I am not really sure yet, but let me lay it out straight on the paper. I feel that foreign financial aid to most of underdeveloped country is just like a heroin drug that make the underdeveloped country addict. I am not saying to all countries. In my conclusion is that financial aid is not an effective way to help the poor country; in contrast, it just a waste both time and resource even though it will be considered as a good-will by donator. If you want to joint and share your ideas, then you welcome to joint me.

Does foreign financial aid really work? as a Cambodian citizen, which is my mother country. I have heard that this donates this $$ millions and that that country gave $$$ millions every year. Sometime the aid reached to a billion of dollars a year, just like China a month ago. What a great amount of money? As a case in point, this is only just a small country like Cambodia. how about the other countries? how many Cambodia in the world? what would be the final amount of money if we actually add those money together? For Cambodia, among the donors countries, China , at the moment, is the largest donor to Cambodia. Honestly, a part of my mind is really appreciate to those countries that are helping Cambodia whether by financially or other form of picture of humanitarian help; however, the other part of me is keep asking is it really work?

The fund or aid usually come in package some have conditionally obligation and some do not. Such as China tend to offer a free obligation aid to Cambodian government but the western countries tend to put some specific conditions before they can release the money. In addition, the world body institutions, such IMF and world bank, also offer some kind of conditionally aid to the Cambodian government also, and most of the fund are using in humanitarian purpose such as health care and infrastructure; even though, some aid use for political purpose in form of appreciation.

Unfortunately, those money does not seems to work as it suppose to be. Instead, almost of 50% of the aid fund have been misappropriate used, in other word disappeared, according to the daily news paper, you can google it. Maybe the term “Corruption” is better fit than “disappearing”. And of course we all know that there is no such a perfect society in the world that have no corruption. But maximize the effect of the fund is all donors hope.

To me personally, I tend to call current Cambodian government economic policy as “Begger” policy, because it seems like every where their official cabinet go and do their official jobs, it does not matter of domestically or internationally, they always finish with a begging policy. Such as this project and there projects. As recently, Cambodia government had asked for cancellation of the old debt from the United States. So how can a nation-state put its national reputation and live on other nations hand? where are those honor as a sovereign state as it claims. This is really ashame. But please don’t misjudge the general Cambodian. As tourist visite Cambodia especially the Angkor area. Every single tourist encounter beggars at least once in their whole trip if not all the time. This poor Cambodian kids and beggars are the victims of the current government policy, the “beggar” economic policy. But i pledge to all tourists, if you counter them please don’t hate them but instead show some sympathy to them; even though, if you can not give them some money, but just only your good will heart of “poor you” in your mind should be enough. This is how the foreign financial fund program was created internationally, and that is why, regardless to the current Cambodian government action, policy, and corruption, they still get financial fund from the foreign countries around the world. If you might think that I am implying that the government just want to keep those poor people around in order to get some more fund, actually it is not what I mean, but maybe in reality is one of those reason too. You make your own judgment.

The point is the government should take responsibility for the poor. The pictures of disability, homeless, widow, thickness face, and robbery are all the real face of the government. The people are just mirror that reflect the true government policy and their incapability policy.

So why I claim that those foreign financial aid is not really work? because those money is just like an addict drug that they got it for free without doing nothing. So whenever it run out, they are going to beg some more regardless how they use them, whether for the people or for their own personal interest. Remember what happened between Thailand and Cambodia couple month ago about the loan to build the national road 68 along the Thai and Cambodian border. It was really hurt when we were turned down regardless of any reason. Yeah, I know there was some political and nationalism reasons get involved. However, there is national pride get involve with the issue.  So it does not matter how much amount of money they receive, whether billions or trillion of dollars, as long as there is no reliable economic policy exist, Cambodia will be the beggar for the rest of its national live; and we don’t want to be like that. Therefore, I think instead of wasting time to go out and beg some people money, they should concentrate on their own feet, find resolution, and create a reliable national economic plan for the sake of Cambodia, Cambodian citizens, and maybe for the Cambodian ancestors, the Angkorian people. So whoever read my blog from the start until now, it does not matter you understand what I talk above or not but if you understand the follow sentence that I am going to say right now then you fully understand what I mean.

“For the readers, regardless what nationality you are, you tell me what do you see when you go to visit Angkor Wat temple in Cambodia and you see a group of beggar kids come to beg you some money with their broken English, French, Japanese, Chinese,… in front of Angkor Wat temple which is well-known to the world as the world greatest religious monument in the world? please tell me or you tell your self quietly if you don’t want to talk out loud.

Peter Na