Disir
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- Sep 30, 2011
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In Cambodia, corruption has the characteristic of being democratic: It spreads from the front-desk clerk to the department head. One ends up paying just to get oneās right to it,ā writes researcher Julien Cheverny.
āWhen trading influence goes together with the power to sell, itās corruption that makes it possible to set the actual hierarchy in public administration jobs,ā he writes. āNaked greed involves little risk and leaves no unfortunate accounting evidence. Favors come from above, gifts from below.ā
This analysis, apt in describing the ruling CPPās deep-rooted patronage network, appeared 45 years ago in Mr. Chevernyās 1971 book, āEloge du colonialisme, or āIn Praise of Colonialism,ā as he traced corruption and influence peddling in the country during the 1960s, when Prince Norodom Sihanouk ruled Cambodia.
Many Cambodians who lived through the war and conflicts that turned the 1970s and ā80s into a living nightmare would hang on to the memory of Prince Sihanoukās time in power as a golden era. They remembered the good in his regimeāthe brilliant architects, filmmakers and artists that transformed Phnom Penh into one of the most vibrant capitals of the regionāand ignored the rest.
In a marked contrast to his son, King Norodom Sihamoni, King Sihanouk is also fondly remembered for being a mediator and voice of reason during the 1990s and early 2000s, calling opponents to negotiate during times of crisis or at least speaking out from his throne amid tumult, even if this meant profusely apologizing to Prime Minister Hun Sen the following day.
By the time he died in October 2012, the days of the monarch as the national peacemaker and voice of moral authority had ended. The most brutal aspects of his rule have largely been left to the footnotes of history, but its excesses continue to be emulated by those running the country today.
Ways of a Dictator - The Cambodia Daily
This is a pretty good article but it is lengthy.
āWhen trading influence goes together with the power to sell, itās corruption that makes it possible to set the actual hierarchy in public administration jobs,ā he writes. āNaked greed involves little risk and leaves no unfortunate accounting evidence. Favors come from above, gifts from below.ā
This analysis, apt in describing the ruling CPPās deep-rooted patronage network, appeared 45 years ago in Mr. Chevernyās 1971 book, āEloge du colonialisme, or āIn Praise of Colonialism,ā as he traced corruption and influence peddling in the country during the 1960s, when Prince Norodom Sihanouk ruled Cambodia.
Many Cambodians who lived through the war and conflicts that turned the 1970s and ā80s into a living nightmare would hang on to the memory of Prince Sihanoukās time in power as a golden era. They remembered the good in his regimeāthe brilliant architects, filmmakers and artists that transformed Phnom Penh into one of the most vibrant capitals of the regionāand ignored the rest.
In a marked contrast to his son, King Norodom Sihamoni, King Sihanouk is also fondly remembered for being a mediator and voice of reason during the 1990s and early 2000s, calling opponents to negotiate during times of crisis or at least speaking out from his throne amid tumult, even if this meant profusely apologizing to Prime Minister Hun Sen the following day.
By the time he died in October 2012, the days of the monarch as the national peacemaker and voice of moral authority had ended. The most brutal aspects of his rule have largely been left to the footnotes of history, but its excesses continue to be emulated by those running the country today.
Ways of a Dictator - The Cambodia Daily
This is a pretty good article but it is lengthy.
