An Alternative for Cambodian NGOs: Democracy or Poverty Reduction?

Cambodia is well-known to the outside world for its human right violation, crime, corruption and poverty. There are hundreds of local NGOs working on human right protection and promotion of the rule of law. Bingo! they are dealing with one of the pressing issues in Cambodia. They produce good reports for international donors and Western media and convene public forums every month to disseminate and educate people about their civic and political rights and freedom. Every year, they spend hundreds of million USD to support their activities.

In return, they spread the knowledge of democracy to Cambodians, who are hungry for both Western values and lifestyle, and unfriendly behavior of the Cambodian government towards Western values. More and more Khmer rural people are aware of their unspeakable rights and freedom. They are no longer patient with suppression and exploitation by the ruling elites and powerful. Everyday, you can see they protest and gathering in public places to demand justice for illegal eviction and unfair judgement by the corrupt judicial system. Moreover, garment workers are on strike almost everyday both in the capital and provinces to ask for better pay and working condition. More importantly, in the Western media like AFP, AP, CNN or BBC everything about Cambodia is corruption, illegal eviction and poverty. They often quote or refer to reports produced by local and international NGOs or personalities that are not happy with the government actions. It is understandable that usually Cambodian government under Prime Minister Hun Sen is not so friendly with Western media (Sic!)


Do they have anything to do with ECONOMY or BASIC SERVICES? In short, RARELY! Why? Cambodia is a very poor country why economic growth and necessary services are not prioritized by the civic groups? Well, to be honest, I dont know as I never work with any NGOs. However, what I strongly agree is economic development and basic services should be pursued first. When people are better off their children will better education and they will have higher demands from the government for better service delivery and performance from the public officials. What is the effect from hundreds of million USD spent by those NGOs if they turn them into economic development? Why don't we nurture rural Cambodians about entrepreneurship and small business knowledge? How important it is to educate poor family about the importance of health and education! How useful it is to spend some portions of their funds to build roads, schools and health centers for rural Cambodians!


Experiences of East Asia Miracle (Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong) and later some new industrialized countries such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia, show that democracy is not the definitive reason behind these economic successes. On the contrary, when countries become more develop there is an emerging class of the society called MIDDLE CLASS who always press their governments for better performance and efficiency in handling public affairs. Poor economic performance or low revenue are no longer an excuse by the government as it is obvious that the countries develop.

Balancing out development

The Phnom Penh Post
Thursday, 01 July 2010 15:00
By Nicola Crosta

Cambodia has made strides in sustainable development, but progress will hinge on bridging existing disparities that separate the rural and urban populations


Over the last decade, Cambodia has been successful in achieving sustained economic growth, but this has been narrowly based and continues to be challenged by stark social and territorial disparities. Alongside these challenges, there is enormous unexploited potential for sustainable economic development and diversification across both rural and urban Cambodia. Clearly, many of the key factors influencing the country’s development dynamics – both positive and negative – are localised, and are thus best understood and addressed at the sub-national level. This is one of the main conclusions we reached in the Local Development Outlook: Cambodia, launched on Wednesday by the UN Capital Development Fund in Phnom Penh at the UNCDF/UNDP Local Development Forum.

On the one hand, modest progress towards some of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is concentrated in specific regions and dependent on local circumstances. On the other, Cambodia possesses significant unexploited potential. Notably, some of its strongest assets are localised just where poverty and exclusion is the greatest. For example, despite its strong tourism and construction industries, Siem Reap remains one of the country’s poorest provinces.

In this context, a strong consensus is emerging across both developed and developing countries that a new policy approach is needed – one that builds on local knowledge to tailor public policy to locally specific circumstances. This should allow the provision of public goods when they are needed and where they are needed, in an integrated fashion. This logic is behind recent efforts to use more disaggregated data, such as that gathered in Cambodia through the already existing commune database, to localise the MDGs and attack poverty traps via deliberate, place-based strategies. For instance, in many countries, local MDG “scorecards” are being developed to track progress at the local level and provide input to national and sub-national planning processes. This approach also guides local development strategies that seek to harness endogenous potential and capitalise on opportunities for economic diversification and development. Additionally, this localised approach is increasingly being adopted to drive policy responses to climate change that has significant – and territorially asymmetric – impacts across developing countries.

What does this mean, in practice, for Cambodia? As argued in the Outlook, action is needed on at least two fronts. First and foremost, decentralisation reforms must advance. This will provide the necessary governance infrastructure to empower local actors as agents of change and development. Decentralisation is not just about promoting local democracy and participation; it is also a key tool to promote economic development. Second, policy that clearly outlines a localised approach to development is needed at the national level. This doesn’t mean top-down planning. It means adopting a strategic approach that is sensitive to the different characteristics of different parts of the country. This includes – for instance – developing the government’s capacity to tailor its sectoral policies to the specific context of rural areas, urban areas and cross-border or coastal provinces.

But realising local development potential is not just the responsibility of government. Private sector and financial institutions have a critical role to play to ensure local economic development opportunities are harnessed. Development partners can also do more to make sure their support is strategically targeted where it is needed and in ways that maximise synergies and integration, rather than duplication.

This local perspective may not be the solution to Cambodia’s economic, social and environmental challenges. But it is certainly part of the solution. Anyone who has travelled across Cambodia knows that this is a land of immense opportunities. A future is possible where rural areas thrive and where Cambodian cities act as hubs for development. But for this to happen, efforts need to be localised: Economic growth in Phnom Penh does not automatically translate into development in Ban Lung. In other words, growth is necessary, but it doesn’t necessarily imply balanced, sustainable development. If sustainable development is the objective, key actors need to act collectively, strategically and deliberately towards it.

This will allow all Cambodian regions, and their populations, to participate in national growth and development.

Nicola Crosta is chief technical advisor to the UN Capital Development Fund, the UN’s investment agency for least developed countries.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010070140195/National-news/balancing-out-development.html

Workplace bans on beards raise hairy questions

Tuesday, June 22, 2010
By MIKI NAKANISHI
Kyodo News

MAEBASHI, Gunma Pref. — The issue of men with facial hair in the workplace has recently prompted serious discussions as well as actual bans based on "decorum."

News photo
Hairy issue: A bearded shopkeeper is given a "no" sign by a customer in an illustration addressing the issue of banning facial hair in the workplace. TARO ARAI ILLUSTRATION / KYODO

In May, the city of Isesaki, Gunma Prefecture, banned all male municipal employees from sporting beards in the office on the grounds that public servants should look decent. The city took the action after some residents complained about its bearded workers.

In response to the news, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said it had never heard of any municipality introducing such a rule.

Isesaki's move, however, is nothing new. A growing number of Japanese, including athletes, are being prohibited from turning up for work unshaven so they won't "offend" the public.

Seven-Eleven Japan Co. is particularly strict about the appearance of its employees and says it won't hire men with beards.

"We might fire workers growing beards regardless of whether they are regular staff or part-time workers," a public relations official said.

Oriental Land Co., owner of the Tokyo Disney Resort, also bans beards, like its U.S. counterpart.

"It's important that workers serving our guests maintain an immaculate image," an official said. "But the rule doesn't apply to the man playing the role of Captain Hook in our park."

The manufacturing arm of razor maker Kai Corp. tests the quality of its products almost every month on its male workers. They grow facial hair until the monthly test date arrives and get back to work cleanshaven after the tests.

Some men take issue with the bans.

An employee of Japan Post Service Co. sued the firm to protest a pay cut imposed because of his beard.

In March, the Kobe District Court ordered the company to pay him ¥370,000 on grounds that a person's appearance is a matter of personal freedom and a uniform ban on beards is unreasonable.

In sports, the Yomiuri Giants baseball club is well known for its ban on beards. When he left the Nippon Ham Fighters for the Giants in December 2006, infielder Michihiro Ogasawara made his fans gasp by shaving his trademark beard.

The baseball star said abiding by his team's rules was a matter of manhood.

No regulations exist regarding facial hair in the world of sumo, the most tradition-bound of sports in Japan.

According to the Japan Sumo Association, some non-Japanese wrestlers have taken flak in the past because they tend to be more hairy than most Japanese and some fans found their bushy facial hair unseemly. By and large, not wearing a beard is a tacit rule.

The association, however, is rather flexible regarding the issue.

"We work in the world where luck counts a great deal, so some wrestlers don't shave during a winning streak" because they fear it would change their luck, an association official said.

"It is said that growing a beard or not should be a matter of personal freedom and left to each individual to decide, but organizations fail to function well if they lack a certain measure of discipline," said Mitsuru Yaku, a cartoonist and commentator on various social issues who himself sports a beard.

"A beard is a symbol that is the polar opposite of a virtue associated with a serious-minded adult, and many people equate beards with decadence or moral laxity," he said.