“Those people are poor because they are stupid.” The minorities are “uneducated” and backward. In Vietnam this line used to be repeated by people in authority, parroted by scholars in the academic circles, and unfortunately has also become ingrained into the psychics of indigenous communities as well, at least by the people who claim to serve and represent them in local, provincial or national authority.
Never mind that these communities have lost essentially all their resources, forced to adapt to lightning-speed urbanization, and play catch up with the rest of new society whose language and customs are often completely strange to theirs.
With no language proficiency, no government-backed assistance of substance, no education, or real representation in government; indigenous communities are expected to be as “industrious”, as wealthy, and their children as successful in school as the rest of society. Falling short of any of these standards by which the rest of society operates could only mean one thing, that they are simply, just “too stupid.”
Even the so-called community scholars would say things like, “we are not oppressed, we are not discriminated against. We are poor, simply because we are stupid. So we must get an education.”
So until, then, anything goes. You too stupid to decide, too stupid to dissent, too stupid to comment, too stupid to want more. Being “stupid” is catch-all permission, code-word, for let’s exploit the hell out of these people.
If you go to the bottom of it, you can’t really deny that Vietnam is a fucked up racist country that thrives on systemic oppression and exploitation of indigenous people and their resources. There is no better way to maintain that control than to have their “representatives” and “elected chiefs” tell them to just “be happy” with what they’ve been given.
So what does a conversation between community members and an elected representative member look like in this “generous” system? It would look a lot like this:
Farmers: “Chief, our farms are going to get damaged by the new road.”
Chief: “If you don’t sign, you won’t have a road to use. Is that what you want!?” Farmers: “Chief, what about payment. Don’t we get something for our loss?”
Chief: “Yes, you get a road to use to sell your rice. Just be happy that we get a road.”
What’s wrong with a road and who would not want development and progress? Only backward and stupid people would stand in the way right?
Is it right that a government that is responsible for serving and protecting its citizens, ensuring justice and equality asks the poorest of the poor to sacrifice for the wealth and convenience of the rich?
What happened to Chapter 1, Article 5, section 2 of the constitution: “All the ethnicities are equal, unified and respect and assist one another for mutual development; all acts of national discrimination and division are strictly forbidden.” Where is the unity, respect and assist for mutual development? For farmers, the government must have known that a road across rice fields or nearby paddies would cause irreparable damage in many ways stemming from pollution and runs in direct contrast to article 43 of the constitution of Vietnam that includes a right to a healthy environment.[1] where the state is obliged to “…protect the environment; manage, and effectively and stably use natural resources; protect nature and biodiversity; take initiative in prevention and resistance against natural calamities; and respond to climate change.”
Not only are the farmers not fairly compensated, but their lands are poisoned for futures to come. Soon rice farming on these remaining land will be untenable, at which point they will have no option but to sell their food source and livelihood and even lose their homes. The government have a moral, social, and contractual obligation to compensate these poor farmers appropriately, and offer assistance and programs to begin planning for the long-term impact of what having a bustling, oil guzzling, pollution generating road will do to their farm. Unless, of course, the constitution, and assistance for development, only applies to “smart” people, or to just Vietnamese people.
I want to end this post with a positive note because I want to believe. I want to believe that the government of Vietnam is forward-thinking. That it is fair, and that it’s on the right path to mend and apply its national building spirit in true earnest, with mutual respect and development for all citizens and ethnicities. With no group left behind, and no minorities exploited, no matter “how stupid” we are.
It’s time to work together; to uplift, educate, and compensate. The road to development and prosperity cannot be paved with disregard to equity and fairness.
So, perhaps the case of the provincial road project in Soc Lon Village, Binh Phuoc province in the picture I shared, was just an oversight. It happens you know when big brothers forget to look and audits get missed, little brothers take a bigger bite than they’re supposed to.
And perhaps those bites went deep into the fair and generous formulated compensation package for the farmers?
Thank you for taking, a look!
Leave a Reply