Some selected thoughts on the main traits of the
Cambodian characteritics according to some foreign observers and Cambodian scholars
Introduction:
Most Cambodians do not even know who they are,
that is their identity. This major flaw in the Cambodian character is the result of the heavy and negative impact of
the monarchy on the Cambodian people. For instance, if one would ask a Cambodian to tell who is a Cambodian.
He would mostly likely mention among the main characters; the language (Khmer), the religion (Buddhism - Therevada), and of
course, being the builders of Angkor Wat. But, if one were to ask further who built Angkor Wat. The answer from
most common Cambodians would most likely be that it was the gods Prah Puh Nokar) or giants who built Angkor. So,
if gods who built it, how could it be that the Cambodians who also built it.
Socondly, the Cambodian monarchy absolutely crushed the identity
of a common Cambodian. Although, the monarchy always built these enormous monuments like Angkor Wat to honor their ancestor,
the common Cambodians hardly know their great grand parents. This is turn, makes the Cambodian society very weak and insecure.
By contrast, the Chinese and the Vietnamese know who their
ancestors are and could go as far back as 12 generations ago. The habit of honoring their ancestors gave the Chinese
and the Vietnamese society a more stable and stronger base for their daily life, as a person and as a group.
Here, you will be able to read some key articles
in understanding the basic Cambodian behavioral flaws and their impact on the current tragic situation
of Cambodia. Some comments will also be provided where they are needed.
Washington DC. 2005
Naranhkiri Tith, Ph.D.
____________________________________
(Based on a 1997 translation of the original Khmer
text, Proloeng Khmer," published in 1973. Author:
Professor Sar Sarun (deceased))
(Faculty of Arts and Human Sciences, University of
Phnom Penh Editing Author: Khmer Aphiwath Group.
Publisher: Khmer Aphiwath Group, Melbourne, Australia. Translator: Kua Cham.
Further Edited 2003 for the Khmer Institute by Vannareth Lamm and William Snyder)
- The First Root: MATRIARCHY
A principal component of the Khmer mentality is matriarchy.
At all levels of organization within Khmer society, ranging from family life to national government, the accepted leader or
decision-maker is a woman.
This pattern dates back to the beginnings of our recorded
history. During the Funan Period we had as our monarch a queen known variously as "Soma," "Liev Yi," or "Neang Neak." An Indian
prince known as "Kaodinhya" (Indian name), "Hun Tien" (Chinese name), or "Preah Thong" (traditional Khmer name) conquered
the nation of Funan and eventually married the Khmer queen. During the wedding the prince followed the queen, and held on
to the edge of her scarf so as not to be distracted by his surroundings.
Our Khmer ancestors carved this story into the walls of Angkor
to remind us of the ancient origins of our matriarchy. At present-day royal weddings, custom still requires the groom to hold
the edge of the bride's scarf. For ordinary people as well, matriarchy is a basic principle of social organization. This can
be seen in the titles of important positions, in educational maxims, and in common social beliefs.
A) Within the family, female titles normally precede male
ones:
• "Mother and father"
• "Grandmother and grandfather"
• "Aunt and uncle"
B) In the armed forces, important titles include:
• "Mother of the army" (army chief)
• "Mother of the command" (commander)
• "Deputy mother of the command" (deputy commander)
C) Government titles include:
• "Mother of the commune" (Commune leader)
• "Mother of the town" (Mayor)
• "Mother of the district" (District councilor)
• "Mother of the block" (Block representative
for a group of ten households)
D) An educational maxim:
• "It is better to face a shipwreck than to have
the house burn down." (Meaning: it is better to lose the father than the mother, because the father is less important.)
E) Some common social beliefs can be expressed as follows:
• Clean husband + Corrupt wife = Corrupt
• Bribe-free husband + Bribed wife = Bribed
• Husband's disapproval + Wife's approval = Approval
The wife is the chief of the family, while the husband seeks
work outside the home in order to bring money back to her. If the sum is less than expected, his wife may chastise him. Khmer
wives have the personality of "master-wife." In contrast, in Chinese society the husband controls the family's finances, and
Chinese wives have the personality of "slave-wife."
- The Second Root: HIDDEN STRENGTH
According to current research into our national history,
a second element of the Khmer mentality is a "hidden strength," which has kept the nation from perishing despite repeated
attacks from the outside world. We are now asking ourselves, "What is this hidden strength?"
Many academics, as well as other citizens who are concerned
with the nation's future integrity, are now searching for the source of this defensive power. Historical research tells us
that the Khmer nation has repeatedly been invaded. In some of these periods the Khmers were enslaved by the Thais. The successive
Khmer capitals of Angkor and Longvek were subjected to terrible devastation. The great sages and scholars were taken prisoner
and sent to serve in the invaders' country. How have the Khmer land and the Khmer people survived to the present day?
These case studies show that the Khmer have a hidden quality
of persistence, which gives them defensive strength and keeps the Khmer nation from falling. For this reason our ancestors
created the popular proverb, "The Khmer territories will never perish." The very fact that they had the confidence to say
this clearly indicates the strength contained in the Khmer mentality. Yet, we no longer know the exact nature of this essential,
hidden strength, nor exactly where it resides in the Khmer identity.
Only when we find this hidden part of the Khmer spirit can
we continue to protect our land and our nation from danger. Until then, we will have no reason to believe the optimistic proverb
mentioned above. The Khmer spirit and identity are tightly intertwined with our culture and civilization.
- The Third Root: SELF-PRAISE
The third element of the Khmer mentality, based ultimately
on considerations of geography, lies in the fact that the Khmer have considerable pride, and have a strong inclination to
praise themselves. This is because the Khmer people originally belonged to an ethnic family known as the Mon-Khmer, which
inhabited the entire peninsula of Indochina. At that time the region was called Sovanna Phum ('Golden Country'), and shared
a border with China.
The name comes from the Pali words sovann, meaning
'gold', and phum, meaning 'land' or 'country'. People living in the Golden Country of Sovanna Phum led joyful lives, blessed
with natural riches, and in their unconscious mind there slowly developed a high level of pride, as well as a tendency to
boast. The inhabitants of Sovanna Phum belonged to three different ethnic groups: the Mon, the Cham, and the Khmer. They lived
in tribal communities, without clear land boundaries, and mainly traded gold with the Portuguese, who traveled by sail in
the China Sea.
The people of the Golden Country had no concerns other than
the gold trade. This is what gave rise to their boastful attitude, and to the development of a high level of pride. In this
respect the Mon ranked first, followed by the Cham and then the Khmer, who were the humblest of the three. Nonetheless, the
Khmer were firmly trapped in the same up-bringing, and our Khmer ancestors made this explicit in the following parable:
• The Mon takes the heavens for their seat.
• The Cham raises a single palm to the
sky.
• The Khmer ascends to the clouds, but then pass
through the earthworm's shit.
According to this saying, the self-praise of the Khmer went
as high as the clouds, but not so high as the sky or the heavens. Moreover, the Khmer usually came back down to earth quickly:
They boasted, but then returned to reality. When the Khmer spoke among themselves, they did not realize that they were boasting,
because they shared a common level of pride. But when they spoke with the Cham, who were even prouder, they could see that
the Cham liked to boast. Likewise, the Cham did not see themselves as a boastful people, but when they spoke with the Mon,
they did notice that the Mon were remarkably fond of boasting.
• The Mon boasted more than anyone else,
until they lost all their land.
• The Cham, second only to the Mon in boasting,
lost their land, too.
• The Khmer boasted only moderately, and thus
retained some of their land.
Yet, by no means should we expect the Khmer to retain their
remaining land forever. At present the Khmer nation is headed for catastrophe.
How did boasting cause these three ethnic groups to lose
so much of their land? The answer goes something like this. As they continued boasting and enjoying their natural resources,
they forgot that the surrounding ethnic groups coveted their land. The Thai, who originated in China's southern province of
Yunnan, became known in the Eighth Century when they started to migrate southward. When the Mongolians invaded China in the
Thirteenth Century, the Thai took advantage of the resulting chaos and attacked the city of Sukhotey. They took over all the
Mon areas, and also conquered a number of northern Khmer provinces beyond the Danrek Mountains, along the Semourn River. These
included Nokoreach, Surin, Sangkeas, Kouk-khan, Sisaket, and Burirum. Moreover, they extended their control into southwestern
areas, as far as Malaysia. All of this territory had belonged to the Sovanna Phum Peninsula.
Later, in 1794 and 1795, three Khmer aristocrats were competing
for state power. Each considered himself superior to the others, because all three belonged to an unconditionally proud people.
One of the aristocrats, Ben, tricked another, Sous, into assassinating the third, Mou. Afterwards Ben tried to kill Sous,
but failed, because the latter had strong allies. Ben then requested the help of the Thai army, whom he allowed to enter Cambodia.
In exchange for their help, Ben let Thailand annex several Khmer provinces, including Battambang, Mongkolburi, and Serisophan.
What led these Khmer aristocrats to fight one another for
power? In that day there was an active race for power based on self-proclaimed superiority, with assistance from foreign armies.
The aristocrats had placed on the throne a six-year-old prince named Ang Eng, the son of Prince Otey II, who was too young
to rule. Their goal was to seize power for themselves.
Thus, we can see from history that foreign invasions of the
Khmer territory were possible only because Khmer leaders were stubbornly convinced of their own superiority, and failed to
realize that the country was headed for disaster.
The Khmer fondness for boasting is also well-documented,
for instance, in such ethical poems as "Father's Testament," "Rules for Children and Grandchildren," "Fable for Children and
Grandchildren," and "Conduct Rules for Men." All these writings seek to awaken the Khmer people from their dreams of self-praise
and irrational pride.
The following are some examples.
"Father's Testament":
DO NOT BOAST ABOUT YOUR STRENGTH...
"Fable for Children and Grandchildren":
A FROG BOASTS THAT IT CAN FIGHT WITH THE ELEPHANT...
A TOAD BOASTS THAT IT IS AS BEAUTIFUL AS GOLD...
"Rules for Children and Grandchildren":
DO NOT BOAST ABOUT YOUR RANK...
Another example comes from an academic conference held at
Chakdhumuk Hall on 9 November 1970, where a Buddhist monk argued that the Khmer language "has excellent linguistic rules that
are superior to those of any human language in the world [sic]."
Further discussion of our people's taste for boasting
can be found in a recently published book by Mr. Bun Chan Mol, The Character of the Khmer.
- The Fourth Root: AGRICULTURE
The fourth element of the Khmer mentality is a link to agriculture.
From the beginning, Khmer society relied almost exclusively on agriculture, and eventually it took agriculture as an important
source of cultural identity. All aspects of Khmer education have their "roots" in agriculture, because the Khmer have a strong
tendency to use agricultural metaphors in explanations.
A) In the family domain:
• "WHEN YOU FARM, LOOK AT THE GRASS."
(Meaning, when you marry off your children, look at
their partners' roots.)
• "START FARMING NOW, WHILE THE SOIL IS STILL
WARM."
(Meaning, start courting the girl now, while your heart
is still aflame.)
• "TRANSPLANTED RICE-PLANTS BRING ALONG THEIR
ORIGINAL SOIL."
(Meaning, a wife can elevate her husband.)
B) In the military domain:
• "YOU FARM A FIELD WITH WATER."
(meaning, you fight a war with food.)
C) In the domain of national development:
• "AGRICULTURE IS THE BREATH OF THE COUNTRY."
D) In education, more generally:
• "DROP BY DROP, THE PALM TREE FILLS THE
TUBE."
• "VERTICAL RICE PLANTS BEAR NOTHING, LEANING
ONES BEAR GRAIN."
• "HAPPY FARMING AND PLANTING WILL BRING
TRADE, RESPECT, AND A GOOD MEAL.
REAL WEALTH ISN'T HARD TO GET.
THE JOY IS TRUE, BECAUSE IT LASTS."
(From "Father's Testament"; original verse in crow's-walk
rhyme)
• "THINK ABOUT, AND WORK ON, GROWING RICE DURING
ALL THE SEASONS.
A RICE FIELD SHOULD HAVE A SIGN, WHILE A FRUIT FARM
SHOULD HAVE A FENCE."
(From "Inherited Conduct Rules"; original verse in Bhramngit
rhyme)
- The Fifth Root: INDIFFERENCE TO RULES
The fifth element of the Khmer mentality, due once again
to considerations of geography, is a relative indifference to laws and regulations. Why should this be so? The Khmer region
is seldom threatened by the natural disasters found in Japan and Europe:
• Freezing winters
• Earthquakes
• Volcanic eruptions
• Savage storms
• Typhoons
• Large-scale floods
The Khmer territory seldom faces such disasters. Indeed,
natural disasters are almost unheard of, aside from minor floods that occur every few decades, and even they are not especially
brutal.
The climate is so warm that Khmer people can survive without
clothing. The only significant "earthquakes" are caused by bombs dropped by B-52's, which come day and night, destroying both
the farmland and the occupants of many villages.
Because the Khmer countryside is rarely subjected to natural
catastrophes, the Khmer people are less aware of nature, and have little need to adjust themselves to natural constraints.
This exemption from constraints has shaped the Khmer mentality, making it insensitive to social and legal rules except where
there is coercion. This stands in contrast to countries in colder regions, where people cannot even survive without appropriate
clothing.
Yet, people from those regions who migrate to the Khmer territory
eventually adopt a mindset similar to the Khmer people. Likewise, Khmer people who go to live in colder regions eventually
adopt the mindset of the people there. Thus, the fifth element of the Khmer soul is explained by geographical conditions.
- The Sixth Root: BEING INACTIVE
The sixth element of the Khmer mentality is inactivity. Because
the Khmer people live in the tropics, they tend to avoid physical exertion. The Khmer artistic spirit dwells in a soft, fanciful,
and romantic state, one that is low in energy. Khmer music tends to be sentimental, and to make people sleepy.
Khmer people move slowly. They set off for the workplace
at a relaxed pace, as if they were on vacation. These factors have shaped the Khmer mentality to prefer people who are inactive
rather than active, conservative rather than progressive.
Examples:
The Khmer admire people who work less and earn more, rather
than people who work hard and earn little. Likewise, the Khmer admire a government official who simply signs a document and
earns millions of riels, rather than one who works from morning till evening and hardly earns enough to survive. In fact they
should appreciate the latter, who makes a personal sacrifice and saves money for the national budget. Yet, if an educator
and a customs official simultaneously ask to marry a family's daughter, the former will end in despair. Where does this come
from?
Indeed, this is the unfairness of society in a tropical country.
Shall we continue with this lifestyle, spoiled by nature?
Or shall we try to win out over nature? Shall we destroy this root of the Khmer mentality, or leave it undisturbed? The solution
lies mainly in the awareness of Khmer youngsters, but the right awareness will be possible only after education – that
is, after enlightenment. If we lack enlightenment, our minds may unconsciously drift in the wrong direction. Being blind or
ignorant is a great evil, and allows other people to manipulate us easily.
The authors of Khmer folktales exhibit this aspect of the
Khmer mentality in the following ways:
• An ignorant man finds two jars of gold
hidden in the ground;
• A senseless man usually has a wife of
excellent quality;
• A stupid man is the one likeliest to
get sacred powers;
• An uneducated man gets promoted to the
rank of lord;
• Kong Hean is made a Khmer hero by his own shit.
Another example is an old Khmer saying that tells us, "A
sage falls into a hole, while a fool rises up to paradise." Shall we retain this root of the Khmer mentality, or cut it off?
- The Seventh Root: FUZZINESS ON COMMITMENT
The seventh root of the Khmer mentality is a tendency to
be confused about commitments.
This is because the Khmer people live in a country in which
the various seasons are not clear-cut: the rainy season and the dry season, as well as the cold season, start and end at fuzzy
dates, known to no one. In contrast, countries in colder regions have clear-cut seasons. For example, on the European continent:
• Spring is from 21st March to 21st June;
• Summer is from 21st June to 22nd September;
• Autumn is from 22nd September to 21st
December;
• Winter is from 21st December to 21st March.
Clear-cut seasons have trained the people of that region
to have clear plans:
• When they work, they concentrate on working;
• When they play, they concentrate on playing;
• When they study, they concentrate on
studying;
• When they eat, they concentrate on eating;
• When they rest, they stop all work.
In France it is almost impossible to find a restaurant that
serves anything more than drinks before 9AM, or after 10PM. The Khmer region's fuzzy seasons have spoiled the minds of the
people living there, with fuzziness in all aspects of commitment:
• Work and play are mixed together;
• Conflict at work is similar to conflict
at home;
• Study time and break time are intermingled;
• Eating time lasts from morning through
the middle of the night, until the sun rises again;
• Office tasks and home tasks are mixed
together;
• A government-owned car is also taken
as a personally-owned car, and used to carry the wife, transport the children to school, and even carry the mistress;
• Experts at organizing theatrical plays, or
at teaching in school, assume ministerial positions in the government (although different people have talents in different
areas).
In order to correct this root of the Khmer mentality, it
is necessary to impose truly strict laws, and also to have good examples from the top down.
- The Eighth Root: EXTREMISM
The eighth element of the Khmer mentality is an ambivalent
extremism. Khmer extremist thinking is not always oriented in one particular direction. When we come to like something, we
go out of our way to stick to it. But when we start to dislike it, we go far in the opposite direction.
This is reflected in the following popular expressions:
• The more loving, the more hating. For
example, in the story of "Tum and Teav," Teav's mother initially loved Tum so much that she asked him to become her adopted
son. But when she started to dislike him, she sought to have him killed in an extremely violent way.
• Teav's mother: "OR-CHOUN, YOU HAVE POWER.
WHY NOT USE IT RIGHT NOW? ARREST THAT STUBBORN SHIT TUM. HAVE NO MERCY. ORDER YOUR MEN TO BEAT HIM, STAB HIM, KILL HIM. HIS
GUILT IS TOO HEAVY TO BE PARDONED ON EARTH" (original verse in seven-word rhyme)
• When we believe people, we believe them a hundred
and twenty percent. But if we stop believing, we stop forever.
• If you drink, then drink so much that
others have to carry you. If you can still walk by yourself, then what was the point in drinking?
• If you kill someone, go ahead and taste
the flesh.
• If you put your hand into the fish paste,
go ahead and stick your whole arm in.
• If you want to cut someone, go ahead
– don't just pretend!
- The Ninth Root: HONORING OATHS
The ninth element of the Khmer mentality is the sanctity
of one's "truth-word," or oath. Faithfulness to one's word is among the principal Khmer virtues. Examination of Khmer literature
indicates that this has been true for a very long time. Some believe that it resulted from contact with Hinduism, for Hindu
Brahmans were considered the agents of God, with a mission to spread their religion, and were said to honor their word strictly.
Truth to one's word was seen as a major virtue of Hinduism, and indeed as the essence of its theology.
• The essence of the body is chastity.
• The essence of speaking is one's oath.
The essence of the mind is courage.
We can see this philosophy in the Khmer version of an Indian
legend called "Ramayana," where a king named Preah Bat Tusarath does not dare violate his oath. The King has promised a woman
named Neang Kaikesi that he will leave his throne to a particular prince, Preah Phirut, if he wins a war with the Sun. In
Part One of "Ramayana," the city of Aiyutya is at the center of a conflict over the throne, and the solution is for the King's
oath to take priority over tradition. As a consequence, Preah Ream, Preah Laksma, and Neang Sita have to leave the kingdom
and live in the forest.
In the story of "A Young Weaver of Palm-leaf Baskets," a
personal oath is once again taken as a binding contract. The weaver is stuck at the top of a palm tree, and promises to become
a slave to anyone who will save him from falling to his death. A person passing by, riding on an elephant, takes him at his
word and initiates a rescue, without asking for any real guarantee of the promise. The elephant rider himself becomes trapped
with the weaver. The two make the same promise to four bald men, who again come to their rescue without requiring any real
guarantee, because they take the two men's promise as an oath.
In two other folk tales, "A Man and a Tiger" and "A Man and
a Crocodile," the main character promises a wild animal that he will come back and be eaten, as soon as he has written his
will. In each story, the man keeps his word. Likewise, in "Golden Arrow," a king states that he will kill anyone who interferes
with his war plan. When he discovers that his own consort, the Queen, has made this mistake, he bitterly forces himself to
keep his word, and executes her with the golden arrow.
To capture the sanctity of one's oath, the Khmer people have
formulated the following proverb:
"ONE'S WORD IS AS PRECIOUS TO A HUMAN BEING
AS IVORY IS PRECIOUS TO AN ELEPHANT."
Yet, the sanctity of one's personal oath decreased somewhat
after an event known as "the lord's tea-spilling," which first occurred around 1845 under an occupying Vietnamese general,
Troeung Minh Yang. One night the general ordered his troops to behead four or five Khmer citizens, in response to an order
from the Vietnamese emperor, Ming Mang. The victims' heads were then used to support the boiler for his tea.
This practice, which continued up until the French entered
our country, shook the Khmers' spirit to its very core. In response, the Khmer people began to consider "tricky" approaches
to problem-solving, as indicated in the following saying:
"CONSIDER THE CURVED ROAD; AVOID THE STRAIGHT PATH."
Yet, the value placed on one's oath persists to this day,
and has been inherited in something close to its original form by people in rural and mountainous areas, whose strict adherence
to their personal word resembles the practice of an ascetic monk. In mountainous regions, people teach their children that
a person who fails to honor an oath cannot live on the mountain.
- The Tenth Root: CHASTITY AND PURITY
The tenth element of the Khmer mentality is to place a high
value on chastity and purity. Indeed, the Khmer essence is a devotion to chastity, especially in women. Khmer women work incredibly
hard to preserve their chastity, including, of course, their physical purity, or virginity. Correspondingly, Khmer men are
inclined to accept as "queen" of their heart only a woman of fairly complete chastity, for which bodily purity is a necessary
condition.
When a single woman loses her purity, she generally believes
that her body has no more worth, having lost its essence. Her life becomes meaningless, and she sometime tries to end it through
suicide. This stands in stark contrast to European women, who generally accept the loss of bodily purity as a natural event
in their life, and who are more inclined to value the reality of their heart, which they consider the essence of their life.
Khmer people place greater value on the quality of the body,
than on the quality of the heart. There are those who believe that this emphasis on bodily essence has its roots in Brahmanism,
for the Brahman likewise values bodily essence as a principal quality of Brahmanhood. Yet, we believe that such a transfer
of values is possible only when the recipient was, at some level, already thinking along similar lines.
The existence of this value in the Khmer mentality is noted
in many works of Khmer literature:
• In the story of "Ramayana," when Preah
Ream takes refuge in a forest, his wife Neang Sita accompanies him.
• In the story of "Preah Vesantar," when Preah
Vesantar is exiled to a forest, his wife Neang Metri goes with him.
Some people think that these stories are influenced
by Indian thought. Yet, acceptance by one country of another country's influence, whether in beliefs, customs, religion, or
ideology, is possible only when the influence is compatible with the accepting country's pre-existing ideas. Hence, we conclude
that Khmer women's devotion to chastity existed even before the Indian influence, which simply added new momentum to our own
way of thinking, and led to a greater fondness for stories that praise this value.
For example:
• In the story of "Tum and Teav," which
is a purely Khmer love story, we see the Khmer woman's devotion to chastity clearly in the deeds of Neang Teav. When she learns
that her lover Tum has been executed with a knife, she follows him by cutting her own throat with a knife.
• In the story of "Sophat," Neang Manyan believes
that Sophat has drowned, and follows her sweetheart by drowning herself in a river.
Now, what evidence do we have that this characteristic is
invariably present? One piece of evidence comes from the present-day rotation of Khmer soldiers through different locations,
which is required by different missions of the armed forces. As the husbands respond to various dangers, the wives follow
them and devote themselves to providing support. Despite the challenges to family finances, and the difficulty of constantly
changing their habits and lifestyle, Khmer women take this devotion as their highest priority, and thereby preserve their
chastity.
********************
"Knowing others is Intelligent;
Knowing yourself is true wisdom.
Mastering others is power;
Mastering yourself is true strength."
*********************
© 2003 The Khmer Institute. A Web-Based Organization. All
rights Reserved.
__________________________________________________
- TODAY- KHMER - THE CONCEPT of TIME
By Sok San
Should we consider the " unthinkable " as we use to think
: it is not really important, before we go to the big stuff like Patriotism, Revolution etc... ... etc., ?
For me... I used to observe in many occasions how the Khmer
majority uses their time. In order to really understand their real identity I try to see their reaction towards time and their
time-consuming by working with the REAL Khmer.
The reason I take this problem to the forum is to find out
why TIME is a problem for the Khmer(s) ? and how we can help and correct it ?
According to my observation (not all Khmers but the majority)
TIME is not really "clear " and its application has no precision if we compare it to others, especially the Europeans.
The Khmer-time is "ELASTIC". This means that not all the
Khmers are careless about time but if we try to see " how the Khmers in majority use the time in their own way " we will notice
many...
This writing is divided into two parts.The first one is to
show about the reality of time-using, time spending or time- consuming of the today-Khmer and at the second part, we are intended
to take a close look to the Khmer concept of time(s) and their meanings.
A. PART ONE
Before we go further..... try first to find the answer
: "why the Khmer doesn't like to obey time ?
In many occasions.... the meeting, the ceremony, the wedding
reception etc... when we put the starting time on our invitation card by 6:00 PM, the real time we can start will be at 7:00
PM or 7:30 PM.
In our schedule.... we plan for 2 hour- or- 3 hour- discussion,
but we go further more to 3 or 4 hours. Our organizer(s) try very hard to obey time, but we fail and fail...
One time... we started at the EXACT schedule, but just for
the two or three of us (the organizers), the rest and the majority were really late. We have changed our strategy by putting
one hour before the real time we plan to start ... but still the same.
One time... we asked one Buddhist monk in his preaching (Teas-Na:)
to give some ideas about TIME to the Khmer Buddhists. But later on, seemed NOTHING.... at the next ceremony... the same old
game !
To really understand the problem... we tried to find out
what's wrong with the Khmer(s) and time?- First, we started to do many surveys, kept all ingredients in the making of this
carelessness. We, then discussed and discussed tirelessly in finding way to reduce or, to improve it... Until today, nothing
is satisfied yet !- Second, we finally came up to some conclusions that :
1. This happened mostly in the real Khmer's (meeting,
ceremony etc..) but rare Khmer(s) went late to other meetings especially with American's
2. Late or Tardy became a real disease in the Khmer
community
3. Time-problem became a Khmer sluggish image when
they ONLY dealt with their own people....their own community.( When they worked, they could adjust to American way. They survived
with the American system, if not, they would be " Kicked Out " from their working place !)
4. Time-problem was not only for the illiterate...
even the so-called intellectuals, they still DID THE SAME...
I remembered when I was young our
teacher had ordered us to wake up from the early morning, 3:00 AM to welcome Sihanouk for our school inauguration... and other
time when Li Chao Chhi, China Premier, did a state visit. The real time we saw their faces was in the afternoon! When I was
young I didn't mind much about this problem. In the contrary I was happy because I would meet my classmates and we together
enjoyed our playing time.)
I read the news at somewhere
else that our Khmer eminent representatives for the Geneva signing the Khmer Independence in the 50s were so late at the "
signing ceremony "because they were lost and they couldn't find the place (sic!). The signing ceremony was already done and
for the Khmer delegation it was represented by the Vietnamese. Reason for that lateness was the night before they enjoyed
so much and were so busy with their new "cake" in their hotel. When that Delegation came back home, we welcomed them at Pochentong
airport as our Khmer Heroes ! ! ! )
Late and Tardy people were
in most the time, the same people... their thick faces showed their CARELESSNESS and their SHAMELESSNESS.
Time-problem was not for
any specific Khmer group but for all, including: men, women, young, old etc...
Time-problem became a BAD HABIT
in the Khmer community.
So there were plenty of EXCUSES..... when these tardy people
came to the meeting. It seemed so hard... in dealing with this kind of problem. Sometimes it made us NOT really PROUD to be
ONE of them... because the whole universe was already near to the new Millennium.
- Who did pollute our Khmer identity ? - What went wrong
with Khmer(s) and Time ? - What was its impact on the young Khmer generations? - Any other way around or alternatives for
its change and improvement ?
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(* Non official translation by Khmer Diffusion from
the below original version in French.)
L’Express July 26, 2004 from special correspondents
Sylvaine Pasquier, Christine Chaumeau
(http://www.lexpress.fr/info/monde/dossier/cambodge/dossier.asp?ida=428697)
The country of the former Khmer Rouges is a gangrened State
by corruption. Whereas half of the population lives below the poverty line, everything can be bought there. Even ministry
portfolio.
At night, in Pailin, Khmer Rouge’s previous foothold
near to the Thai border, the hotel Heng Meas is illuminated like a Christmas tree in the heart of an obscure village, deserted
by the invaluable precious stone hunters. Exploited with excess, the treasure which was used to finance Pol Pot’s guerrilla
is practically exhausted. This evening, a group of Khmer rock'n'roll band, the White Lotus, came from Battambang, is giving
its Show in Heng Meas, revealing its best tubes to the diners. A tearing song of melancholy diverts them for awhile from their
foods.
"Separated from her husband, she give birth to a child in
a poor hut and its tears, without end, run on the child." These unforgettable words are the work of the Prime Minister Hun
SEN, former head of Khmer Rouge military unit, in homage to his wife Bun Rany, who was left behind him, alone and pregnant
when he fled towards Vietnam in 1977 in order to escape from the purge. He will be back in 1979 when Hanoi will send its troops
to invade Cambodia which will be occupied for ten years.
"Hun Sen, you were ours, how could you sell the country to
the Vietnamese?" a polpotist ex-combatant exclaimed, at the time of an organized forum, July 11, by the Cambodian Center for
the humans rights in a pagoda of Oudong. Thunder of applause. The history in Cambodia is as omnipresent as the spirits, but
these are not the ritual which is able to alleviate it. Then there is the justice, but which Justice?
" only 1/10 of graduates will find an employment "
In Pailin, where he lives since 1999, Khieu Samphan, 73 years
old, prepares himself for the Trial. Head of the State of Kampuchea Democratic, in other words Khmer Rouge Administration
which caused the loss of about two million Cambodian lives, he affirms to have discovered the genocid only in the afterwards,
in the "ignorance" of what was the massacres. "From my own nature, I am not able to kill. My compatriots can be sure for it."
Initially, he says to his visitors that he does not want to receive them, that he had often to deal with insincere interlocutors,
that he already wrote a book (1) to explain himself, lastly that he is in a "delicate position. I will be freer as an defendant,
I will be able to express myself ". In front of him, there is the strange feeling to be the general audience on which he tests
its argumentation and audience.
He unceasingly insists on the fact that it is necessary "
to place the events in their historical context". This morning, it will reconsider for a long moment the years 1950 and his
enthusiasm for the Movement of Non-aligned and these leaders of the Third World, among of them was Prince Sihanouk, who dared
to wake up "against the imperialism". Khieu Samphan, to hear from him, was neither communist nor socialist, but patriotic.
When he speaks about the Khmer Rouges, he says "they", so that it is quite clear that he was not at the same edge. A fellow
traveler, not more. If he had agreed to represent them, it is that he was convinced, in all humility, that Pol Pot in particular
"was able to work out a strategy adapted to the challenges of the will of independence of the country. My duty was to take
part in the fight for national sovereignty. In my heart and conscience, I believed in making the good choice ". Very
often, he has this obvious gesture, of impotence, hands opened, palms tended towards the sky. "How to reconcile the human
rights and the respect of the fatherland? And there is this problem which was never solved - the tendency of human being to
abuse its power."
At outside, children are playing, their cries of joy resound,
covered intermittently by the din of the trucks furrowing the ground track. "I was in a communist regime, underlines Khieu
Samphan, where the rule is to concentrate oneself on one’s own tasks, and anything to see, nothing to hear, nothing
to know apart from that. I did not imagine all these massacres. Until now, the question continues to arise with my conscience."
He was asked who is responsible? "I will not pronounce myself about this, it is too delicate. Moreover, I do not believe to
be in possession of all information."
Still in Pailin, Nuon Chea, brother n¡ 2 of the hierarchy
Khmer Rouge and ideologist of the Regime - directly implied in the chain of command of the executions and the purgings - lives
in a house hidden under the trees, a few hundred meters from the Thai border. "He left for Bangkok yesterday, in order to
be medically cared, affirms his wife, without giving any information about the date of his return. "The foreigners, usually,
she suggests, give him 600 dollars for his medical expenses".
Under the Cambodian sky, everythnig can be bought and everything
can be sold.
Back to Phnom Penh, on the 13th of July. At the hour of the morning soup bowl, the Cambodian capital is in effervescence.
Under the cover of protection against a hypothetical attack, the military police forces, the special forces block the access
of the Senate and the residence of its president, Chea Sim, which hold a function of head of State in the absence of Norodom
Sihanouk, 81 years old, king of Cambodia - in voluntary exile since last April in Pyongyang (North Korea). Chea Sim is also
the n¡ 1 of the Cambodian Prachheachuon Party (CPP), ex-Communist, who dominates the political life. He has refused to sign,
in the monarch's stead, the text of a constitutional law allowing the Prime Minister Hun SEN, in power for almost twenty years,
to be renewed in his functions in an almost automatic way. Divisions within the CPP burst wide-open. The sovereign did
not give any instruction to Chea Sim. He has only called upon his conscience. But, in order to express his disapproval, Norodom
Sihanouk announces his "irrevocable" will theatrically to abdicateÉ when he is back to Cambodia. These manoeuvres extremely
irritate the Prime Minister.
Exit Chea Sim.
Escorted to the airport by Hok Lundy, Hun SEN’s faithful
man, head of the national police force, one learns that he flew away towards Thailand, in order to have a "medical treatment
there".
At the end of the day, the capital finds out its usual rythm,
its "Land Cruiser" and its glowing "Pajero" convoying the powerful people in the frantic crowd of the motor cycles. "At least,
there was no violent confrontation", sighs Sat, a young musician who keeps in memory the vision of the tanks - the first which
he saw - in the streets of the capital, at the time of the coup d'etat orchestrated by Hun SEN against the Royalists in 1997.
Sat earns 5 dollars, on Saturdays, when he plays violin in an orchestra. With his wife, a flautist, he lives in an unhealthy
room of hardly 10 square meters, at the bottom of a labyrinth of quarters invaded by mud in the rainy season. According to
UNDP’s data, unemployment would include more than 50% of the population, and particularly the young people. Every
year, they are more than 300 000 to enter on the labour market. Including 35 000 graduates. "1/10 only, says Saroeun, a consultant
in Phnom Penh, will have an employment." And others? "They are so desperate, notes Chea Vannath, president of the Center of
social development, that they are ready to pay of enormous bribes for a work."
Failing of having obtained the necessary majority of two
thirds at legislative elections of 2003 to govern alone, the CPP is constrained to find a partner of coalition. But the Alliance
of the Democrats, founded in the autumn 2003, will have given it (CPP) wire to wring out during eleven months. Combining the
forces of Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), head of the opposition, with those of the royalists (Funcinpec), it (AD) works out a political
platform and negotiates step by step with the CPP, driven back to undertake to democratic reforms, legal, electoralÉ It claims
mechanisms of fight against corruption, of the wage increases for the civil servant, that of teachers’, or the abolition
of the unequal frontier treaties imposed by Vietnam at the time of the occupation. It requires that the ministers answer the
questions of the elected officials at least once per month, once per quarter to those of the citizens. That has never
been seen. Alliance gave birth to a dash for hope. "The private radios gave a broad echo to its program, underlines Lao
Mong Hay, adviser in Phnom Penh of the Center of social development, because it touched very sensitive cords for the population.
The listeners, and not only the educated ones, did not hesitate to express their opinion at the broadcast time. At present,
many feel betrayed by the alliance of the royalists with the CPP."
"The concept of State has disappeared. All is only
for personal interests "At the end of June, whereas he seemed to have back against the wall, Hun Sen managed to conclude
an agreement with Norodom Ranariddh, son of the monarch, for the formation of a government. It is the third alliance of this
kind during the last ten years. The assessment of the two first coalitions is not brilliant for Funcinpec: 58 seats
in the Parliament in 1993, but only 26 today. The image of Ranariddh, splashed by rumours with corruption, was strongly degraded.
Not so long thereafter, all the country learned that he had bought in France for himself a new bright helicopter. His royal
ancestry is worth still prostrations in the campaigns to him, but, among urban youth, that does not take any more. "People
call him " the sweet pepper "", ironically speaks a Cambodian journalist, outlining hands to shape of the princely face. "Ranariddh
is distressing, notes an intellectual who prefers to keep anonymity. He will take the responsibility for the destruction of
the royalist party, created by his father in 1981, with the fall of monarchy the ultimate consequence." At age 52 years old,
the Prime Minister, of his own consent, would see himself in power for twenty or thirty years more. He and the prince have agreed
to preserve their respective positions - Ranariddh at the head of the National Assembly, Hun SEN with at the top of command
of the country. But, to reach that point, one and the other, not very confident of their troops, sought to circumvent
the Constitution. This latter requires that the Assembly elect initially its president and his vice presidents. In agreement
with them, the king indicates then a personality charged to form the government - who will have to collect a majority of two
thirds among the MPs to obtain the nomination. A former teacher of Ranariddh at the Faculty of Law of Aix-en-Provence, Claude
Gour, now in the service of Hun SEN, undertook to soften the constraints. The solution? A single poll baptized "packaged vote
": renewing Ranariddh, is to renew Hun SEN. The trick is accomplished. Moreover the duos imposed the vote by hand raising.
None of the elected officials of the SRP, that denounces a constitutional coup d'etat, has attended the meeting. Already,
Hun SEN has accused the head of the opposition - in displacement abroad - of seditious activities, affirms that he recruits
an armed militia, threat to arrest him. Cambodia, one of the poorest countries in the world, with an average annual income
lower than 300 dollars per capita, comes to beat a world record! Its new government counts more than 330 ministers, Secretaries
of State and under-secretarys of State. One will note that this portfolio of ministries are tariffed. Confidence of a personality
forseen by the royalists for a secretariat of State: "My interlocutor entrusted to me that this poste had cost 100 000 dollars
to him. Undoubtedly should he understand that once in function I should give back to him." Here is what will weigh heavy on
the public finance, maintained under perfusion by the international assistance and the donating countries.
"The concept of State has disappeared, deplores Chea Vannath.
All is only for personal interests, competition for power and the sources of enrichment ". The prince himself obtained, which
is theoretically incompatible with its functions at the head of the Assembly, the presidency of Cambodia’s Council of
Development, entering point of foreign direct investment. "And source of extremely lucrative commissions ", specifies an opponent.
The whole of the system functions with corrupted envelops. Not so long ago, an informal report from the World Bank, quoted
in Phnom Penh, estimated bribes twice more significant in Cambodia than in Bangladesh, country considered as one of the more
corrupted in the world.
One wonders why the price of the fuel is 70% higher in Cambodia
than in Thailand, whereas the purchasing power is dramatically lower there. Based on IMF’s recommendations, that barely
takes into consideration the local conditions - the porosity of the borders, for example - the government increased the
taxes. However the companies close to the ruling party are practicing smuggling. "Out of seven liters of gasoline which are
sold in Cambodia, only one was taxed", explains Sam Rainsy.
On the other hand, the prices at the pump are the same everywhere
to the detriment of the population. "When one asks for a wage increase for the civil servants, the persons in charge answer
that they do not have money, he continues. It should just fight against the illegal trafficsÉ " Since more than one decade,
the donor countries make up every year the deficit of the finance public, without being worried about the utilization and
the embezzlement of funds they granted - 550 million dollars in 2003 - provided that a part is maintained to pay for tens
of consultants remunerated at the Western rate.
The reports of the international agencies attest it, in spite
of a relatively steady growth of approximately 5% these last years, one does not notice any reduction in poverty, quite
to the contrary. "Explain me why the people work so hard, and why they live so badly?" shout a woman, already aged, at the
time of the Forum on the democracy organized with Oudong.
According to a study of the World Bank (April 2004), approximately
43% of the population - against 38% in 1992 - live today under the poverty line, with a maximum equivalent of 1 dollar per
day. Due to the lack of response, the score should pass to 45% in 2005. At the beginning of this year, the Asian Development
Bank had produced more optimistic statistics, but "by surreptitiously lowering the poverty line to 50 cents", Sam Rainsy underlines.
The infant mortality increases, notes the United Nations for the Development Program (UNDP): it passed from 115 per 1 000
in 1990 to 138 in 2001. But the government devotes barely more than 3 dollars per annum and per capita to the budget for
health. In the past, "the biggest properties did not exceed 132 hectares, points out Lao Mong Hay. Today, some of them cover
thousands of hectares to the detriment of dispossessed peasants by soldiers or businessmen protected by the ruling party.
If there were no traumatism inherited from Khmer Rouge genocide, there would have been riots ".
In Phnom Penh, on the edges of the river, not so far from
the National Assembly and the Bouddhist Institute, tens of men work on a giant building site, that of Nexus Naga, hotel, casino,
night club, built by the Malaysian company Ariston. An investment amounting to some 100 million dollars. Cambodia has already
about 20 casinos - ideal washing machine for the laundering of the dirty money - the majority located in the border
areas.
"Each time that one builds one of them, Saroeun notes, the
Prime Minister pockets 2 million dollars." The rapacity of the elite appears without limits. In 2007, the country will go
to the ballot boxes for the communal elections, in 2008 for the legislative ones. "If nothing changes, the sanction will be
terrible".
The final touch on the canvass, a report of the
United Nations reveals that the seizure of narcotic increased in a considerable way in 2003 to nearly 47 kilograms of heroin,
for 19 the previous year. As for the methamphetamins, these synthetic drug baptized yama in the region, the quantities fallen
into the hands of the police force are 50% higher than what they were in 2002. Since a few years, Cambodia was only country
of transit. The manufacturing sites for yama and ecstasy are now located there. In June 1999, one of them has beendiscovered
in a luxurious rented villa in Phnom Penh by EM Sam An, then vice general secretary of the National Authority of fight against
drug. According to wellinformed sources', Hun SEN, informed, nipped the affairs. Promoted meanwhile, the same EM Sam An was
dismissed in 2001 after his nearer collaborator, colonel Sok Sopheak, had been arrested in possession of 14,000 pills of methamphetamin.
But EM Sam An, a protege of Hun SEN, remains Secretary of State to the Interior ministry. He still holds the position.
The traffickers are protected by the ruling party and also by the bankers. "Some, within the CPP, would like to start
the reforms, advances Kem Sokha, president of the Cambodian Center for the humans rights. Supposing that even Hun SEN
accepts to do so, he does not have any more room to maneuver, because he is deeply implicated with these affairs.
If he undertakes to reform the justice system, he himself will be one of the accused. If he goes after the
military, they will have opened the Pandora's box similar to that of the coup in 1997. He bound his own hands
himself." A clear warning to the donorcountries.
(1) recent History of Cambodia and my standpoint (Harmattan)
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