Monthly Archives: November 2008

The boat racing could not do anything to corruption, could they?

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As a vacationer for three days, I did have a privilege to go out and enjoy the walk-about. Yet, I didn’t take that because before the water festival I read that five million Cambodians were expected to flock into the city, especially the riverside where the boats raced along. The estimation frightened me really. I didn’t want to faint among thousands of people or be a wet blanket for my relatives.

Normally I will walk hands in hands with my sisters and enjoy the view of the moving crowds during the festival. But this time, I plucked my courage and went on my own by bike. Surprisingly, less people than I expected turned up, walking on the streets. I thought that perhaps this year the public order was kept well by the municipal authority. While I was thinking highly of the authority, suddenly I spotted a temporary road barrier placed at the side road on my left handside, where several military police were guarding. Not only this one, but each side road had its own. The message was clear; no motorbikes or cars were allowed in. But I saw a few bikes passing through and I was wondering how they could do. The answer was obvious. Money!

“Hey, little girl, just spend some money and you can get past this,” a young military police kindly said to me. In my pocket, I didn’t have change of 1,000 Riel but one dollar. It was unreasonable to spend one dollar just to travel on a public road the government has to build for their own citizens. And if they really were ordered to keep public order by banning all vehicles inside, several other vehicles that had gone should not have been let in!!! I would listen if they had been doing their job.

Endeavoring to be a corrupt-free person, I didn’t want to submit to their need. 1,000 Riel was not a big deal, but I did not want to increase the corruption rate in Cambodia. But the pressuring from the bike people behind me kept me dizzy. I resorted to the same way other people had just done. I shamelessly escaped through the road barrier and happily thought the problem was over. But something in my guts told me that it wouldn’t stop here. Another small group of police were waiting for me; I was sure they were.

I went near one of the police and tiredly asked him ‘how much?’. I hoped he did understand my message that I sarcastically asked if they would become a Riel millionair after tonight. He looked at me without blinking. I knew it was a ridiculous remark from me. Another passenger holding his daughter’s hand was chuckling. Perhaps, he heard me and that’s why the police guy was staring at me calmly. My message to him was crystal-clear. “Please think and think again if you like what you are doing.”

What is sad is even sadder…

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On my way back from a school meeting, I happened to see the young woman posed on the top of the electric pole. I saw her holding a knife which later carelessly fell down and she later broke a lamp of which she used the broken pieces to cut her feet. Too far from her, I only hoped and kept my fingers crossed that she didn’t injure herself too badly. The Cambodia Daily also reported about the incident, and why she climbed her way to the top was explained that when she was angered, she would want to commit suicide. A few similar suicide attempts were made earlier by her, her family said.

I did not want to move closer. Seeing such a heart-breaking situation was already traumatizing for people who really need to get away from sadness like me. That was why I could not bear to get closer or even take a closer picture of the girl. It did draw a large crowd of on-lookers and a congested traffic jam at the scene. What it drew the most within me was the thought that women are usually at a disadvantage any time. They are more susceptible to abuse, discrimination and deprivation of education.

Cambodian traditions seemingly put women in the corner of responsibility only for housework and petty jobs. They are usually restricted to the kitchen, of which a similar proverb is made for. It says, “Women can’t even go around their kitchen.” I always hear this proverb somewhere in Cambodian films or in old people’s conversatins. I can’t translate the Khmer proverb very literally into English. But all I can understand is that it’s to insult women, to confine women to the kitchen premise and last but not least to treat women like ashes with little value, as a kitchen guard. A lot of women have given up their dreams for their early marriage; in fact, women and men need to be equal to contribute to the social development. Men alone can’t make a drop of change without women’s participation.

Surprisingly enough, this suicide attempt was followed by the sheer tragedy toward a prominent female film star (Cambodian). When I first heard about it, I felt sure “It’s just another love-affair-related story or a love triangle.” And her attack was just ‘another statistic’ in the human rights organization and government’s book. But after I read the detail as to what the pepertrator did to the woman, it turned my hair, shocking me souless!!! Nearly 30 cuts by razors blades were left everywhere on her body. The repercussion of someone’s husband’s betrayal turns to another person’s tragedy. It’s until people need to sit down and talk rationally before anger becomes harsh action against people who should not have been responsible for a wrong lust.

Many similar tragetic anecdotes have occurred in Cambodian society. Litres of acid have been poured over a countless number of people because ‘you take my husband/wife, so I have to kill you.” The revenge is sweet and will be taken non-stop if one side doesn’t start doing something first. In some cases, innocent people are victimized because they stand adjacent to someone’s target. These stories have scared me, because I think I can become another victim without even getting involved in their affairs in the first place. It’s making people feel insecure though they are 100% sure they do not do something immoral. Never have I heard the perpertrators have been caught to face trials. Never. I think things can go very wrong. There must be a constant flighting somewhere against violence toward women and innocent people. We need to stop holding a grudge or a violent contempt against other people, in whatever way. If we want peace, prepare for peace.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder (= – =)–but my eye as a beholder!

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I was born brown; I have grown up brown and I will surely get old brown and die brown. This is a simple fact to be born brown, white or yellow. But since I have come a long way to this moment, I have torelated a lot of prejudicial comments from people of the same nationality.

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When I was in primary school, my friends called me ‘black’ because of my skin color. “Black” was said instead of “brown”; I guess, their parents didn’t teach them to distinguish between colors very well. Very sad. Half-blood chinese children were proud of their white or pale skin color. Some of them behaved superior to others in the class. As for me, I knew right from the start of my life that I would live with dignity no matter what skin color I was given. I later welcomed a lot of friends of different skin colors. Of course, Cambodia sounds like a country with multi-ethnic groups. There have been pure Cambodians who are half-blood Chinese, Vietnamese and minorities until now. I now can hardly find a Cambodian without Chinese ancestry nowadays.
Around 1920s, hundreds of Chinese and Vietnamese immigrated into Cambodia for a better life. They later dorminated most of the businesses while they were know for a race of business wizards. As far as I put in my evaluation, they have so far done a good job as business-people. They are shrewd and quick. So their domination in business is common in the present day and it is even ordinary to find very few Cambodians business owners and a lot of Cambodian workers.
Because I do not give a thought about what people say about my skin color, I have lived in peace. I truly understand that millions of people in other countries have suffered too much due to their natural skin color. How many black people were killed due to their skin? How many people were killed because of their race? I know Cambodia are lagging behind other countries in the world owing to a poor understanding of what exactly is human rights and what human-beings’ needs are.
There has been a social trend in Cambodia that many women, single or married, crave for white skin. They have used many lotions ranging from powder to liquid just to satisfy their ignorant need. They do not realize how much harm those will do to their skin, and how much they lose to discard their skin. They do not know that it is such a gift from God and parents to inherit the divine skin. Many women told me that to have white skin is to show a wealthy status in Cambodian society. I thought, “Oh, so Cambodians have disliked Cambodians themselves and ‘brown’ means dirthy or of low status.”
I can only shake my head and accept their situation. Not to mention my sisters do not listen to my suggestion, they even do like other women. Of course, they must not be hated just because of their desire to have white skin. They should be given enough information to make a better decision for their good health/life.
This social trend has affected many women and also men in Cambodian society to define the word ‘beauty’. Women who were born white are satisfied; whereas women who were born brown scramble to their feet and pucker at their brown skin. Very sad. Women in the west enjoy tanned skin while women in Asia enjoy white or pale skin. But both do not know that each of them craves for the skin color the other can be dying for. Funny??
Till these days, not many Cambodians have been taught to torelate skin colors, I guess. I’m glad there has not been any harsh act against each because I’m white and you’re brown. But that ‘white’ has been intertwined into Cambodia’s mentality; “white” means “of a wealthy status” and “brown” means “of a low status”.
And you people, how do you define beauty? by skin color? by the physical appearance? by attitude? The rest is for you to ponder.