I don’t claim to be a political analyst…But I wanted to share some observations from our time in Cambodia during a unique point in the history of that country: when it was transitioning from a strict socialist government to a more open capitalist/democratic society between 1988 and 1993.
During that time of service in Cambodia 1988-1993 we observed a society’s transition from a very restrictive socialist regime to “democratic” capitalism in all its beauty….
There were major political and world events that affected the political situation in Cambodia in major ways, and our work between 1988 and 1993. From Communist government with embargo from the West, through peace talks, return of Prince Sihanouk, to the largest international peacekeeping force ever, who conducted a civil process of education on the election process, to democratic elections in 1993, the first democratic elections since 1976.
All looks like positive movement toward peace, right?
Looking at the economic transitions of this time…
1988—embargo from West, no multilateral aid from the West. Lots of poverty, but everyone was on an equal footing (except those at the very top). Most people had food to eat.
1992—embargo was lifted, multi-lateral aid from the West was allowed, could see things opening up economically. But the greedy could also run rampant, and the rich started becoming richer, and the poor poorer. And what happened in between?
1988: Vietnamese backed Communist gov’t; U.S. led embargo from West
1989: Fall of Berlin Wall & Break up of Soviet Union
1991: Peace Accords/Sihanouk’s return
1992: U.S. lifts trade embargo on Cambodia
Refugee camps on Thai border begin to close/Influx of NGOs to Phnom Penh
Begin the rise of capitalism in Cambodia
1992-3: UNTAC’s 20,000 international peacekeepers, leading to elections
When Jonathan and I arrived in Cambodia in 1988 to serve as Reps for MCC, there was a US led embargo in effect, due to the Vietnamese backed communist/socialist government in Phnom Penh. We had to get special permission from the US State Dept to go to Cambodia.
There were 14 Americans and 80 Westerners in all of Cambodia in 1988 when we arrived. There were thousands of Soviet block country citizens providing assistance in the country.
When we first arrived, Phnom Penh seemed quiet and calm and quaint. Yet we soon became aware that the Cambodian people felt extremely isolated from the West. Flying into PPn felt like going into a hole, cut off from the world. Of course this was before the internet, but there was also no postal system—communication in and out once/week with a mail pouch processed from Bangkok, and the banking system was dysfunctional in the country.
During the socialist regime, Cambodians were closely watched, not allowed to “fraternize” with Westerners, and if they were seen talking to us in public for too long, they were often visited by the ministry of interior at night and threatened, sometimes sent to reeducation camp.
We were not allowed to study Khmer, to maintain this distance from Cambodians. Our main friends were the guides who were assigned to us from the various ministries we worked with. We would travel with these guides, who spoke very good English, and got to know each other very well, and became close friends. These were the doctors Jonathan worked with once/week, and the Ministry of Health guide, Bunry with his back to the camera, who became our closest friend, and eventually worked for us in our office.
These doctors were employed by the government, but weren’t paid regularly, so they each had their own practice out of their homes. They didn’t regularly show up at the hospital, because there wasn’t a lot of incentive to invest their time when they weren’t paid for the job.
Young Cambodians were hungry for relationships with foreigners, but they had to be very careful.
To meet regular people, we jogged every afternoon after work at the Olympic Stadium. We’d bike there, and young men would bike up alongside us, or jog beside us at the stadium, and ask, “What is your name?” “What is your function?” …the first two sentences of “Basic English Book 1”…
We were spied on regularly: a young man spied on us regularly at the university while we came for our Khmer lesson; Guys across the street from the office watching us from ministry of interior after MCCer in VN Miriam Buckwalter was kicked out of VN
These restrictions of relationships during the socialist regime, gradually thawed as the embargo was lifted and capitalism took the day.
At first we weren’t allowed to hire Cambodians into our NGOs. But as things opened up, we were allowed to hire Cambodians to work with us in our office. Mony Ratana was one of the first people we hired in 1991. She learned to do our book keeping and manage the office. Before she came to MCC, she had been serving tea to the men at the Ministry of Agriculture, even though she had a college degree in Ag.
When I looked her up again in 2014 she said to me, “This morning I told my daughter, I’m going to meet the woman who taught me everything I needed to know about administration.” Since her time with MCC, she has worked in a variety of project management roles with various UN agencies, foreign embassies, and government ministries.
Moving from a socialist government to a capitalist one has opened up opportunities for some of these more educated women to develop their leadership skills.
During the socialist regime all land was state-owned, including the rice fields. Farmers worked in groups of five with about 2 acres of land. They did the plowing, planting and harvesting together, and divided up the rice among themselves, giving a certain portion back to the state. Everyone was fed, and had access to fields to grow their rice. But we also heard complaints that it was never enough food to go around.
When capitalism took over, there was privatization of land, which we thought sounded like a good idea....But due to 20 years of war and 4 years of hard labor and executions under PP and the KR, many Cambodian households were headed by widows at that time. These households had to hire men to do the heavy labor of plowing their fields with the oxen. This often led to taking loans from the rich people in the village, going into debt, eventually selling their land, leading to a downward cycle into poverty.
At the same time, in more recent years of a more open economy, young women have had the opportunity to develop economically. This woman is supported by an MCC loan through a local partner to grow her pigs and develop a viable source of income as a farmer.
Of course there were and are an increasing number of foreign business men who have come to buy up the land, and build High-rise hotels—this one belongs to a man from Hong Kong and was built, along with many other high rises, on what was a quiet and peaceful island of farmland in the middle of the Mekong River. These high rise hotels and condos of course are not affordable for the majority of Cambodians, and cater to incoming tourists and foreign business people eager to buy up pieces of Cambodia.
When we arrived in 1988, all westerners were living in three different hotels in PPn to keep an eye on us.
In 1990 we were finally allowed to move out of the hotels and into homes around the city. The front half of this building was MCC’s first rental house/office after moving out of the hotel. When we moved in there in 1990, it was a quiet street corner. This housed 3 SWs, the office, and guest space for the MCCers who would come in from the Province. Now it has become a bank, and multiple buildings have been added to the compound.
Sunday afternoon recreation was a stroll along the river front by the Royal Palace. it was a very quiet and peaceful stroll!
And today this is what the river front looks like, chaotic, crowded with people and businesses…
During the socialist regime when we first arrived in 1988, the official government market had fixed prices. Anyone could buy food at a reasonable price. One item had the same price throughout the market, no bartering was allowed. The variety of goods available was limited in the central market. Sellers seemed very bored because there was no profit motive for them.
Very few buyers came to that market, but preferred the other informal markets, which bustled with activity.
As capitalism started taking over, that Central government market was also transformed. It became bursting with sellers, products and buyers, and became a thriving economic hub.
As we worked with government officials during the socialist regime, we were very aware of their blatant propaganda, both in public presentations and in private conversations, praising the socialist regime. As things opened up we sensed a greater honesty from our friends about how they truly felt about their government…
Oh wait! When we went back to Cambodia in 2011 as a family the same three guys are in charge now as were in charge in 1988…Hun Sen, Haing Samrin and Chea Sim…
And even today, with “democracy” in place, public criticism of the government is actively discouraged.
In fact, Hun Sen is the longest serving leader in Asia (since 1982), even though there have been multiple “democratic” elections since 1993…he managed to steal the elections a couple of times…
Cyclos were most common means of transportation around the city when we first arrived. There was very little traffic in 1988, with very few cars. All cars had been destroyed during the Khmer Rouge time, and very few cars had been imported at the time…
The only cars that did exist in PPn during the socialist regime were BMWs and Mercedes owned by government officials or land cruisers owned by NGOs.
Now the city is overflowing with Traffic, much like Bangkok…You can easily get caught in a traffic jam during certain times of the day in PPn.
Roads and infrastructure of the city haven’t kept up with the traffic demands.
In 1989 Angkor Watt was just opening up to foreigners. It was still at the time surrounded by the Khmer Rouge. But we were allowed to fly up there in a helicopter with an NGO delegation for one day, to visit Angkor Watt and Bayon. There were no tourists besides our small group of NGOs.
Now there are many daily direct flights from Bangkok to Siem Riep to visit Angkor Watt, with a flood of hotels and restaurants to keep up with the unfettered flow of tourists. Most hotels are less than half full because there are so many of them.
And many of these hotels and restaurants are owned by foreign businessmen from Thailand, Hong Kong and Singapore, and so much of the profit from these ancient temples gets sent out of the country.
During the strict socialist regime, local NGOs were not allowed to exist. In 1992 after the embargo was lifed, many new local NGOs started popping up, and we were able to begin supporting grass roots peacebuilding initiatives.
When we first arrived in Cambodia the Christian church was not allowed to meet publically. Many small worship groups were meeting privately in homes. When things started opening up the church became “legalized” in 1990. Still they were closely watched for awhile. EMM first came to Cambodia in 1992 and started this Mennonite church in Phnom Penh, where many of our SWs now attend.
Now meeting IVEPers who come from Cambodia, I am amazed that there is a whole new generation of Cambodians who have grown up in the open church. We wouldn’t have dreamed in 1988 of the possibility that there could be an open and thriving Christian church in Cambodia.
Now MCC is supporting several peace building partners which didn’t exist before. This is exciting work that is having far a reaching effect throughout the country in human rights, land rights, women’s right, etc. And MCC assigns SALTers/YAMENers to some of these local peace building NGOs….something we would have never dreamed possible at that time.
Our MCC team in 1989 consisted of a couple of doctors and irrigation engineers. They were not allowed to interact with Cambodians outside of their work setting.
The MCC team now includes IVEPers who have returned to Cambodia, and a growing team of SALTers and YAMENers who are living with host families around the city. These are components of a team that we were not able to enjoy when we were Reps during the embargo.
As we interact in our work with various country programs that are operating out of different political systems, we need to set aside our own political biases, to hear the stories of the farmers and persons in the market place, and keep in mind that no matter what our political leaning, no political system is perfect as they’re all made of human leaders who have their own selfish motivations.
MCC works toward supporting indigenous efforts to make life better/more just for the oppressed in many different ways. We are citizens of a different kingdom, and aim to be salt/light in whatever economic system we find ourselves. (e.g. I vote, but I don't "put all my eggs in the basket" of one economic/political system or another.)
I believe that God’s ideal political system is expressed in Isaiah 58:10-12--- “If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”