Nepotism and cronyism in Scambodia

Then-Prince Sihanouk (L) and Future-dictator Hun Xen (R)

With some luck, a teacher in Cambodia can supplement his low salary with a second income as a motodoop in order to feed his family (Photo: John Vink/Magnum)

Thursday, October 20, 2011
Op-Ed by Pissed off

Qualification for and obtaining a top job based on education in Cambodia is a wishful thinking, especially under the current regime. You will be used for your knowledge and experiences as long as you don't interfere with the flow and the interests of the elite or into garbage and possibly incinerator shall you be tossed!

Family tie is a unervisal characteristic of human being and is not special in any race. Cambodian family tie is not any more special or better than that of any race under the sky.

Giving jobs to your own family members without open and fair competition based on qualification is nepotism and it is blatantly everywhere in Cambodia and some undemocratic countries from top to bottom.

The case of Hor Nam Hong and his sons is a blatant example of nepotism. Norodom Arun Reaksmey's case is an example of cronyism or political favoritism, i.e. you scratch my back well, I will scratch yours. Keep scratching my back, buddy and don't worry about the state of the nation and thus her people, I will remember to scratch yours when one of my hand is free or when I have a moisturizing lotion to go with it.

To put it bluntly Cambodia suffers much more due to its own faults and much less because of foreign interventions. You have to open your own door or be weak yourself before anyone can walk into your house. Definitely some people will walk into your own house and take something whether it be food or material if your door is left open and/or a member/members of your family invite(s)them in. In our present time nobody can just break your door open and walk in without serious outcry from the rest of the world!

Sihanouk's regime was bad when it came to nepotism. The current regime is much worse when it comes to nepotism.

Cambodian current society is hopeless when it comes to dealing with the usually uncontrolled or, I should say, commonly acceptable nepotism, cronyism and favoritism. There is no strong political will at all on the part of the Hun Sen government to even curb these problems much less eliminate them.

Teachers are not considered the valuable and important foundation builders of a better future Khmer society by the government since no real or serious attempt has been made to address their salaries which are so meager that they have to unwillingly take up other jobs to maintain families and their livelihood. This is certainly a tragedy. You will hardly break yourself out of a cycle of poverty as a human being without a solid foundation of education and as a country, the gap of power and prosperity will thus surely be enlarged between Cambodia and her aggressive neighbours, which puts Cambodia even more at their mercy.

Only through proper education of the very young Cambodians that the better government of Cambodia can be hoped to be formed and the problems mentioned can be put under control. That will take a long time.

The generation of and after Sihanouk, i.e., that of Hun Sen are deadly hopeless, another after Hun Sen (those in their 30s or early 40s) is more or less also hopeless due to serious contamination.

Nepotism, Cronyism are favoritism are bad characteristics of human beings and they exist everywhere in the world; however, elsewhere they are much better controlled so they won't take a serious toll on the nation. In Cambodia such a control will not be possible under the Hun Sen's regime; after all, why educate the people so that they become so knowledgeable and informed then one day come back and bite me?

Pissed off