PhD Quality That Serves Hun Sen Well

«បណ្ឌិតច្រើនពេកហើយ! អ៊ីចឹងចំណុចនេះ ក៏ជា ចំណុចដែលត្រូវពិនិត្យឱ្យបានច្បាស់ ដែលខ្ញុំនិយាយកាលពីពេលមុន ថាតើអ្នកណែនាំនិក្ខេបទ នោះ ក្នុងម្នាក់ទទួលនិស្សិតប៉ុន្មាន?... តើអ្នកណែនាំនិក្ខេបទនេះគ្រប់លក្ខណសម្បត្តិ មាន ចំណេះគ្រប់គ្រាន់ ដើម្បីនឹងបណ្តុះបណ្តាល ដែលជានិស្សិត ដែលខ្លួនទទួលការបណ្តុះបណ្តាលទេ? នេះជាចំណុចដែលយើងត្រូវឃើញ។… ចម្លងតគ្នាអ៊ីចឹង វាទៅជាជាប់ទាំងអស់ទៅ បរិញ្ញាជាន់ខ្ពស់អ៊ីចឹងទៅ។ ទៅជារបៀបសារណា នៅតែសារណា ទៅចម្លងតាមគ្នាទាំងអស់ ហើយដាក់ទៅ (គ្រូ) គ្រូមានពេលឯណាមើល ហើយចេះតែឱ្យជាប់។ យើងចេះតែទៅប្រគល់សញ្ញាបត្រឱ្យទៅ។ រឿងវាអ៊ីចឹង។ ដល់អ៊ីចឹង វាអត់មានគុណភាព។»

នាយក រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ថ្ងៃ​ទី២២ ខែ​  វិច្ឆិកា ឆ្នាំ២០១៩ភ្នំពេញប៉ុស្តិ៍

“If Cambodia (intellectuals and professionals) can manage to play smart (with Chinese money), it will be on a faster track to catching up with neighbouring countries, an objective that many want but is almost impossible to meet within the next 50 years, mathematically, economically speaking.”

Centre for Policy Studies Director Chan Sophal, 18 November 2019, Campro (Cambodian Professionals) Network

After handing out certificates at countless university graduations, Hun Sen’s rant and rave about a substandard higher degree education is rather amusing, if not theatrical. He makes it sound as if those certificates come from a toilet roll that everyone is welcome to pull out for usage after a vital bodily function. He speaks of how easy it is to pass examinations with a widespread plagiarism and inadequate supervisions; as if he does not know corruption that he has bred knows no boundary.

Nevertheless, like the way he often tirades against corruption, Hun Sen offers simplistic solutions based on numbers: less graduates, more supervisors, and more examiners. He infers his own PhD thesis in science is respectable after he passes an oral examination with 15 examiners, not the current 7, that lasts for two hours.

He overlooks a core problem a corrupt regime usually produces, in this case, inadequate qualified staff. A simplistic reduction of graduates now may only exacerbate the skill shortage later. Given that corruption underlines all facets of life under his rule, the 15 examiners at his oral defence of his science dissertation may just be there for the two hours to ingratiate themselves with him. Who would have a spine to scrutinise whatever Hun Sen puts in his paper?

Despite being a target of Hun Sen’s diatribe, higher degree graduates have served him rather well. Many of them are a Hun Sen cheer squad. The Royal Academy of Cambodia president and his colleagues waste no time in applauding and bending over backward to justify every Hun Sen’s words and moves. The Centre for Policy Studies director is in full support of Hun Sen’s China policy though he doubts if Cambodian intellectuals can play smart to get more out of the Chinese money than the Chinese do.

Besides playing up to Hun Sen, these graduates have grown an economy that leaves almost 6 million citizens, according to a 2019 UNDP multidimensional global poverty index, in poverty doldrums waiting for a trickle effect that would come slowly. Most of the economic gains has built up three percent of the population that World Bank classifies as being prosperous.

Their latest economic move to enrich the three percent is to initiate and secure a free trade agreement (FTA) with China and South Korea with whom Cambodia has huge chronic trade deficits, especially with China (7 to 1 ratio).

They must know the FTA will not necessarily increase Cambodia’s exports as there are many non-tariff measures, like sanitary and phytosanitary standards, local production capacity, etc. that can also stifle exports. Thus, while there is no certainty that the FTA will raise exports, it will surely lower tariff incomes for Cambodia. This cut-Cambodia-throat economic policy must render a quid pro quo for someone somehow.

Like corruption that Hun Sen pretends to be disgusted, the substandard degrees will continue to roll out from his toilet roll factories to offer benefits to him and his personal interest groups at the expense of the rest.

Ung Bun Ang

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Funny News You Can Use

One can wonder why the Royal Academy of Cambodia (RAC) chooses to publish the below photograph in one of its many websites.

One possible story is that the two deputy prime ministers in the photo are very hard at work. While Hun Sen is ranting and raving about Master and PhD degree rolls produced by the RAC, the one in colourful robe is so exhausted, perhaps from gruelling tasks of nailing the FTA with China and South Korea, that he is meditating for some inner peace and self-admiration for the job well done; the other is catching up on his mobile phone with whatever he cannot afford to miss, like ensuring their lemmings stay on the track they have laid out.

Then, again it may well just want to become the Royal Laughing Academy of Cambodia.

Deputy Prime Ministers Dr Aun Pornmonirath and Ke Kim Yan 21 November 2019 Inauguration of an RAC Indradevi Building

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