Be CLEAN

This morning we violated the traffic law by carrying two people at the back of the motorbike instead of just one. The police stop us and said “You have violated the traffic law so you are supposed to be fined for 6,000 Riel (1.5$) but if you want to be quicker and easier just pay me 5,000 Riel (1.25$).” I myself wasn’t sure of what did the law say about the amount to be paid but we knew we were wrong so we were ok with paying the fine; however, it was clear to us that we rather pay full amount with receipt rather than paying to police’s personal pocket. So we told them back, we are paying full amount and we wish to have the receipt. The police said this and that then make some discount. Ok, just gave me 1$ then, one of the police said. We rejected the offer and stick with paying 6,000 Riel with receipt.  We told the police that we will be catch again and we want to show the other polices that we have paid the fine already. They replied, if you three will be catch again, just tell them that you paid 1$ to me already, they would let you go. We keep not paying 1$. By chance I was carrying my big camera so I took pictures all the way long during the process of negotiation. I guess it scared them a bit so they finally issue us a receipt with say 6,000 Riel – the full amount; even they keep convincing us to pay fewer amounts to their personal pockets.

This is not a strange story. It happen every single day in Phnom Penh and other cities in Cambodia. It is our duty to respect the law, and if not, we should pay the fine; however, we must be clear that we are not part of the corruption. Polices are those who should be implementing the law; yet, so far, they (maybe not all) have initiated corruption. As a responsible citizen, we can always say “NO” to their corrupt offers. Being “CLEAN” take us more time and more money (it was cheaper and quicker to just pay to personal pocket), but what we do today would contribute to how our country will development. We don’t want our children to born in a corrupt country.

Don’t corporate with corrupt traffic police. Don’t accept their corrupt offer. Rather pay fine with pride! So that we can say to our children: “I have contributed to the clean country you are living now”   

Someone we met

Yesterday, my boyfriend and I brought lunch for my sisters at my store. When we arrived, my sister told me ‘I feel so pity for your fan. He came here to buy your books; he bought four copies for him and for his friends. You know, he came with a very old bike and his house is about 6km away from here. Plus, he didn’t know where the store was, so he called many times for direction to get here.” Immediately, our response to my sister was “call him back as he was just leaving.” My sister felt so guilty of taking his money, she should have given the book for free, she said.

So my sister called and asked him to come back. When my sister was calling him, he was sitting under the tree reading my books because he was so tired of riding his old bike for two hours under the hot son just to find my store. We looked from distance as we saw him approaching back to our store. Tears were almost come down. So my sister gave him back the money and let him keep the books for free. He first refused to get it. He said I bought them, so I need to pay. At that moment, my boyfriend has turned out to be a great liar. He said I came from a charity organization, we offer poor people these things as long as they aimed for education. So we were able to offer him some more note books, pens, pencils, T-shirts, and some other stuffs. My boyfriend gave him his number just in case he needs help which regard to education. This young man is in grade 11 in high school. He goes to school during day time and rides his bike to work at night time in Kampong Spue. 

Having met him and able to support him was the greatest thing we have done at our weekend. To see someone so dedicated to education is such an inspiration. Someone like that is what this country is missing. A lot of young kids in Phnom Penh have had more than enough to study, but they have taken their opportunity for grated while someone like him has next to nothing but never given up education.

By the way, I have written two very small books on Tips to Speaking Fluent English and Tips to Public Speaking. These two books aimed to help my fans/listeners/callers in their daily practice as follow up of what they have got from the show. So far I have sole around 200 copies. They cost less than one dollar and Free for poor students.  

Where have the morality of people gone?

I am in a very bad mood and about to exploit now. Here are why:

1-      I had opened a shop along the gate of Sorthormok High School from the last 17 days. Every single day I saw many rich-bad-unfriendly-self-centered-thinking about them only. Every few hours, there would be expensive; but cheap attitude, car driven by either young or old people, park in front of my shop and because their car was big expensive enough, they block my whole shop and the nearby too. I don’t really mind because I do understand that the land of our Kingdom of Wonder is getting smaller. No more places for parking. But what anger me was that those stupid rich people have never bother to come to us (the sellers whose shops are blocked by their cars) for permission or even giving a simple smile towards us. They would just park there and gone for their coffee and breakfast for a long while. Blocking our shops isn’t too big of a deal, what bigger was, they caused huge traffic jam. And this happen every day not once in a while.

2-      Every night I came back from work at around 10:30pm. First sentence when we arrived home from my brother who usually drove me from work has been “Pu, have you got enough water?” this question is asked to the security guard who guards the neighboring house. This rich house never even asked the guard if he has water to drink. So we filled his empty drinking bottle of water every night. This rich house had minimum of three expensive-but cheap attitudes, cars. Both the day and night time guards had to clean those cars twice a day or else, they are fired.

3-      Today we install new internet connection in our office but wasn’t successful because this  same neighboring house said that I need to wait for their big boss (the father) for permission or else they will cut the wired which would pass along their roof together with other electricity line. I don’t understand what is a big deal of adding a small line to all the existing electricity line? This is a STATE line...My God !

Where have the morality of people gone? Can money, cars, nice houses, determine that those idiots have more rights than us?