Politics and the first lesson
Monday was another chilled day. I am getting eaten alive by the mosquitoes out here, despite the repellent. They will bite through my shirt, but I guess you just have to live with it. I sleep at night with a mosquito net, and I light a repellent incense stick, which keeps them away. I'm slowly adjusting to the time difference. I have been taking naps in the afternoon, which helps.
Yesterday I had an interesting chat with Ros, a seminarian and soon-to-be deacon on placement here in Battambang, about the political situation here in Cambodia. He is originally from Battambang. It is politically an interesting time to be visiting, as it was for me in Rio. The country has just had their election in which the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) has once again won. They have been in power for 28 years under their current name and leadership, and are seen as a communist party. The opposition, the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), which is a party aspiring for democracy in Cambodia led by a man named Sam Rainsy, does not accept the count of the election that has amounted in the CPP winning. They claim there is serious electoral fraud that favored the CPP, and Sam Rainsy visited New York last week to try and seek outside help from the United Nations to oversee a re-counting. Ros tells me that the votes are counted by members of the CPP. The CPP bribe community leaders to host talks convincing the public to vote for the CPP. Known CNRP voters will have difficulty in placing their vote, being told they are registered to a different and distant town which is impossible to reach before the voting period closes. CPP members will place several votes at different stations. Apparently, when you are known as someone who does not for the Cambodian Peoples Party, you are marginalized, and have trouble obtaining signatures from your chief (of a village etc.) for official documents. The government, fearful of protests and rebellion, has sent military (tanks and armed troops) to Phnom Penh; the capital. Ros tells me this cannot be for protest security, but to threaten those who oppose the CPP. Sam Rainsy whats an outside authority like the United Nations to oversee the electoral vote, as happened after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. Many Cambodian citizens are not educated on politics and don't vote. And, because of the poverty and low wages, when someone is offered a bribe it is very tempting to accept. There are Cambodian citizens (around 1 million) working abroad in Thailand, Vietnam etc. that have not voted because they are out of the country, which is a very significant number for such a small country. These are all things I hear from Ros. If you want to read a more eloquently written article on the situation, see here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23663005
On Monday evening there was a remembrance mass for Ming Lyn's (the cook here) husband. Afterwards, there was a candlelit procession of the husbands ashes to a nearby tomb, as they had his bones cremated on this 3rd anniversary of death. Afterwards, Ming Lyn put on a wonderful traditional khmer feast for us, and those at table are shown in the photo below.
Today I had began my first english lesson with some students here. There are a group of young people who stay here in the compound of the Apostolic Prefecture during the summer holidays. They function as the choir for mass, and also learn drama and Tae-Kwon-do together here (I hope to join them in the evenings for the latter). Some of them can speak a small amount of English, but Fr Totet wants me to help improve their conversational abilities. I work with them from 9am-10am (nothing too taxing, as it's their summer holidays). I am not sure if i will take on more students/classes. So far I only take 6 in that morning class, but 2 were absent today. The last photo shows the class.
Yesterday I had an interesting chat with Ros, a seminarian and soon-to-be deacon on placement here in Battambang, about the political situation here in Cambodia. He is originally from Battambang. It is politically an interesting time to be visiting, as it was for me in Rio. The country has just had their election in which the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) has once again won. They have been in power for 28 years under their current name and leadership, and are seen as a communist party. The opposition, the Cambodian National Rescue Party (CNRP), which is a party aspiring for democracy in Cambodia led by a man named Sam Rainsy, does not accept the count of the election that has amounted in the CPP winning. They claim there is serious electoral fraud that favored the CPP, and Sam Rainsy visited New York last week to try and seek outside help from the United Nations to oversee a re-counting. Ros tells me that the votes are counted by members of the CPP. The CPP bribe community leaders to host talks convincing the public to vote for the CPP. Known CNRP voters will have difficulty in placing their vote, being told they are registered to a different and distant town which is impossible to reach before the voting period closes. CPP members will place several votes at different stations. Apparently, when you are known as someone who does not for the Cambodian Peoples Party, you are marginalized, and have trouble obtaining signatures from your chief (of a village etc.) for official documents. The government, fearful of protests and rebellion, has sent military (tanks and armed troops) to Phnom Penh; the capital. Ros tells me this cannot be for protest security, but to threaten those who oppose the CPP. Sam Rainsy whats an outside authority like the United Nations to oversee the electoral vote, as happened after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. Many Cambodian citizens are not educated on politics and don't vote. And, because of the poverty and low wages, when someone is offered a bribe it is very tempting to accept. There are Cambodian citizens (around 1 million) working abroad in Thailand, Vietnam etc. that have not voted because they are out of the country, which is a very significant number for such a small country. These are all things I hear from Ros. If you want to read a more eloquently written article on the situation, see here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23663005
On Monday evening there was a remembrance mass for Ming Lyn's (the cook here) husband. Afterwards, there was a candlelit procession of the husbands ashes to a nearby tomb, as they had his bones cremated on this 3rd anniversary of death. Afterwards, Ming Lyn put on a wonderful traditional khmer feast for us, and those at table are shown in the photo below.
Today I had began my first english lesson with some students here. There are a group of young people who stay here in the compound of the Apostolic Prefecture during the summer holidays. They function as the choir for mass, and also learn drama and Tae-Kwon-do together here (I hope to join them in the evenings for the latter). Some of them can speak a small amount of English, but Fr Totet wants me to help improve their conversational abilities. I work with them from 9am-10am (nothing too taxing, as it's their summer holidays). I am not sure if i will take on more students/classes. So far I only take 6 in that morning class, but 2 were absent today. The last photo shows the class.
From left to right: Mel (house keeper), Fr Pedro (from Columbia), Mark (house keeper), Ros (seminarian), Fr Manuj, Marion (Volunteer English teacher from Malaysia), Fr Totet, Dr. Leonard (Volunteer Doctor from Australia)
Ming Lyn, the chef
The students I teach: Bob, Samet, Nana and Hong
Great to hear about the beginning of the teaching man. Really surprising to hear that corruption on the scale You mentioned could still occur in the world, suppose I just don't appreciate British democracy (for all its faults) enough. Told someone You know to read your blog man, and now "seminarian Ros" is going to get a Mass said for his intentions!
ReplyDeleteJust a question: "I light a repellent incense stick, which keeps them away", think that You would still light an incense stick even if it wasn't repellent- You cant fool us.
thanks brother! Yeah it surprises me too - we are certainly lucky in the UK.
DeleteHaha awesome - I'm sure he'd be grateful. He's left now to return to seminary for his final theology exam before ordination to the deaconate. He has invited me to visit the seminary though, in Phnom Penh, so hopefully I will spend a weekend there or something. The mass, I'm sure, will be appreciated.
Lol they are special insect repellent incense sticks that I was recommended, but yes, it's true i would. And needless to say I will be bringing back several hundred incense sticks that i can buy cheap to england.
hey man, regarding the political situation- are there till protests? Have you seen any civil society in action in Btb?
ReplyDeleteI don't think protests ever actually manifested - there was just alot of talk of them. So government sent military to Phnom Penh to deter them occurring. I will be going to the capital at the beginning of September for a national Catholic youth gathering - any recommendations on what i should see there?
Delete