Ordinary Women to Critical Political Overview

Phnom Penh, 5th August 2014
A few ordinary Cambodian women

At around 2PM the clear blue sky on Russian Boulevard was suddenly covered by a dark cloud and strong wind. After a short while the rain started falling down and did not stop all day long. People then were covering up with raincoats and jackets to protect themselves from the wet and dirt. We stopped for coffee and waited for the rainfall to stop. Hot latte, americano, and passion fruit smoothie are served amongst full and loud laughter from us. Through the glass wall, we see people were rushing to find shelter from the rain, most of them avoiding the coffee shop since you have to spend at least $2.50 in order to stay inside here. That cost could buy a meal for the whole family. Living as ordinary Cambodian women, we spend most of our time thinking of how to make our family members and loved ones safe and happy. And this rainy afternoon was a moment for us to think and talk a little more seriously of our lives, roles and how we contribute to socio-economic and political improvement of our society.

We often forget to spend even just five minutes to reflect on our historical, cultural, social and political evolution and the consequences. Today a few ordinary female friends have chance to discuss deeper what it means by political deadlock, why merging opportunity between our leaders is not possible, what do our leaders want, how political and social crisis can be solved. These are worm questions. In other words, there is no simple one answer to these questions but they are interconnected and complicated. We asked whether or not there is any social and political improvement if we as citizens remain silent. As we are comparing this question to those who are travelling under the rain falls. Should they wait until the rain stop to avoid themselves from getting wet or should they find ways to protect themselves while making sure that they reach the destination safely. Even if they wait that does not mean they are safe and it is not sure either how long does it take until the rain stops. Therefore, social and political crisis are similar to the rain falls and reflecting our attitude whether we are engaging with them or ignoring them.

In fact, thanks to the rain, we are given the chance to have a reflective discussion that is rich with thoughts and perspectives from ordinary citizens. Of course, our conclusions might not be professionally, academically, scientifically correct, but we are not looking for the correct answer, but rather reflective and critical thinking. We are seeing it as dialogue, the raw material, not the final product. There is no single conclusion and judgment about who is right and wrong and all should not be afraid of speaking their opinions. That helps grow the Cambodian culture of sharing, discussing and learning. We rarely hear and take viewpoints from ordinary people, because we are taught to trust scientific references and professional evidence, that is often used to censor and silence voices of ordinary people who have so much experiences to share. We know that change starts from speaking out, especially from those who do not have the hidden agenda, and only want respect, equal and just society.

Political Games and Impacts
We started looking at key players associated with economic and political influence in the Kingdom: China, Vietnam and the US in the past and present times. There is no purity in making a cake which is similar to dumped foreign development aids and to thrive the economic growth through foreign and local national investment in any nations, including Cambodia. We then questioned the US imposed neo-liberal trade and investment agenda in many countries and in our own country. Then we see the political tension between Vietnam and China but also the critical relationship between the US and China in the political and economic areas. From our basic analysis, Asia and ASEAN are a big market with cheap labour for the private investment and corporate profits. Cambodia is a crossing country where having better trade and investment opportunity in the region, including natural resources and cheap labour. Developed and developing nations see Cambodia as the opportunity for trade and investment that could link to a larger market in the region, especially after the ASEAN integration in 2015.

It seems that the US is backing up Cambodia’s opposition party, and using its overseas development aid strategy as a way to influence its free trade agenda that would gain more market expansion and control in the political system in the region. The US government has had a manipulative relationship with Cambodia since the Vietnam War, with the US-backed coup and the secret carpet-bombing, and continued into the Khmer Rouge period and present time. China on the other hand does not outwardly interfere with the government function, and provides grants on physical infrastructure development without any attached human rights conditions. However, China’s rapidly growing political and economic strength is known globally and should be considered as the basis for its agenda in Cambodia. The US definitely sees China as competition in its control over foreign trade and investment in Cambodia.

What is sad and frustrating for us is that internally Cambodians often fight against each other from the leadership level and the mass society. They either choose to stand in favour with the ruling or opposition parties, or to affiliate with Western lion and/or Asian tiger. Beyond the ordinary citizen, this even includes civil society organisations and the international and local NGOs. What do our leaders want from this? Perhaps the simplest answer is to grow personal benefit, reputation and power. Leaders use fingers to point at one another, claiming who is right and wrong without mutually or willingly to correct the wrongs that each side has and people hardly hear a logical explanation from both parties. What we see is one party using the military to control the situation as a way of maintaining “peace, public order, safety and security,” while the other protests that it is oppression, undemocratic, and limits people’s freedom and human rights and we must oppose. The ongoing argument is that whether or not human rights are governed by rules and laws, opposing groups cannot do anything freely. However, it does not simply end here. The key demands of the people are lost track in the middle of this argument. If we are not careful and hold our own strong feet, we, ordinary and affected people, will be driven into different directions – becoming part of a power game for a few elites or politicians. This is the kind of drama that has made Cambodians hate, fear, distrust and avoid politics. To ordinary Khmer people, politics is limited to the level of the political party, rather than encompassing power relations and dimensions at the level of ordinary people.

To be sure, there are a number of people reacting to the negative impacts of development, such as the loss of land, housing, natural resources and livelihood. Although these actions might not be directly caused by political parties, our elected officials have not worked towards any real progress in improving the situation besides stamping and manipulating the reality. Therefore, it creates such tense situation because the decision makers and affected people cannot collaboratively address the issues together as duty bearers and right holders. The public refrains from uniting and collectively advocating for a better society and another possible world because of fear, lack of trust and lack of self-dedication to overcome personal interest for common interest.

Time and time again, and from one regime to another, people are exhausted from holding hope for leaders. A few days after our rainy coffee shop conversation, we see the sky seems to be clearer and there is not that much raining and flooding in the capital. Perhaps the nature finds itself a little calmer from all the political depression and oppression. It seems to be better when leaders are able to discuss political deadlock in a mature and peaceful manner. But that is not enough because the real agenda is not just about how you should merge or work together but more importantly about bringing all the unsolved problems of the people into your strategic and systematic solutions.
Charity, Fame and Accountability

We take the chance to have further reflection as ordinary women to be a bit more critical ones. We compare this political spectrum with the recent debate on the revealing case of Ms. Somaly Mam, her foundation and the organisation receiving direct grants from Somaly Foundation. Ms. Mam was criticised of making up stories one after the other to create the image of saving lives of girls and women from sexual slavery and human trafficking. She has been praised as one of the world’s heroes because of her works on this area. Somaly Mam Foundation has been globally renowned and receiving a huge donations and grants from the world’s high profile and rich people to support the programs of anti-human trafficking and for running a rehabilitation center. In May 2014, a investigative article of NewsWeek highlighted the inconsistency of Ms. Mam’s story and presentation with the responses of women, family members and those who were part of the cases. In a short while, Somaly Mam Foundation announced Ms. Mam’s resignation after its assessment and investigation. The Foundation made it clear of having no future affiliation with a woman – Long Pross who was identified as a survivor from sex slavery. According to NewsWeek, Pross is from a poor family and sent to AFESIP’s vocational training with her disable eye. She has nothing to do with in torture from sex trafficking but Ms. Mam set all things what she has had to say on media and publication. Another similar case of Meas Ratha that Ms. Mam had set her up to fake the story on French TV that she was sold into the brothel. Finally, Ms. Mam was trapped by her lies. These are only two cases that were revealed but we are not sure how many cases were hidden and how many women who were used as tools for Ms. Mam’s reputation as well as serving the agenda of the Foundation.

We are ordinary women who believe that anti-human trafficking, sexual exploitation and slavery programs often work to abolish commercial sex entirely, when there are people (mostly women) who voluntarily and consciously choose commercial sex work as a livelihood. The Somaly Mam Foundation is one of those organisations using the abolitionist approach, often manipulating the voices and rights of survivors of human trafficking as well as ignoring the entire community of commercial sex workers. Consenting adult females, males and transgender sex workers should be given respect for the full control over their bodies and sexual autonomy, rather than cultural and social stigmatized. Therefore, Somaly Mam’s resignation does not change much for what we already see as problematic in the entire approach and politics of the anti-sexual slavery and anti-human trafficking organisations.

We also question how independent the investigation conducted by the Somaly Mam Foundation was. Although it claimed the transparent financial management and expenditure and has now stopped affiliating with Ms. Mam and a few other complicit individuals who were exposed in the investigation. Is stopping one executive person from her position really making Somaly Mam Foundaiton a trusted organisation doing worthy work? It is hard to believe that the whole institution and management of Somaly Mam Foundation has not been aware of the issues and inconsistencies in Somaly Mam’s stories and operations after operating for such a long time. We are expecting Somaly Mam Foundation to review its working approach and its transparency and accountability to hundreds thousands of girls and women they are claiming to save given this implication.

Politics and Responsibilities of Individuals and Institutions
While looking at the instituionalised responsibility, we are hoping that Ms. Mam should be responsible for all her lies, confronting the public, especially a lot of girls and women who were brought into the centre under her leadership, rather than resigning from her executive role and remaining silent. That is considered as an unaccountable act for high profile person. Surprisingly, until today we have not heard any responses or reactions from Ms. Mam to reveal the truth from herself directly. She either would disagree with the fact findings of NewsWeek and a variety of media coverage on her case or she would accept it. She is probably trying covering herself with the world’s hero image. To us, we already lost our respect and she should no longer be crowned as hero. Instead, there she is considered as the exploitative person, which is not so different from trafficker, but perhaps a modern trafficker.

We are ordinary women, and we are seeing ourselves as also feminist activists. We reflect on whether this case only affects Ms. Mam herself or brings a negative image and effect to other women activists for social change?
All and all, it is a drama and power game on the back, sweat and bloodshed of people. By looking at these two cases of political and social plays, the ordinary women like us observe that the real or roots cause are not taken for a serious discussion and solution. We raise similar question: Is overthrowing Prime Minister Hun Sen and him with H.E Sam Rainsy and/or replacing the Cambodian People’s Party with the Cambodian National Rescue Party going make Cambodia a better nation and bring Cambodians with adequate social protection and well-beings? What more important to address to problems is to seriously looking at the institutionalise, politicise and systematic change, rather than just an individual escape and dismissal. The system we are referring to here is transparent and accountable governance and leadership in the legislative and executive bodies, independent and fair judicial system. And what it means by transparent and accountable leadership?

Let’s us simplify it. As law makers you cannot not just develop and pass laws and policies on your instincts and in favour of elites’ interests, but for us, your constituencies who mostly affected and who also represent the Kingdom, not multinational corporations, the powerful and rich to almost every single of our resources. Ministers, officials in each government ministry and office perform on their public duties with and for us your people, not for their individual, party or group’s interests. We want to see more of public investment, not just private ones. We want to see public resources are fairly and equitably gathered, managed and redistributed. And we know it is very challenging to fix these problems because Cambodia is part of the world and the globe now is danger and under destruction.

In order to bring about systematic change, individuals of us is counted to be aware, get involve and monitor what leaders are doing and driving the institutions and the nation to. Remember that we are part of the problem and also the solution. Today example is already clearly proving that we as ordinary women are making some different because we can expressing our views and no longer remaining silence. To break our fear and silent is already a great step we make and never afraid to keep our long and difficult journeys toward liberation.