Interview with Theary Seng

Thursday, 10 July 2008
Written by The Phnom Penh Post

1) When did the old board's term expire?
November 2007. Madam Peung Yok Hiep and Mr. Vi Houi never formally renewed their positions. Chea Vannath is NOT, has never been a CSD Board member. All three have expressly said to donors, to consultants, to Organizational Review members, to CSD staff and management that they are not interested in being Board members. Hence, we find their action that much more baffling.

2) Why do you think they are so reluctant to relinquish their positions on the CSD board?
We live in a society where power is status, status is power. They believe that CSD has influence and thus power. Simply put, the answer is power.

When I took on this role of executive director 2 ¼ years ago, I had 28 staff and encountered a tsunami of institutional, historical problems which had been accumulating for at least the last 10 years of mismanagement and a power struggle between 2 heads who hardly spoke with each other - an internal power and the public face. The 4 member Board wanted nothing to do with the historical implosion and was happy to let my staff and me clean up the mess and play the role simultaneously of management and of Board. It is only when we have stabilized the situation and dramatically grew in scope and portfolio, not to mention national and international recognition, that the Board decided to exploit their formal status by manipulating the vagaries, unclear roles and responsibilities - actually outright lack of Board accountability structure - of the Constitution.

3) Why are they trying to remove you (executive director)? What grounds do they give for this?
Absolutely no grounds. As to motivation, who knows? As who can understand irrationality and envy?

4) What do the donors think of this all?
The donors are rightly as baffled and frustrated as we all are. They are very supportive of CSD and our activities. One or two may be not be used to having a Cambodian woman speak and interact with them as their equals, so again baffling in another regard.

5) Why have things escalated (for example, their bringing military police with them to CSD and releasing media statements) to this extent?
The acts of these 3 individuals (2 former Board, one former executive director) have been ones of obstruction, destruction and immaturity; they reflect a sad and desperate attempt at power, so desperate that they believe they could use illegal MoI force with impunity; very destructive and immature in their use of publicity, to use the threat of destroying CSD as a bargaining chip. How they have acted and their mentality is not very different from the larger mentality of relying on brute power and connections to get one's way.

6) When was the new board elected and who was involved in this process?
For over one year, we were without a functioning Board. The issue of Board membership had been on the table for discussion for many months, with the process of nomination opened to the former existing Board members, the Management Committee and donors. Hence, the new Board members came about after opening the floor for nomination to all these individuals and stakeholders and opening the floor for voting to the former Board members and Management Committee members.

7) How can CSD move forward and resolve this crisis?
CSD is moving forward; this is a non-issue.

8) Do you think this internal dispute will harm the important work CSD does in Cambodia?
No, to the contrary. It has made my staff so much stronger in their ownership and solidarity. It has chipped away at all our unhealthy naivete and unconditional trust of foreigners and people with seniority of age and status. The best way to learn a valuable lesson is in the caldron of experience. We are learning our lessons well, the main one being that every challenge is really only an opportunity in disguise. Additionally, it has created sympathy and empathy from the public who believe in us and trust our voice and work.

9) Where does the Chief Financial Officer stand on this? Do you have the full support of all your staff?
The Finance Manager is superb ! My staff are superb ! I am so proud of each of them. I am truly honored to be working with each of them. Many of them are more than staff but friends and "family".

It should also be noted, we have an international auditing firm who has praised us for our notable improvements from years before.

Crisis at CSD?

Center for Social Development director Theary Seng was voted out of office by one of the group’s two conflicting boards of directors. (Photo: Kay Kimsong)

Friday, 27 June 2008
Written by Sebastian Strangio
The Phnom Penh Post

Crisis has again engulfed the Center for Social Development (CSD), one of Cambodia’s most visible civil society groups, following a leadership dispute that culminated in the alleged dismissal Tuesday of Theary Seng, the organization’s executive director.

Her reported firing came amid uncertainty as to who has legal control of the organization, with two separate boards of directors claiming legitimate decision-making powers.

“The entire board has unanimously resolved to dismiss Theary Seng,” said Vi Houi, a member of a three-member board of directors that claims to be CSD’s key decision-making body.

“The main issue is that Theary has not been accountable to the board. If she doesn’t come to meetings when the board calls a meeting, it means she doesn’t want to do her job,” he said.

According to Houi, the other 11-member board, constituted earlier this year after the old board’s term expired last November, was a legal fabrication, and part of the reason for the executive’s dismissal.

“It’s not legal. It’s not legitimate to disagree with the board and then to go out and organize your own board,” he said. “Staff can’t go out and make their own board. That’s one reason [we have] rushed to dismiss Theary.”

If she refused to step down, Houi added, the next step would be formal legal action. “It’s a very simple thing. She’s the employee, the board is her employer. If she doesn’t want to do what the board says, she can leave.”

However, Theary, who has served as executive director of the CSD since 2006, rejected the decision of the board members, saying that their terms ended in November and have not since been renewed.

“The acts of these three individuals… have been ones of obstruction, destruction and immaturity; they reflect a sad and desperate attempt at power,” Theary told the Post by email. “Simply put, the answer is power.”

She said that the new board was elected according to the organization’s constitution, and that any decision made by the other board has no legal standing.

“The new board members came about after opening the floor for nomination, [which was open] to former existing board members, the management committee and donors,” she said.

The current crisis has cast a shadow over CSD, which has been an active member of Cambodia’s NGO community since it was founded in 1995. But whatever the outcome of the internal dispute, Theary said she is confident it will not impact the organization’s activities.

“It has made my staff much stronger … it has chipped away at all our unhealthy naiveté and unconditional trust of foreigners and people with seniority of age and status,” she said. “CSD is moving forward. This is a non-issue.”