Satjadham presents: Not Sleepy By Soudary Kittivong Growing up, I came upon random articles about muang Lao. Often described as a "sleepy land" where the people are the "kindest in the world," Laos was a mere baby compared to the bustling sister country of muang Thai. These descriptions I took to heart, and for awhile I truly believed that muang Lao was "sleepy" and had no potential in the international arena. And still today, as I read in my Political Science course 139: SE Asian Politics, I hear the same thing about this country. "Among the Southeast Asian countries, Laos has little hope for any development," it says in one of the texts. But that "sleepiness" of muang Lao should not be seen as bad, necessarily. And it cannot be blamed for its "underdeveloped" status. Laos used to be a great kingdom, remember. Were khon Lao of that era more or less "sleepy?" My point is, we should take this view as not to be critical, but as a pitiful misunderstanding of Lao society and how khon Lao think. To me, to describe khon Lao and muang Lao as "sleepy" is a fault. Our culture does not strive on structure and time. Khon Lao have our own system of living--and that includes how the country is run. Because we are "sleepy," our natural resources are still untouched and preserved, whatever we have left of it after the bombings in the '60s. Because of we are "sleepy," we didn't have an interest in building huge tourist resorts or soliciting investments from multinational corporations. But that has all changed now. Muang Lao has been pushed to by foreign interests to open up to more tourism, to build more, more, more. Muang Lao needs not hurry to disclaim being "sleepy," or disclaim its way of doing things. I agree that to continue to have some play in the international arena, it must have open relations with other countries, but it should be wary of the interests of other foreign countries. Tourism is not the answer to all the country's needs. Though it would bring in more money, it would be sad if the country were turned into a paradise only for foreign visitors, and the khon Lao slaves to the industry. Tourism for muang Lao should only be a side job, else khon Lao of all the world would never be able to visit their TRUE uncommercialized homeland. Other countries have also urged muang Lao to expand it economic potential. While I think this would be great, it should be careful of countries who may have ulterior motives, such as those who still want a trade route into China (like the French during the Indochina days). If muang Lao gives up its land for a bridge across to China, how are we sure that it won't become a mere highway for SE Asia? As khon Lao, no matter what our views, we all long for the day to see it in a more stable situation. We long for the home that we left. Others long for the home that we often hear our elders speak of. For me, I would like to see muang Lao someday alive on its own feet, with its people well taken cared of. But I know I cannot just say this. I must really do something, anything, to ensure muang Lao's future. What can we do? I ask you.