Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Cambodian future seems bleak

April 6, 2011
A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
PACIFIC DAILY NEWS

I had begun writing on a different topic for today's column. On Jan. 21, the U.S.-based International Republican Institute released the results of a survey that said 76 percent of Cambodians are satisfied with the direction of the country, citing infrastructure improvements such as roads, bridges, buildings and schools, and 23 percent say it is headed in the wrong direction, citing corruption, unemployment, poverty and inflation.

Statistics are awesome. They can be made to say many things. They are numbers with no feeling. Only real people laugh and cry. Elite kids spend $2,000 drinking at a nightclub, others scavenge city dumps for food. Functionaries write checks for $50,000 like it's nothing while some citizens, evicted from their only homes, are beaten by police.

During a coffee break, I read the March 28 New York Times "Tools for Thinking" by David Brooks. A day after, Brooks' "More Tools for Thinking" appeared. Then, an email arrived from Phnom Penh. The writer read my column, "Young Khmers key to the future," and said I hit the nail on the head. He described the country's "visible hardware" -- buildings -- everywhere, bemoaned its lack of the much needed "software" -- informed critical thinkers. A strong culture of suspicion and mistrust will "cripple society even deeper into a passive coma," he said.

"Even many of the young are now in this unfortunate trend," he wrote.


His hypothesis about Cambodia's future parallels my own. Cambodia is a nation of youth. More than half of the populace is under the age of 21. The median age is 22.9 years, but Cambodia spends only 1.6 percent of itsGDP on education.

An uneducated populace is consigned to low-skill, low-wage jobs -- 4 million live below the poverty line. As significant is the reality that those who lack education also lack the tangible and intangible resources that catalyze change, a likely calculation of a regime that breeds fear and corruption and disdains its people's rights.

I scrapped my column on the survey. That email redirected me.

Symposium

As regular readers may have surmised, I don't write this column to win popularity. I am trying, in my way, to spark some action from Cambodians, many of whom seem to have their heads in the sand, so to speak. Cambodia's future depends on how its people think. In furtherance of my mission, I came across Brooks' columns referencing a symposium on the mind and society sponsored by the Edge World Question Center.

Columbia University's John McWhorter's "path dependence" got me under way. "Something that seems normal or inevitable today began with a choice that made sense at a particular time in the past, but survived despite the eclipse of the justification of that choice," he wrote.

Creatures of habit, men do what they have always done. When typewriters jammed as people typed too fast, manufacturers designed a keyboard to slow typists down. We don't use typewriters anymore, but with our state-of-the-art computers, Brooks noted we still use "the letter arrangements of the qwerty keyboard."

Evgeny Morozov's "The Net Delusion" says man often tries to solve problems by using solutions that worked in the past, rather than looking at each situation on its own terms. New conflicts are still seen through the prism of Vietnam, the Cold War or Iraq.

Brooks, who noted that many contributors to the Edge symposium discussed the concept of "emergence," wrote that "public life would be vastly improved" if we relied more on this concept.

"Emergent systems," he explained, "are ones in which many different elements interact. The pattern of interaction then produces a new element that is greater than the sum of the parts, which then exercises a top-down influence on the constituent elements."

Culture is an emergent system, Brooks wrote. "A group of people establishes a pattern of interaction. And once that culture exists, it influences how individuals in it behave."

Emergent systems must be studied differently, "as wholes and as nested networks of relationships," Brooks said. He suggested we think "emergently" rather than try to address a problem like poverty through teasing out individual causes.

Fast facts

I have written about the impact of Cambodia's traditional hierarchical culture. Brooks' comments align with my long-held view that culture influences how people behave.

What is supported by the theory of emergent systems is the idea that culture is susceptible to change.

Unfortunately for Cambodians, education and the intellectual capacity that is its outcome, are essential elements to cultural change.

A reminder about how a high-quality education is essential to a meaningful life is found in some fast facts on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's website.

The Foundation notes that a college degree or professional certificate is critical for most young people to achieve success and security in today's labor market. By 2018, 63 percent of U.S. job openings will require college education, and employers will need some 22 million new workers with college degrees, but colleges will fall short by 3 million graduates. U.S. adults ages 55 to 64 are tied for first in the industrialized world in college degree attainment, but young Americans ages 25 to 34 are tied for 10th.

Cambodia's future seems bleak. The generation of Cambodians, my generation, that profited from at least a basic education, will fade away. The young who are left to carry on must grasp the importance of education and find a way to pursue learning. What they think and do now will determine their nation's future.

A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam. Write him at

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dr. Meth, I like to read your column and most of your sentences is picked from some writers, philosophies and leaders and so on. With your educations, experiences and views why don't you write more detail about your own views or predict like ZHUGE LIANG in chinese series 3 KINGDOMS? or some thing similar to that.

Anonymous said...

Bunch of SRP team their braind loaded with giant of (garbage)(negative), you always claim yourself a khmer compatroite or a champ on khmer unity, does criticism will bring any Unity, it dosn't,and it will never be, isn't it right? and your boss Rainsy he is master of criticism do you believe he will make khmer stronger,no it dosn't, wasn't he? and you would agreed with me it only bring more separation amongst khmer would you?. mike

Anonymous said...

9:11 am,

What the hack are you talking about? If your brain couldn't think more, don't be brainless...you are just a bunch of Hun's ass kisses --- this is the wrong block for you to come my man! Don't wast your time -- continue to Kisses Hun's ass because he mights drop a few of his left over shit for you, of course given that not all his dog eat it first -- KO.

Anonymous said...

hey does everyone see how ignorant Cambodia people are? When protesting against land grabbing, people hold signs of the CPP and portraits of Hun Sen and his wife. LOL!! How uneducated the rural Cambodians are, they even still practice black magic and are killing one another because of it. Khmer culture will become nonexistent if it doesn't evolve and adapt to modern times. Revolution was never the key, its education and hope for the young! You old pricks keep complaining about Hun Sen, but I dont see any of your articles like Dr. Meth here. Go eat shit and die.

Anonymous said...

9:11 who want to unity with ah kwavk and corrupted CPP!

May you Youn Vietnamese slaves motherfucker hit by ligthning soom!

Anonymous said...

9:11,

Building without Khmer people stay in it, or road only for Lexus of Hun Sen's clant, or building school without teachers, building thousand and thousand of buddhist temple but none of them has compassion toward other human being! Do you think this is a development? Development for who? Through what mean? Where are Khmer people in Phnom Penh? What language do they speak? What kind of noodle do they eat? They eat soup noodle with the banana flower with beef soup, ot fish soup and prakok - do Khmer people eat this? Mr. Mike...are you getting some less over! Are you jointly responsible to joint the corrupt, and no freedom of speech regime?

Anonymous said...

OK Mr. Mik, you better respond to 10:39 am!! Back up your claim!

Anonymous said...

Your writting make me crying for Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

Any one has record of ah Kwack speach a few day ago asking Cambodian not to take hight education but to be mecanick , lowlewel tchnick so they can find job under his fucking government?

Anonymous said...

Any one has record of ah Kwack speach a few day ago asking Cambodian not to take hight education but to be mecanick , lowlewel tchnick so they can find job under his fucking government?

Anonymous said...

10:41 am,

Don't cry - this is the reality of how khmer people live in Cambodia today! As you can see the six yrs old, instead of him being in school, he has to polish shoes in order to have food to eat. A young six yrs old girl has to take care her 5 mths old brother while her mom has to sell vegetables in order to make 2000 riel enough food for lunch (but what kind of luch do they eat, given 2000 riels=50 cent US dollar). Khmer compatriate, the statistic that Dr. Peang-Meth mention of over 4 million live under the poverty line - this is REAL--there are real faces hehind this numbers!!! Please hear the silent cry out off these poor people for your compassion heart.

I head this from some where -- that god given us two hand - one reach upward and the other one reach downward to those in need. Each of us play significant role in rebuild our country. If you can't help the entire nation, help with your community, if you can't help with your community, help your family, and if you can't help your family --- help yourself! Than you will lighten up the load yourself and others, than the rest of the load will take care themselves!

Please believe in the power and capability that you have. Don't ever think that you are too small or insignificant...if you think of this you haven't meet masquito bitten you!

We are all part of the tempastry to rebuild our nation! Look at Arab's lands, they are in the moverment of brinking democracy for their country...Thus, for how much longer will Khmer realize their true potential and their ability to bring Democracy for their motherland!!

May Buddha bless each and everyone of Khmer younth to realize their potential - Happy Khmer New Year to all Khoun Khmer's soul!

Anonymous said...

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A ch o B y n ch A ch p kh l ch n.

A br ch pr ta A srl B khl n n m'ch ch snh A e!

S B me t k y ch tu d n Sr n pe e, k n ta A o ch B kh.

A ch ch n B. H av b ch B p k d r A?

Ok B ch n ... A Sr l B n n m'c ch snh A e! Ok B.

Ht'kh: Ap A r b B ch n ch n. A ch b ch B.

Anonymous said...

11:50 am,
What is your purpose of writing - isn't for communication? What are you trying to say! Unless this is a new language for Khmer to learn, than you got me! I am still learning how to put the arms, the legs and hair to write Khmer, now another new language???? please explain to us in the lay language!

Anonymous said...

11:50 am,
What is your purpose of writing - isn't for communication? What are you trying to say! Unless this is a new language for Khmer to learn, than you got me! I am still learning how to put the arms, the legs and hair to write Khmer, now another new language???? please explain to us in the lay language!

Anonymous said...

9:54 AM,

Coming from your comment, you are just looking down on poor people, criticizing them. I don't know about, but you need to help educate them and be kind to those people who are poor and helpless and have no place to go after they are illegally evicted by Hun Sen and his CPP members. If you are laughing at them, that means you are one of very bad CPP members. What is the world you are so selfish and heartless? You are an individual who does not have the feeling for those voiceless and helpless people. That is why Sam Rainsy who is there for them. Now, you and your CPP and Hun Sen do nothing to help them. It is not fair for you, Hun Sen and CPP Yuon members talked negative and attack Sam Rainsy. Now, Sam Rainsy was exiled and lives in France to avoid the unjust sentence for 2 years plus 10 years because the accusation of CPP members and Hun Sen, that Sam Rainsy falsified the border between Cambodia and Vietnam. I believe that Hun Sen and CPP sold or gave up the Cambodian farmer's lands to Vietnam at the border. Something is not right for CPP members and Hun Sen have done to the innocent Cambodian people who lost the land to Vietnam at the border. Those poor people need justice and they did nothing wrong.

You need to be kind to those innocent Cambodian people.

Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Most people that live rich in Khmer are corrupted and take bribery for foreigner investor. NO business is going to savior with paying the bribery to High official! NY Times dont know shit. Why dont we get a real Khmer writer or reporter that lived in Cambodia to do the real story. 73% happy...are you guys saveying the Illegal VC living there

Anonymous said...

Cambodia today a must have good education system or it will not be anything tomorrow. Khmer people in Cambodian are too full behind to think for themself or it future. Need to education ours Youth for tomorrow

Anonymous said...

10:37PM! may be you can have good system but where is the teacher?

The blind PhD?

Anonymous said...

Incentive that make people do something, if there is no incentive for teaching = no good teachers!!

Anonymous said...

i'm not cynical about cambodia, really! god bless cambodia.