Officials complain as usual
Cambodian officials (CPP lawmakers and the Culture Ministry) are bitching about not winning a spot on the New Seven Wonders of the World competition. They claim that that the competition is illegitimate and unjust as Angkor Wat did not win a coveted spot.
Yeah the voting was done by internet and telephone so it was an uncontrolled popular vote but the people were urged to vote by the posters and the papers that have littered the streets for quite some time now. Unfortunately Angkor Wat did not win, perhaps because of the telecommunications in Cambodia or perhaps not enough people have visited the site.
This was a worldwide vote and the vast majority of countries did not have an entry in the competition and were voting for Wonders that were not their own. So perhaps Cambodia's telecommunication standard played less of a role. Rather than bitch about justice and legitimacy for a largely irrelevant competition why not accept defeat graciously.
Perhaps the government could use this competition as a wake up call and put fast affordable internet connections in place. $40 a month is the cheapest broadband access in Phnom Penh but that is too expensive for schools and most households. It is interesting to note that in Vietnam, a household can get broadband for $5 a month, which would permit thousands more people to vote for Angkor Wat in the next popular vote.
At the end of the day the digital divide creates more inequalities and the only way to overcome it is to provide cheap or free broadband internet and training.
Yeah the voting was done by internet and telephone so it was an uncontrolled popular vote but the people were urged to vote by the posters and the papers that have littered the streets for quite some time now. Unfortunately Angkor Wat did not win, perhaps because of the telecommunications in Cambodia or perhaps not enough people have visited the site.
This was a worldwide vote and the vast majority of countries did not have an entry in the competition and were voting for Wonders that were not their own. So perhaps Cambodia's telecommunication standard played less of a role. Rather than bitch about justice and legitimacy for a largely irrelevant competition why not accept defeat graciously.
Perhaps the government could use this competition as a wake up call and put fast affordable internet connections in place. $40 a month is the cheapest broadband access in Phnom Penh but that is too expensive for schools and most households. It is interesting to note that in Vietnam, a household can get broadband for $5 a month, which would permit thousands more people to vote for Angkor Wat in the next popular vote.
At the end of the day the digital divide creates more inequalities and the only way to overcome it is to provide cheap or free broadband internet and training.
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