Third Impressions of Cambodia

"Most historians agree that the Khmer Rouge were determined to turn the country into a nation of peasants and workers in which corruption, feudalism, and capitalism could be completely uprooted. They felt that cities were evil and that only peasants in the countryside were pure enough for their revolution." - from a display at S-21

Well corruption is back in full swing. And while I heard reference to a "growing middle class", much of the people is still poor and trying to improve doesn’t always help. Consider the situation of three young men I met in Phnom Penh.

YM1 has no higher education and bounces around from one low paying job to another. He worked as a mini van driver for a while. At the moment he's working at a guesthouse. I'm not sure what he does, beside standing around in the reception area. A few years ago, frustrated with the lack of good work, he crossed the border illegally (without a passport or any papers) into Thailand. He was eventually caught, arrested and sent back to Cambodia. I don't see his situation improving.

YM2 is a tuk tuk driver, who overcharged me to take me on his motorbike to see a temple ruin. But that's besides the point. He is a recent graduate with a law degree from a Cambodian University, but he can't afford to get a job. What? In Cambodia, to get a professional job, a job in government, or even, apparently, to join the army, you have to pay a large sum of money. So only the wealthy can get jobs. My driver, who comes from a poor family in the countryside, was the only one in his class who could not afford to get a job. After struggling to get a degree, his situation has not improved.

YM3, who was very upset with me because I did not go with him to see the temple, wants to open a restaurant one day. But he does not know how to cook. So a couple months ago, he stopped working as a driver fulltime and got a low paying job/apprenticeship at Phnom Penh Hotel, a hotel which charges up to $1500 US a night for a room! At night and on his day off, he tries to supplement his income by driving people around on his motorbike, or befriending westerners to get a free meal. As he learns to cook, his pay will increase a little, but he won't have the capital needed to start a restaurant. Sure he could be a roadside vendor, but they don't make money, and I don't think that's what he has in mind.

But these guys are doing good. They're not the ones sleeping on the streets. Nor is life as hard for them as it is in the country. YM3 described his life in the country as when he was poor.

Elections are coming soon. While there are some 11 political parties, the ruling party is expected to win. With the level of government corruption and frustration of those not part of the growing middle class, I wonder, what would stop another Khmer Rouge from violently seizing power, determined to route out corruption?