Dear Khmerization
This is Peter from California. I recently changed my name from Rocky to Peter. I once contacted you before to publish an article about “who is Khom” a while ago. I hope you still remember me. Now I want to ask you for a favor to publish me another article “The Dead Aid: Does Foreign Financial Aid is Really Work?”
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The Dead Aid: does foreign financial aid really work?
I am not really sure yet, but let me lay it out straight on the paper. I feel that foreign financial aid to most of underdeveloped country is just like a heroin drug that makes the underdeveloped countries become addicted. I am not saying to all countries. In my conclusion, the financial aid is not an effective way to help the poor country; in contrast, it is just a waste both in time and resources, even though it will be considered as a good-will by donors. If you want to join and share your ideas, then you welcome to joint me.
Does foreign financial aid really work? As a Cambodian citizen, I consider Cambodia as my mother country. I have heard that this country donates, this organization gives $$ millions and that country gave $$$ millions every year. Sometimes, the aid reached to a billion of dollars a year, just like China a month ago. What a great amount of money? As a case in point, this is only just a small country like Cambodia. How about the other countries? How many countries like Cambodia in the world? What would be the final amount of money if we actually add those money together? For Cambodia, among the donors countries, China , at the moment, is the largest donor to Cambodia. Honestly, a part of my mind really wants to appreciate those countries that are helping Cambodia whether by financial or other form of picture of humanitarian help; however, the other part of me keeps asking: does it really work?
The fund or aid usually come in package, some have conditional obligation attached and some do not. Such as China tends to offer a free-obligation aid to Cambodian government but the western countries tend to put some specific conditions before they can release the money. In addition, the world body institutions, such IMF and World Bank, also offer some kind of conditional aids to the Cambodian government also, and most of the funds are using in humanitarian purpose such as health care and infrastructure; even though, some aid use for political purpose in form of appreciation.
Unfortunately, those money do not seem to work as it supposed to be. Instead, almost 50% of the aid fund have been misappropriated, in other word disappeared, according to the daily news paper, you can Google it. Maybe the term "Corruption" is better fit than "disappearing". And of course we all know that there is no such a perfect society in the world that is corruption free. But maximize the effect of the fund is what all donors hope for.
To me personally, I tend to call current Cambodian government economic policy as "Beggar" policy, because it seems like every where their official cabinet go and do their official jobs, it does not matter domestically or internationally, they always finish with a begging policy. Such as this project and there projects. As recently, Cambodia government had asked for cancellation of the old debt from the United States. So how can a nation-state put its national reputation and live on other nations' hand? where is their honor as a sovereign state as it claimed. This is really shameful. But please don't misjudge the general Cambodian. As tourist visit Cambodia especially the Angkor area. Every single tourist encounter beggars at least once in their whole trip if not all the time. This poor Cambodian kids and beggars are the victims of the current government policy, the "beggar" economic policy. But I pledge to all tourists, if you counter them please don't hate them but instead show some sympathy to them; even though, if you can not give them some money, but just only your good will heart of "poor you" in your mind should be enough. This is how the foreign financial fund program was created internationally, and that is why, regardless to the current Cambodian government action, policy, and corruption, they still get financial fund from the foreign countries around the world. If you might think that I am implying that the government just want to keep those poor people around in order to get some more fund, actually it is not what I mean, but maybe in reality it is one of those reasons too. You make your own judgment.
The point is the government should take responsibility for the poor. The pictures of disability, homeless, widow, thick face, and robbery are all the real face of the government. The people are just mirror that reflect the true government's policy and their incapable policy.
So why I claim that those foreign financial aid is not really work? because those money is just like an addict drug that they got it for free without doing nothing. So whenever it run out, they are going to beg some more regardless how they use them, whether for the people or for their own personal interest. Remember what happened between Thailand and Cambodia couple month ago about the loan to build the national road 68 along the Thai and Cambodian border. It was really hurt when we were turned down regardless of any reason. Yeah, I know there was some political and nationalism reasons get involved. However, there is national pride get involve with the issue. So it does not matter how much amount of money they receive, whether billions or trillion of dollars, as long as there is no reliable economic policy exist, Cambodia will be the beggar for the rest of its national live; and we don't want to be like that. Therefore, I think instead of wasting time to go out and beg some people money, they should concentrate on their own feet, find resolution, and create a reliable national economic plan for the sake of Cambodia, Cambodian citizens, and maybe for the Cambodian ancestors, the Angkorian people. So whoever read my blog from the start until now, it does not matter you understand what I talk above or not but if you understand the follow sentence that I am going to say right now then you fully understand what I mean.
"For the readers, regardless what nationality you are, you tell me what do you see when you go to visit Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia and you see a group of beggar kids come to beg you some money with their broken English, French, Japanese, Chinese,... in front of Angkor Wat temple which is well-known to the world as the world greatest religious monument in the world? please tell me or you tell your self quietly if you don't want to talk out loud.
This is Peter from California. I recently changed my name from Rocky to Peter. I once contacted you before to publish an article about “who is Khom” a while ago. I hope you still remember me. Now I want to ask you for a favor to publish me another article “The Dead Aid: Does Foreign Financial Aid is Really Work?”
--------------------------------------
The Dead Aid: does foreign financial aid really work?
I am not really sure yet, but let me lay it out straight on the paper. I feel that foreign financial aid to most of underdeveloped country is just like a heroin drug that makes the underdeveloped countries become addicted. I am not saying to all countries. In my conclusion, the financial aid is not an effective way to help the poor country; in contrast, it is just a waste both in time and resources, even though it will be considered as a good-will by donors. If you want to join and share your ideas, then you welcome to joint me.
Does foreign financial aid really work? As a Cambodian citizen, I consider Cambodia as my mother country. I have heard that this country donates, this organization gives $$ millions and that country gave $$$ millions every year. Sometimes, the aid reached to a billion of dollars a year, just like China a month ago. What a great amount of money? As a case in point, this is only just a small country like Cambodia. How about the other countries? How many countries like Cambodia in the world? What would be the final amount of money if we actually add those money together? For Cambodia, among the donors countries, China , at the moment, is the largest donor to Cambodia. Honestly, a part of my mind really wants to appreciate those countries that are helping Cambodia whether by financial or other form of picture of humanitarian help; however, the other part of me keeps asking: does it really work?
The fund or aid usually come in package, some have conditional obligation attached and some do not. Such as China tends to offer a free-obligation aid to Cambodian government but the western countries tend to put some specific conditions before they can release the money. In addition, the world body institutions, such IMF and World Bank, also offer some kind of conditional aids to the Cambodian government also, and most of the funds are using in humanitarian purpose such as health care and infrastructure; even though, some aid use for political purpose in form of appreciation.
Unfortunately, those money do not seem to work as it supposed to be. Instead, almost 50% of the aid fund have been misappropriated, in other word disappeared, according to the daily news paper, you can Google it. Maybe the term "Corruption" is better fit than "disappearing". And of course we all know that there is no such a perfect society in the world that is corruption free. But maximize the effect of the fund is what all donors hope for.
To me personally, I tend to call current Cambodian government economic policy as "Beggar" policy, because it seems like every where their official cabinet go and do their official jobs, it does not matter domestically or internationally, they always finish with a begging policy. Such as this project and there projects. As recently, Cambodia government had asked for cancellation of the old debt from the United States. So how can a nation-state put its national reputation and live on other nations' hand? where is their honor as a sovereign state as it claimed. This is really shameful. But please don't misjudge the general Cambodian. As tourist visit Cambodia especially the Angkor area. Every single tourist encounter beggars at least once in their whole trip if not all the time. This poor Cambodian kids and beggars are the victims of the current government policy, the "beggar" economic policy. But I pledge to all tourists, if you counter them please don't hate them but instead show some sympathy to them; even though, if you can not give them some money, but just only your good will heart of "poor you" in your mind should be enough. This is how the foreign financial fund program was created internationally, and that is why, regardless to the current Cambodian government action, policy, and corruption, they still get financial fund from the foreign countries around the world. If you might think that I am implying that the government just want to keep those poor people around in order to get some more fund, actually it is not what I mean, but maybe in reality it is one of those reasons too. You make your own judgment.
The point is the government should take responsibility for the poor. The pictures of disability, homeless, widow, thick face, and robbery are all the real face of the government. The people are just mirror that reflect the true government's policy and their incapable policy.
So why I claim that those foreign financial aid is not really work? because those money is just like an addict drug that they got it for free without doing nothing. So whenever it run out, they are going to beg some more regardless how they use them, whether for the people or for their own personal interest. Remember what happened between Thailand and Cambodia couple month ago about the loan to build the national road 68 along the Thai and Cambodian border. It was really hurt when we were turned down regardless of any reason. Yeah, I know there was some political and nationalism reasons get involved. However, there is national pride get involve with the issue. So it does not matter how much amount of money they receive, whether billions or trillion of dollars, as long as there is no reliable economic policy exist, Cambodia will be the beggar for the rest of its national live; and we don't want to be like that. Therefore, I think instead of wasting time to go out and beg some people money, they should concentrate on their own feet, find resolution, and create a reliable national economic plan for the sake of Cambodia, Cambodian citizens, and maybe for the Cambodian ancestors, the Angkorian people. So whoever read my blog from the start until now, it does not matter you understand what I talk above or not but if you understand the follow sentence that I am going to say right now then you fully understand what I mean.
"For the readers, regardless what nationality you are, you tell me what do you see when you go to visit Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia and you see a group of beggar kids come to beg you some money with their broken English, French, Japanese, Chinese,... in front of Angkor Wat temple which is well-known to the world as the world greatest religious monument in the world? please tell me or you tell your self quietly if you don't want to talk out loud.
Peter Na
15 comments:
yes, i agree with you petter na, combodia goverment should start to warlk by their own feet little by little and start to look into those needy people, and start to do somethings.
where do you thinkg those khmer riches fatured in Andrew Marshall's report get the money from ?
the aid enriches the pockets of the ruling elites forst, before they give what is left to building a few roads.
mayber it only looks good on paper. we only believe so when we see real changes and real concrete benefit in cambodia to the khmer people, in general. look at the philipines during the marco administration, they are supported by outside assistance and they were the most corrupted country in the world at that time ( for example, imelda marco is well known for owing 10 thousand pairs of shoes, just to name a few). so careful with outside, flattering aide, unless it goes directly to the grass-root. i think technical assistance is the best form of assistance to cambodia. plus, monetary assistance tend to goes to pay the salaries of the agencies out there and very little left over for the much needed cambodia and our khmer people, really! think about it!
7:57 AM, they stole it from the Cambodian nation and stole it from foreign aid too. They are leeches that sucked Khmer blood.
AID for cambodia it good, if we used for the right things. Leader must show the comimtment and layout the policy make sure it good for the nation. Not for family or your group. if not for the nation people lost confident on the government. So something will happen. But i hope MP HUN SEN should khown about that. KHMER SOTH, USA
Any one believe in one World Government? Their plan is to eliminated many people of the face of the earth as possible. Cambodia is one of their targets. They want to keep you poor. They will continue to hand out sliver of bones just so the people won't all die at once.
See how the tribunal court system spending millions of dollars to bring justice to the victims. All is a ploy while millions will die of AIDS. You won't like the world dictator if you think Hun Sen is bad.
The only hope for Cambodia is when the Khmer people lay down their pride and come together, look at each other in the faces and make a resolution to put away killing saying: It's time to make alive, let us be brothers and seek each others welfare. Love your neighbor as yourself. Look out for one another and not just your own need.
If we lay this foundation, it will stand firm and have hope for the future for however long the future will last.
Lets have some moral codes to live by.
Another problem with all this aid is that the Cambodian government doesn't need to listen to the Cambodian people. Instead, they only have to make the donor nations happy. If the government depends on taxes, then the people will have much more power to hold the government accountable and demand the government meet their needs. When the government's job is to make the donor nations happy, then you have to ask what the donor nations want. Justice? Peace? No, stability. Prosperity for Cambodians? No, prosperity for the foreign businesses working in Cambodia. Democracy? No, a government they can work with.
Yes, you're right Peter I fully agree with you. Cambodia has to do something to get survive not just to go and beg money from foreigners.
This is one of the poorest country in the world, people are living in deeply poverty but Gov't officers are living in luxury life....even a low rank custom officers can owns villas, luxury cars and many thing more......They never care about the people just the interest of their group, family....
I've no idea when will all these disgusting things gone or Cambodia will be forever beggar?
Hi guys. This is me Peter. The real author of this article. Thank for sharring the ideas. I will welcome both critic and support. It is ok to go against my ideas, you are always welcome. You can also check my real Blog website http://khmerbrain.wordpress.com/ if you want to read any other articles.
Thank alot.
Peter Na
Cambodia IS NOT POOR, it is badly organized which makes it open to corruption. If Phnom Penh cannot organize a rubbish collection service for the city how can they have the skills needed to run a country.
I am an American that has visited the various sites around Siam Reap several times. NOT ONCE did I encounter any real beggars. Sure, there are children all over the place, but they all had something to offer for sale, be it some t-shirts, some foods from their mother's nearby noodle stall, or their own version of a guide service. The kids were all delightful and well mannered. Most of them knew a little of several languages and world geography and seemed very bright. The ones I met were very proud of their country and more than willing to tell anyone about life in Cambodia. These charming children add a nice contrast to the centuries-old temples and certainly are an asset to Cambodia and a vision of hope for the future.
There are many forms of financial aid. So which one the author refering to?
As I mentioned above. The form of money come in diferent form such as loan and sometime free money as aid. I am not saying that all of those money are useless, but how they were misuses. The point is those aid were not honestly used as it suppose to be used. In addition, as a sovereign state which stand equal to the other states, it should has its own sufficient national economic plan.
This is so true in a case of Cambodia and Laos
To Andy: wow that is something new. Why I never though about that. You are so d... right. Thank for you comment. It really enlighted me alot.
Peter
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