Tooch Van, a Cambodian-American resident of Lowell, shares some thoughts on this past weekend’s National Assembly Election in Cambodia:

The Cambodian National Assembly Election: Good v Bad

@Tooch A. Van, Tuesday, July 30 2013 at 6:30 am (Lowell, MA USA’s time)

A good politician versus a bad politician.

A good politician always thinks critically and with integrity about the nation’s interests, soul and heart before he/she acts or speaks and who always keeps his/her promises.

A bad politician thinks or acts determined to advance ONLY his or her popularity and personal gain. He/she does not care about his/her supporter’s benefits or the fate of the nation. When he/she calls him/herself a patriot or a nationalist, it’s just political propaganda.

It’s like a good father versus a bad father.

A good father spends time reading or singing to his kids. He regularly helps them with their homework, spends time playing sports with them and takes them out to eat. He commits to sharing household responsibilities with his spouse and most importantly, he makes himself a role model for his kids, and always thinks utmost of the success of his kids.

But a bad father does not want to take responsibility for caring for his kids. A bad father goes out drinking or watching the games (without his kids) almost every evening. He thinks that by him paying for his kids’ education or by hiring private teachers/tutors to teach his kids that he meets his responsibilities. He does not help his spouse with the household chores. He thinks these tasks are solely his spouse’s obligations and responsibilities. He never or rarely thinks of the future destiny of his children.

It’s also like good change versus bad change.

Good change involves plenty of human and social capital and involves a great team that handles the affairs of the country with ability, quality and integrity. Good change like this brings peace and stability to the nation and makes the nation stronger and more prosperous.

But bad change is change that comes too fast with insufficient human/social capital and an unqualified team. This kind of change brings destruction and chaos and possibly even bloodshed for the nation.

We Cambodians must say “Enough is Enough.”

My dear fellow Cambodian youths, friends and others, please think this analysis with me critically before you act or participate in a mass protest for this election’s results. Doing otherwise might lead to anarchy if the nation. Think about who will gain versus who will lose if you do it. The nation’s soul depends on you.