Please spare us the insult...

Re: Hun Sen: We differ from other countries

With thanks to Sacrava

by Stranga Enigmatica

None of those countries arising out of the ashes of World War II had had to assassinate, harass, threaten, and imprison their internal dissidents, political activists, environmentalists and so forth for the sake of so-called "national stability" and rebuilding. It is disingenuous; to say the least, that Mr Hun Sen and his apologists could only measure Cambodia's progress, even in 30 plus years, by the yard stick of the dismal KR era in the seventies!

One easily - or conveniently - overlooked detail about Japan, Germany and Israel etc. is that they also had chosen to adopt liberal and constitutional political framework - and not simply as a cosmetic paperwork formality treated with barely concealed contempt by the ruling party either! On top of the structural ruins and destruction wrought by the war [the Jews had been just as traumatised by the holocaust as had the Cambodian people by the genocide, and had had to resurrect a state that had been lost to their race for 2 thousand years amid the unremitting hostility of surrounding Arab states] Japan and Germany also had been forced to pay reparations to the Allied powers.   

In fact, Cambodia has been receiving - and continues to receive - substantial international aid and assistance from the international community annually, and despite over-exploiting its once rich natural assets such as timber and minerals - and now turning to off-shore oil deposits - the filthy rich are growing richer and filthier while between 80 and 90 percent of the country's population still live hand to mouth!

Nobody in their right mind would suggest for a second that Cambodia's backwardness has anything to do with the lack of intelligence or genius on the part of the Cambodian people [their past achievements and long glorious history would indicate that they have as much of such things, if not more than other nations can be said to possess].

On the other hand, it is true that unlike Israel, Japan, Germany and other western European countries weakened and devastated by WWII, Cambodia had not been rehabilitated economically by the Marshall Plan or other special financial assistance and privileges from the US government or the outside world. Yet, no economist or financial expert in their sound mind would advise the US government - or any government, for that matter! - to privilege Cambodia with similarly sustained structural economic and financial status and packages knowing all too well the obvious pitfalls of asking a pack of hyenas to nurse a seriously wounded lamb back to health?                  

Please spare us the insult.

Posted in: Political Picture