather than sustainable development. It is easy to dismiss Lempert's thesis with the recent discovery of oil and gas reserves and other potential discoveries that can last the country for some time - too long to appreciate the implications. It seems the exploitation and sale of assets will continue without much consideration given to Lempert's concerns. The best Lempert and his school of thought can hope for is that the trickle effect will do the job of spreading the economic benefits to the poor majority fast enough to avert the civil war.
It is ironic that water management, which gave Cambodia the Angkor temples, could now take them away. The irrigation policy of Khmer leaders in the first millennium pushed Cambodia to its peak, leaving those glorious temples. They are now in danger of collapsing due to water mismanagement in Siem Reap City in the past decade. The ground supporting Angkor becomes brittle as the deep underground water has been heavily pumped to cater for the anarchic tourism development in the city.
I take my hat off to Dr Lempert. - Bun Buno, Australia
Few can see beyond the current rosy picture of the economy which is based on, as Lempert puts it, exploitation and selling off resources, rather than sustainable development. It is easy to dismiss Lempert's thesis with the recent discovery of oil and gas reserves and other potential discoveries that can last the country for some time - too long to appreciate the implications. It seems the exploitation and sale of assets will continue without much consideration given to Lempert's concerns. The best Lempert and his school of thought can hope for is that the trickle effect will do the job of spreading the economic benefits to the poor majority fast enough to avert the civil war.
It is ironic that water management, which gave Cambodia the Angkor temples, could now take them away. The irrigation policy of Khmer leaders in the first millennium pushed Cambodia to its peak, leaving those glorious temples. They are now in danger of collapsing due to water mismanagement in Siem Reap City in the past decade. The ground supporting Angkor becomes brittle as the deep underground water has been heavily pumped to cater for the anarchic tourism development in the city.
I take my hat off to Dr Lempert. - Bun Buno, Australia
3 comments:
These people are worrying too much.
SiS
When knowledgeable people can see far into the future and they have every right to worry only AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave don't to see that far into the future!!! AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave couldn't even see beyond January 7, 1979!!!!
to 12:57pm, can you give the reasons why you are not worrying.
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