Members of Wat Vipassanaram wait to vote for a new board of directors during an election held at the Long Beach Buddhist temple Sunday. The action, which may not result in the seating of a new board, is in response to a debate between a group of temple members and leadership over what dissidents say is mistreatment of monks. (Stephen Carr/Staff Photographer )RELIGION: Following complaints by monks, members of the Cambodian community vote in a new board.
By Greg Mellen
Staff Writer
01/27/2008
LONG BEACH - About 400-500 members of the local Cambodian community braved the wind and rain Sunday to participate in an election that may not even count.
Templegoers at Wat Vipassanaram in Central Long Beach, showed up en masse after a group opposed to the existing nine-member board of directors of the Khmer Buddhist Association announced it would stage the election for new leadership at the temple.
The association's bylaws call for elections on the fourth Sunday of January annually. But members of the existing board, noting that no elections had been staged in more than a decade, asked for the election to be postponed until March to allow the bylaws to be updated and to provide a fair and legitimate election.
The existing board members, who were not listed as candidates in Sunday's elections, said they would not recognize the results of Sunday's vote.
Initially, the board of directors had hoped to clear the grounds of the wat at 1239 E. 20th St. 30 minutes before the scheduled 1 p.m. election.
But with more than 100 congregants already in the temple and an adjoining patio area, officials worried forcing people off the property would cause strife.
"Hopefully everything will go smoothly, I pray for that," said Siphann Tith, the executive president of the board.
Although Long Beach police were on hand, they said the dispute was a civil matter and maintained a hands-off approach.
Opponents of the existing board said they pushed for the election due to charges of mistreatment of the monks at the wat. Through a translator, the monks said they had been threatened with expulsion, mail had been illegally opened, that they are denied access to electronic devices and that the board limits their ability to leave the premises.
Board members say the charges are false, and that their opponents are trying to wrest control over the wat, which has net assets of more than $1.5 million and clout in the Cambodian community.
Eventually, with attorneys Evan Braude, representing the board, and Bill Shibley, for the dissidents, on hand, it was decided to let the templegoers decide whether they wanted to proceed with the vote.
The roar of approval when the question was put to membership was nearly unanimous.
Speaking in Khmer to the temple crowd, Sithan "Larry" Sar, a candidate for the new board, said "this is the will of the monks and the people, that's why it has to happen today." An interpreter translated his remarks to the Press-Telegram.
Paline Soth, another opponent of the existing board, said the vote had to go forward.
"We interpret the monks as the ultimate authority and we have their blessing," Soth said.
Tith said the monks did not have the authority to call for a vote, but he did not attempt to stop the vote.
Braude tried to convince the crowd to be patient and allow the two sides to convene and come up with a mutually agreeable election procedure.
"I think the board understands how you feel," Braude told the crowd. "But today would be premature to have an election that would be fair, legitimate or even (lawful)."
Shibley urged only that the community be collaborative rather than divisive in its search for answers.
"It's important to solve problems as friends," Shibley said.
A total of 294 votes were cast for 13 candidates for the nine board positions.
Chha Kry Un was the leading vote getter with 266. Him Kea, one of two women elected, was second, followed by Darin Sun, Sar, Sophan Oum, Praseur Ban, Kosal Chum, Serey Keo and Alex Lim.
Opponents of the board of directors took to the streets to sign up temple members in large numbers, picking up 525 members. The board of directors estimated the wat only had about 300 regulars.
Shibley said he hopes representatives from the new and existing boards can meet in the next couple of weeks and hash out an agreement.
By Greg Mellen
Staff Writer
01/27/2008
LONG BEACH - About 400-500 members of the local Cambodian community braved the wind and rain Sunday to participate in an election that may not even count.
Templegoers at Wat Vipassanaram in Central Long Beach, showed up en masse after a group opposed to the existing nine-member board of directors of the Khmer Buddhist Association announced it would stage the election for new leadership at the temple.
The association's bylaws call for elections on the fourth Sunday of January annually. But members of the existing board, noting that no elections had been staged in more than a decade, asked for the election to be postponed until March to allow the bylaws to be updated and to provide a fair and legitimate election.
The existing board members, who were not listed as candidates in Sunday's elections, said they would not recognize the results of Sunday's vote.
Initially, the board of directors had hoped to clear the grounds of the wat at 1239 E. 20th St. 30 minutes before the scheduled 1 p.m. election.
But with more than 100 congregants already in the temple and an adjoining patio area, officials worried forcing people off the property would cause strife.
"Hopefully everything will go smoothly, I pray for that," said Siphann Tith, the executive president of the board.
Although Long Beach police were on hand, they said the dispute was a civil matter and maintained a hands-off approach.
Opponents of the existing board said they pushed for the election due to charges of mistreatment of the monks at the wat. Through a translator, the monks said they had been threatened with expulsion, mail had been illegally opened, that they are denied access to electronic devices and that the board limits their ability to leave the premises.
Board members say the charges are false, and that their opponents are trying to wrest control over the wat, which has net assets of more than $1.5 million and clout in the Cambodian community.
Eventually, with attorneys Evan Braude, representing the board, and Bill Shibley, for the dissidents, on hand, it was decided to let the templegoers decide whether they wanted to proceed with the vote.
The roar of approval when the question was put to membership was nearly unanimous.
Speaking in Khmer to the temple crowd, Sithan "Larry" Sar, a candidate for the new board, said "this is the will of the monks and the people, that's why it has to happen today." An interpreter translated his remarks to the Press-Telegram.
Paline Soth, another opponent of the existing board, said the vote had to go forward.
"We interpret the monks as the ultimate authority and we have their blessing," Soth said.
Tith said the monks did not have the authority to call for a vote, but he did not attempt to stop the vote.
Braude tried to convince the crowd to be patient and allow the two sides to convene and come up with a mutually agreeable election procedure.
"I think the board understands how you feel," Braude told the crowd. "But today would be premature to have an election that would be fair, legitimate or even (lawful)."
Shibley urged only that the community be collaborative rather than divisive in its search for answers.
"It's important to solve problems as friends," Shibley said.
A total of 294 votes were cast for 13 candidates for the nine board positions.
Chha Kry Un was the leading vote getter with 266. Him Kea, one of two women elected, was second, followed by Darin Sun, Sar, Sophan Oum, Praseur Ban, Kosal Chum, Serey Keo and Alex Lim.
Opponents of the board of directors took to the streets to sign up temple members in large numbers, picking up 525 members. The board of directors estimated the wat only had about 300 regulars.
Shibley said he hopes representatives from the new and existing boards can meet in the next couple of weeks and hash out an agreement.
1 comment:
"Opponents of the board of directors took to the streets to sign up temple members in large numbers, picking up 525 members. The board of directors estimated the wat only had about 300 regulars."
This is clearly a rigged election. Note, none of the dissidents are regular or even active temple members (beyond buying, uh, paying their $3 to register with the temple). None of them have volunteered any time at the temple!
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