For those hopeful MP candidates: What to look out for...(Cont)
Watch for
the ghost supporters:
Ghost supporters are everywhere, there are plenty of them. If
you look for ghost supporters and hidden members, of course, you will not find
them.
Besides ghost leaders who never show up to support and to
lead your party you also need to know that there are many ghost supporters and
hidden members who will remain in secret and silent forever.
Local leaders will tell you that many of real supporters are
afraid to come out to support your party. Regardless of their no-shows,
according to the local leaders, those ghost members need your assistance with
the money, too.
It is impossible to verify these members because they are
really hidden. Frankly speaking,
majority of them exist only inside those local leaders' head. The numbers of those ghosts are fictitious.
Don't count on their name, address and identification card
because these things can be falsified. The money you spend on ghost members is
likened to the money that Mr. Lon Nol's Generals spent on their ghost soldiers
in the 70's.
The fear is
real:
Although the fear of an oppressive regime is real in
Cambodia, you need to understand that many people including professional
politicians had used such a condition as alibis for their personal benefits at
your expense. They would claim those hidden supporters as one of their reasons
or sufficient grounds to ask you for more monetary support. You must not let
your heart control you head. The expenses on ghost members and supporters must
be brought under control, otherwise your funds will be exhausted much sooner.
It is good to remind yourself that politicking in Cambodia
has become more like a seasonal business. Many leaders and supporters are very
sensitive about the way they do business.
You may not received full support from your local leaders if you ask for
clarification or transparency about how the money was/is spent. Therefore,
you need to be cautious to prevent a possible backstabbing in the future. Many
times it is the enemy from within that really cause you headaches, not the CPP.
You also need to be aware that many people who claim to
support the oppositions are those members of the CPP who were allowed to
participate in your party's gatherings. They do that for their personal
interests. These people without fail would go back to their base and vote for
their own party. When your political leaders brag about the participation of
the CPP's members in your party's meetings, you should not count on those
people's supports.
Just remember that this is how most people who live in many
Cambodian communities interact. They are very loyal to those who feed them. They
may like your party and realize that you have "good" ideas, but at
the end of the campaign season they will vote for their friends, relatives and
their community leaders who work, drink, play and pray together. Social
conformity/heredity , communal norm and personal interests lead them to make
such a decision. Those who cross the
political line will be outnumbered and outcast.
Hence they rather yield to such pressures.
The empty
promises:
Your political party may have promised many things in the
past, and they will do it again in the future. Nevertheless, none of those
promises has yet been materialized. This
is one of the weaknesses that the oppositions face in every election. This
upcoming election, for example, some of their promises are too good to be
true.
Somehow Cambodians nowadays are very skeptical of any
campaign promises. They have learned
"well" and they are more intelligent than they were in the past. The oppositions are somehow tainted as the
parties that are poor, broke and unable to support themselves. Internal fighting and defecting also the
causes of the suspicion.
If the promises are put in writing, you may expect some
mocking remarks from many voters. Many Cambodians now don't read and rather
demand and expect bottles (of white liquor) not written pamphlets describing
your promises to bring them a better future. They want to see, touch, taste and
feel instant gratifications.
There is no immediate solution to this chronic immoral
issue, it has been embedded in the mind of many Cambodians for decades.
Education maybe the answer, but excessive drinking, smoking, gambling,
prostitution and other dishonest behaviors may hinder their learning process.
You can blame the current government for this, but it is appalling to learn
that most of opposition leaders and members, too, are in the same boat. This is
where democratic processes in corrupt society tarnish good and fair outcomes of
the elections
One thing that every leader, especially leaders of the
oppositions, can do and need to do instantaneously is to change himself or
herself from within. Be a good leader! Everyone needs to lead not just in politics but in
moral, mental and spiritual as well.
Personal growth is the most important development everyone of us need to
do in order to effectively help develop a nation, region and the whole
world. However, developing ourselves is
the starting point.
Part-time
politicians:
You need to realize that many politicians, political
leaders, and supporters of the oppositions are seasonal and they are only
active during the campaign season. For that reason, the level of cooperation
among them is very low. It seems that they are simply in politics for the
money. To them, if you do not have enough money you are nobody. Your knowledge
and education or your backgrounds carry little weight comparing to money.
You may run into a lot of frustration when you see people
with less education, little experience, lack of good morality yet they are listed as top candidates to
become Cambodian lawmakers. You should be reminded that in Cambodia there is a perverted
proverb that says: the money is number one, the woman (other women) is number
two, and the party is number three. National interests are probably the least priority
on their mind.
It is unfortunate that many part-time politicians can
dominate political decisions because they are related and befriend with top
leaders of your political party. This
issue, too, must be addressed!
To be continued...
