NGOs work to better Cambodia

December 10, 2008
Opinion by A. Gaffar Peang-Meth
Pacific Daily News (Guam)

With a history of violence and violations of human rights, Cambodia has nevertheless been blessed with the development of a civil society and the assistance of non-governmental organizations, both of which have struggled to survive under the autocratic regime run by what has become -- in intent and purpose since the flawed 1991 Peace Accords -- a monolithic government dominated by the dictates of one man, Hun Sen.

There are local Cambodian NGOs that have given themselves the often thankless task of preparing the groundwork for the country's better future. The Chinese say, one generation plants trees, the next generation gets the shade.

The trouble is, as we're in an age that demands instant gratification, people are generally impatient to wait, especially when they live in a world of self-interested nations that speak of helping the world's poor and underprivileged while through actions they actually strengthen the dictators in power.

This column examines the 1999 Alliance for Conflict Transformation, or ACT, which describes its task of "providing skills and knowledge in the area of conflict resolution and peace-building" (see www.actcambodia.org), and the 1992 Youth Resource Development Program, or YRDP, which states as its program goal to "enable youth to participate actively in building a culture of peace, justice and sustainable development of Cambodia" (see www.yrdp.org), and which aims to support the development of civil society in the country.

Soth Plai Ngarm, the successful Ksach Ploy community organizer and a peace worker about whom I wrote in this space last week, cautioned, "the same conditions, which led to the rise of the Khmer Rouge, ... (are) increasing." He talked about "the massive gap between rich and poor; between provincial (rural) Cambodia and (urban) Phnom Penh," and that "Cambodians hold deep prejudices against one another along ethnic and religious lines."

Working with other local and international NGOs, ACT, now under executive director Ngann Thanak -- Ngarm is now vice chairman of its board of trustees -- says it works to develop a "culture of dialogue, cooperation and peace in Cambodia through innovative training programmes, research, networking and education." It describes its vision of a "positive peace in Cambodia, where basic human needs and human rights are protected and respected by every level of society." It says all its actions are "motivated by a deep commitment to positive change."

"Cambodian society is vulnerable to violent conflict at individual, communal, national, and regional levels," ACT says in its program review, and includes "national reconciliation and healing" as one of the issues it "seeks to empower communities to address."

It's a very tall order, but it's a start. My Oct. 8 "Cambodian reconciliation a slow dance" shows the monumental task Cambodians encounter to reconcile and heal old wounds.

ACT produced a 2006 manual, "Introduction to Peace Studies & Research Methods," for a 12-week introductory instructional course, followed by a 12-week practicum period, written by Ngarm and Tania Miletic. "A commitment to learn through practice is the key behind the training course," the foreword says.

Of interest is Ngarm's "A Conceptual Framework of Conflict Transformation and Peacebuilding," which can be downloaded from the ACT Web site.

YRDP, under executive director Sokha Cheang, maintains political neutrality, non-affiliation with any political party, and non-involvement in political activity. Yet, as YRDP puts it, "Impartiality does not prevent YRDP from promoting its opinion regarding issues of concern."

Its stated goal to "enable youth to participate actively in building a culture of peace, justice and sustainable development of Cambodia" is backed by its program objectives. These include "building peace through developing critical thinking and deep dialogue and applying alternatives to violence," and by its two-part training courses -- a 53-hour core skill on personal development, and 414 hours on specific skills that include conflict resolution, active non-violence, leadership and good governance, and others.

YRDP sees Cambodia's slow "democratic development process" as caused "mainly" by people's inadequate understanding of democracy, and by "many barriers" such as "threats, killings and arrests," a "situation ... (that) scares people" from exercising their rights, and that "strongly affects" their voicing of "concerns and needs."

"In this climate, it is imperative that YRDP continues to provide the critical thinking skills necessary to make judgments and choices," reads a course description.

It says interested students from universities and institutions of higher learning in Cambodia, and "in special cases, senior high school graduates, (Buddhist) monks, some NGOs and government (employees) may join the training course," which is cost-free.

The question is why such a golden opportunity to learn, to be educated, to participate, has not engendered more interest among Cambodians inside and expatriates abroad?

The commendable efforts, and the activities of ACT and YRDP, and several other NGOs not mentioned, should benefit the community, the society, the people, and the country. As YRDP says, "Rice seeds will always produce rice. Rice will not grow from a cactus."

A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years. Write him at peangmeth@yahoo.com.

Critical thinking can improve quality of life

August 27, 2008
By A. Gaffar Peang Meth
Guam Pacific Daily News

At 64, I am still learning every day, and as an educator, I will always champion students' right to a quality education. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically."

My focus on critical thinking relies on the Foundation for Critical Thinking as a primary source. The foundation describes critical thinking as "a core social value" and "a requirement for economic and social survival" in the 21st century. It's a "mode of thinking about any subject, content or problem in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it, and asks "essential questions" to deal with what is "necessary, relevant, and indispensable to a matter at hand."

Those who have read my columns know that I am prone to warning against the usual traps that befall humans, such as denial, blaming, gossiping, arrogance, among others. And I usually end up returning to thinking as the key to one's future, and to "living in goodness" as a basis of society.

I applaud the non-partisan Cambodian non-governmental organization in Phnom Penh, the Youth Resource Development Program, www.yrdp.org, which provides non-formal education to third-level college students (high school graduates in special cases), on "critical and analytical thinking skills" necessary to become "committed citizens" and "active members of society."

Founded in 1992 and formalized as an NGO in 1999, the program is located in Khan Tuol Kork, Cambodia. It says students come to its program "by word of mouth," and pay no tuition.

YRDP defines as its mission, "to strengthen Cambodian youth by developing their social conscience and awareness and by encouraging them to take responsibility for their own future, the future of their own family, their society and their country." It describes its program goal "to empower youth and strengthen their life skills, critical and analytical thinking ... to raise self-confidence, foster a sense of responsibility and enable youth to participate actively in building a culture of peace, justice and the sustainable development of Cambodia."

Some readers say peace is "a state of mind," but the generally accepted human aspirations for contentment, good health, and a level of economic self-sufficiency can't be attained in a world of chaos and disorder where the strong devours the weak. It follows that unless there's justice, there's no peace. Without that foundation, economic development can be little more than a mirage.

For YRDP, "implementing critical thinking in daily life" is the way to "improve quality life." And so, YRDP offers training courses in two parts: the required "core skills" concentrate on personal development ("The future of your country and the quality of your life depend on the quality of your thinking; if you want to change your life, change your thinking") and specific skills include a range of courses participants can select.

"As human beings, ... we cannot avoid conflict or problems, ... but we are able to manage and solve them, ... as a step to building peace," according to the course description on conflict and resolution. In its "active non-violence" course, YRDP aims to provide "skills, strategies, and lessons" by examining the "successful experiences" of people such as Mahatma Gandhi, Moha Ghossananda, Aung San Suu Kyi, "to encourage youth to find effective solutions for promoting peace, justice and development."

Among other training courses, YRDP offers leadership and good governance, values within society ("What could we change in Khmer culture to bring better peace and justice in Khmer society?"), democracy and governmental systems.

The "participatory and experiential methods of learning" (field practice) by students are used for each course; facilitators and trainers are university graduates trained in critical thinking and participatory education methods.

The program acknowledges that more than 30 years of warfare has befallen the Cambodian people and has hampered the nascent efforts to create and enforce "law, social justice, accountability, participatory decision-making, transparency and equality."

"Most Cambodian people do not well understand the application of democracy," and "there are many barriers" that include "threats, killings and arrests," a situation that "scares people from implementing their rights, and affects young people in speaking out about their concerns and needs."

YRDP sees its training course on democracy and governmental system as one that will "enable young people to learn to be good citizens in a democratic society through exercising their rights in appropriate ways."

This relatively young NGO is doing the Khmer nation a great service by stimulating the youth to engage in higher level thinking as they work to achieve peace, justice, and development in a country whose citizens have longed for progress for decades.

California's Foundation of Critical Thinking and Cambodia's YRDP may be many miles apart, but they share similar vision and philosophies.

The Foundation posits, "a mind with no questions" is intellectually dead as it doesn't proceed and doesn't process. It counsels, "keep asking new questions" to arrive at the "vast panorama of possible answers" from which to choose.

The power of ideas to foment change and achieve a "good" society should not be discounted.

A. Gaffar Peang-Meth, Ph.D., is retired from the University of Guam, where he taught political science for 13 years.