A Little Reminder
Aug 12th, 2006 by Jinja
A Little Reminder
The Australia New Zealand Bank and Cambodia’s Royal Group conglomerate have partnered to bring Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) to Cambodia. For 99% of the country, this is fairly irrelevant. Tourists and travel agencies are thrilled however.
And if you step out of your air conditioned vehicle to use one, this is what some of the machines have been spitting out.
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Thought one: If you’re passing through Cambodia, or in the income bracket to use an ATM, you have probably either already heard about the Millenium Development goals, or can’t be bothered. Or both.
Thought two: The super rich who who currently have the greatest power to enact change in Cambodia generally don’t use ATMs.
Maybe I’m just being cynical. I doubt I’d find this little slip in a developed country.
Tags: Cambodia
Q. How does an ATM spewing out little bits of color-printed paper correspond to MD Goal number 7 (of ensuring environmental sustainability)?
A. The glossy finish is relatively waterproof and will clog up drains, thus ensuring more rainy season flooding and public health hazards. This will then provide a demonstrated need for more highly paid foreign consultants at health related nonprofits, who can then skilfully dispense advice to nonliterate elements of the local population that they also closely follow the Millenium Development Goals.
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Production of these glossy handouts did not involve any Cambodian paper whatsoever; Cambodia is not a paper producing country. Nearly all trees cut here are exported. All paper and ink used in printing is imported and taxed first.
I’m a book person, I’m OK with chopping down trees. Cut ‘em all down! But use them to make books!