Our leaders have exalted the ideals of our unique revolution. The struggle has been arduous. As did the Bolsheviks in the Soviet Union and Mao in China, Brother Number One carried us to victory.
Lon Nol! Enlighten me, gentlemen, and tell me why the traitors haven’t deserved what they got? I’m for Pol Pot, the liberation of Kampuchea Krom, and all that, and always will be. I also say, and always will (let what will come of it), that we must carefully screen internal agents (samrit samrainh phtey khnong). We have to screen them and it’s proper. It’s the only way to advance the cause of socialism in Kampuchea.
The winners have been the people. So far, evacuated people have been put to work in a productive way, and as a result the rice crop has been good. If I were to subscribe to the idea that our political goals have so far failed, well I must say if that were true, then we ought to welcome much more failure.
Pol Pot insisted that the whole population be put to work rebuilding our country. Before the revolution 80% of the people living in towns were unproductive members of society. It took discipline and sacrifice to mold these people into useful tools. Those who were unwilling to change had to be dealt with. To keep them away from their old ways… away from pride, individualism and contempt for others… they had to submit to Angkar.
But what was next? Everything had to be relearned. Work, for instance, had to be embraced by its moral handle, while peasants generally already embraced it. I must confess that it wasn’t easy for me. It’s fair to say that the bourgeoisie had nowhere to go and had to stay where they were.
To illustrate my point I want to follow the lives of three eminent people, Prince Norodom Sihanouk, Ho Chi Minh, and Chhor Sarun the Mercedes dealer. Let’s begin with the Prince.
One night, many years ago, I was standing in front of the Cine’ Lux theater and saw the Prince, with his security in place. He got out of his black Cadillac convertible. It had been raining, and I had a hard time finding a pedicab. (By the way, for what it was worth, walking would’ve been quicker.) Needless to say, a great number of people attended the premiere.
Amid this elite circle, we could all recognize the Prince. He looked conspicuous in a shabby suit, purchased in those days in Hong Kong. What an honor it was to get see the Prince and the first screening of APSARA, which he wrote, produced, and directed. It was a serious effort, in which he promoted national solidarity. We all rushed out and bought tickets.
It was a fairy tale, about a Cambodia free of dirt, poverty, and disease. The sun shone constantly. The characters drove here and there in fancy automobiles. I however felt sorry afterwards that I had gone to the movie. It had taken me away from my studies and didn’t relate to my life.
Some days later, a pedicab driver startled me by bringing up the movie and I had to admit that I’d seen it. Of course, I wanted to know what he thought about it. “Well, sir,” said he, “it was swell!”
Now did anyone believe the Prince? How could anyone that rich understand the masses? But he was undoubtedly still popular. This good prince, I say, was a dreamer, but had the worst taste. He depicted the royal family, as living in the fast lane, when life for most of us was a disaster. I believed then, while naively trusting General Lon Nol, that the Prince would somehow survive his own downfall.
But where did he go? There were many rumors about him. After retiring as head of state, he went back in the city and stayed in his palace. At the same time, according to Pol Pot, the American imperialist and their lackeys continued to hope the Prince and his lackeys would have a lot of influence. But the Prince wasn’t able to raise the flag. Instead he pulled it down.
Ho Chi Minh (in correspondence with the Inde’pendence) talked about adopting a guerrilla strategy that would create a broad political base. As for Chhor Sarun the Mercedes dealer, he had no scruples about denouncing the US and the Lon Nol regime. He saw them as bad for business. He called those who preferred US Jeeps to German Mercedes “those other people” or neak dotei nuh. Now, will anyone pretend that by anybody’s standards Jeeps were better than Mercedes? Can you now say that Mr. Sarun’s anxiety was unfounded?
Ho Chi Minh was said to have been so anti-American that he refused to ride in a jeep. In Hanoi, he preferred a Mercedes. Now, it was impossible for a man who sold Mercedes to admire communism per se. As for Chhor Sarun, he hated Lon Nol because of the overthrow of the Prince, but the charms and the excesses of his customers before the coups had seduced him.
Randy Ford
