Cambodia and its future in Asean

17/01/2011
Dr K. Kesavapany
Bangkok Post

Dr K. Kesavapany, director of Singapore-based Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, which focuses on social, political, and economic developments in Southeast Asia, spoke recently with reporter May Kunmakara of the Phnom Penh Post about the benefits and challenges of Cambodia's membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Q: As a researcher who has been studying Asean-related matters for many years, what do you think are the benefits Cambodia faces as a member of Asean?

A: Cambodia is a small country and on its own it does not have a voice with other bigger countries. But when we join Asean, our voice is magnified ten times because when we speak we speak with another nine countries - that's the first benefit.

Secondly, Cambodia has suffered many setbacks from the civil war, which created terrible problems in terms of manpower, economic damage, and social relocation. So the second benefit is Cambodia is able to recover more quickly, as there is likely to be more investments, technical assistance and knowledge-sharing.

And what about the challenges?

Cambodia's challenges are not so much in being part of Asean. It is situated between six powers - including China on one hand, US on the other and India is becoming stronger. So the big challenge right now is how to maintain independence in the middle of that? We can see [Cambodia has] many challenges in the political field.

Brazier's view contrary to majority of reports

Monday, 01 June 2009
Written by Dr Naranhkiri Tith
Letter to The Phnom Penh Post

Dear Editor,

I read with great disappointment and concern the article "A Future in Balance" by Rod Brazier, the outgoing country director for the Asia Foundation (Phnom Penh Post May 21). In the article, Brazier blames members of the international community in Phnom Penh for being "terribly ignorant about the political economy of Cambodia".

To make his case stronger, he unconvincingly includes himself among those members of the "ignorant" international community. What is more baffling, for a person who has falsely confessed to being ignorant, he goes on to describe in detail what is going in Cambodia, namely that Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) "enjoys widespread support today owing to the stability and economic growth that have occurred in recent years. Outside, it's not well understood that this government is truly very popular, despite some authoritarian tendencies".

Yet by accusing the international community in Phnom Penh of being ignorant of the political economy of Cambodia, Brazier runs contrary to many reports and articles from local and international NGOs. These include the recent report titled "Cambodia: Country for Sale" by [environmental watchdog] Global Witness, the many reports on human rights abuses by the United Nations special representative in Cambodia, and a recent article in the Post titled "Cambodia's curse" by Professor Joel Brinkley of Stanford University on how Hun Sen regime is corrupt and how the legal and judicial system [in Cambodia] is nonexistent. In that same article, Hun Sen was reported to have his own golf course and private army of bodyguards.

It is well-known that Cambodia still does not have an anti-corruption law. Also, a recent report on human rights by the US State Department highlighted the abuse of human rights in Cambodia under Hun Sen. Finally; there are still no answers to the many political assassinations of members of the political opposition parties, journalists and union leaders.

Is this the same Cambodia that Rod Brazier has found "all round, a very good picture for a country that was still at war with itself little more than a decade ago"?

In view of the above observations on the situation, I suggest that either Brazier is not a good observer or his standard of morality and good performance is different from a generally well-accepted standard that is used by most of those whose writings are mentioned by me earlier.

Dr Naranhkiri Tith
Washington, DC

Seeing the financial crisis: What might contraction look like in Cambodia?

Submitted by Stéphane Guimbert
on Tue, 7th April, 2009

Declining revenue of tuk-tuk drivers in Cambodia shows even the informal sector isn't insulated.

Growth forecasts in Cambodia are generating a fair bit of confusion. Many simply question whether it is possible for GDP growth to be lower in 2009 than in the past 15 years.

The World Bank today launches its projection of a 1 percent contraction of the Cambodian economy. This is based on an analysis of available statistics and feedback from a range of economic actors. Yet, to most of my Cambodian friends, it remains hard to conceive.

It is true that "seeing" such a contraction will be difficult. Basically, what it means is that economic activity in 2009 will be pretty much the same as in 2008. So the fact that we continue to have traffic jams in Phnom Penh, see tourists at the Royal Palace, and hear construction machines in many residential areas is consistent with such a projection. What will change, though, is that incomes will not increase this year as fast as past years and it will also become more difficult for the 250,000 young people leaving school each year to find their first job. What also will be different is that with no growth in aggregate, there will be a proportion of those with a livelihood at the end of the year worse than at the beginning.........Read the rest of the article at World Bank Blog.