Cambodian-American woman treasures the right to vote

She treasures the right to vote

February 3, 2008
By Russell Contreras,
Globe Staff
The Boston Globe (Massachusetts, USA)

Before the war, before the murders and the mass exodus, Eath Sao remembers, there were elections in Cambodia.

The process seemed no different from what goes on in Lowell, she said. People lined up, went to booths, and cast votes for candidates - similar, with one exception: Corrupt candidates tried to buy votes from residents.

"Voting is so different here," said Sao, who became a citizen four months ago and voted for the first time in Lowell's election in November. "There's no bribing."

The 53-year-old Sao is gearing up for Tuesday's primary, her first federal election since registering to vote. The event in this state is part of the nation's Super Tuesday primaries and could all but decide the Democratic and Republican nominees for president.

Sao would not say what party or whom she is supporting. She would say only that she is excited to be voting and proud to be an American citizen.

"I was happy to become a citizen," Sao said as her daughter, Sophy Theam, 31, translated from Khmer. "I was also happy to see so many other immigrants [at the swearing-in ceremony] and Cambodians there, too."

Asked if she also plans to vote in the general election, Sao looked confused. "She doesn't know the difference yet," Theam explained.

Following an explanation of the differences, Sao then confirmed that, yes, she plans to vote in that election, too.

Born in Cambodia, Sao fled with three daughters from the war-torn country in 1984 and settled in Connecticut. At the time, Cambodia was run by the brutal Khmer Rouge regime that was responsible for the deaths of about 1 million people through torture, mass murders, and starvation.

Like thousands of refugees, Sao came to the United States to start over, or at least to be safe. The years that followed saw her struggling to learn English and trying to navigate around American culture. She picked up the language, somewhat, and began traveling around the country, a little.

But it wasn't until Cambodia began opening its doors to former refugees that Sao decided to become a citizen. With US citizenship, Sao could go back to visit family in Cambodia and not go through all of the bureaucratic paperwork. She also could obtain a dual-citizenship status now that the old regime is gone.

"As a citizen, it would be easier to travel" to Cambodia, she said. And she could also register to vote.

Sao registered to vote in Lowell after moving there to be close to her daughter.

Lowell, though "very cold," is a city that has grown on her and might be a place where she could live "for a long time." Lowell also has a large Cambodian population that makes Sao feel comfortable, she said.

By some estimates, around 30,000 Cambodians live in Lowell. The city has the second-largest Cambodian population in the United States, behind only Long Beach, Calif.

Registering to vote had always had been a goal, Sao said, but it had not happened because it took so long to do all the paperwork for her citizenship. So, for many years, Sao merely observed US elections without taking part.

Now that she can vote, Sao said she believes that other Cambodians should register.

She acknowledged that she knows "some" things about the presidential candidates and has been following the election. By the time she gets in the booth, Sao said, she will know enough.

Good Citizens of Kingdom of Kampuchea

Sat, 26 May 2007
By Jayakhmer
OpEd posted online

In a representative government where people elect their leaders, people should be the ones who have the power. As the 2008 election draws near each day, I have been noticing that people behave a certain way toward the elected officials. As I though again and again about this issue, the conclusions I could come up with are either the elected officials take people for granted or people do not yet understand their important responsibility in a democratic society.

The general election in 2008 will be our fourth democratic election. It is time that we, the people, examine our roles and responsibilities more seriously. If we do not take for responsibility for our action, do not expect our elected officials or our government to do so. After all, we voted for our elected officials that enable them to hold a certain governmental position.

Our most solemn obligation, I could think of as a citizen of the Kingdom in a democratic society, is to vote responsibly.

Once we voted for our party in the election, we grant them a certain privilege to our leaders to lead us. It would be an egregious error on our part to trust our elected official or our party leaders blindly. Although we trust our leader, we must verify by asking questions and verifying issues. To trust alone is not good enough.

A responsible citizen respects his/her elected officials but exercise his or her rights by asking questions and clarifying issues. It is quite natural that some times our elected officials feel uncomfortable about the inquiries. It is our rights to know. As a good and responsible citizen, we are responsible for the direction of our nation. The more we exercise these rights the better it will be for Cambodia and the more our elected officials will get used to it.

The recent spat between the RFA staff and the Prime Minister was a perfect example of good citizenship. The journalists' job is to ask questions and clarify issues so that speculations can be avoided. The Prime Minister should be prepared and welcome this kind of opportunity. The era of following the leaders blindly is over. This applies to all political parties. Government official and party leaders should expect tough questions from constituents and the press.

Although it is your prerogative as citizens to use the way with which you are comfortable, I am not advocating for using of abusive language at all. More often than not abusive language tends to burn bridges and generates harsh responses. Political dialog and political discourses can be done in civilized manner.

I know that decades of wars and conflicts divided us into CPP, Republicans, Democrats, and Royalists. On top of that there are those who are working hard to keep us that way.

But do we have to be divisive? The choice is ours.

We have to change the way we think, the way we vote, and the way we interact with each other if we are to survive as a nation. Make your vote count. Think of ourselves as Khmer as citizens of Kingdom of Kampuchea first before we are as a member of a party.

Remember we, the people, have the power to change the direction of our country. Please exercise your rights and vote responsibly.

Jay