Political Party Signs 7 September 2008

Wherever you go in Cambodia, politics and Buddhism are not far away. There are political signs and Buddhist wats (temples or pagodas) in every community. Most of the signs are from the ruling party, the Cambodian People's Party, and they would probably appreciate the association with Buddhism because I'm sure they would like the people to think they are just as ubiquitous and as necessary to life as is Buddhism.

These are two political signs from the Cambodian People's Party, the governing party in Cambodia, in Kampong Cham Province. The middle personage is Prime Minister Hun Sen. The large sign is in the provincial town of Kampong Cham where Hun Sen's brother just happens to be the governor. The other sign is on a rural road. Both are larger than the most common signs which are usually attached to the front of houses, marking the occupants as party faithful--and making it easier for party workers to find them when it's time to hand out rice or other incentives to encourage party loyalty. There are tens of thousands of these signs all over Cambodia, maybe hundreds of thousands. If all that money went to paying teachers or health care workers....

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