I Had the opportunity to speak very frankly with a person who has lived in communist Southeast Asia for many years. I asked them about religious liberties, economic inequality, tax policies and their greatest struggle. Due to the oppression of Christians in this country, I will not reveal their name or location. Let’s call them Jane living in Country X… very ominous. Everything written here is based on Jane’s personal experience and my summary of our conversation.
HOW DOES RELIGIOUS LIBERTY LOOK WHILE IN RESIDING IN COUNTRY X?
“Communism operates as an atheistic system in country X, but the people were in an uproar about their religion being stripped from them because they were no longer able to throw their festivals/ celebrations. Holidays are more secular in America, whereas in Country X, the holidays are tied intimately to Buddhism.” For the sake of social peace, religious practices have been tolerated, but are almost exclusively Buddhist.
Technically, the law allows the freedom to be any religion you want. However, you are not allowed to share your religious beliefs with anyone, especially children. You are also not allowed to hand out any “propaganda,” because it is considered anti-government. Propaganda is defined as anything from a foreign government or religious material of any kind. “There is a general sense of fear specifically in regards to sharing my faith. You don’t really know how the laws are going to be applied or play out, so there is this sense of uncertainty in how things will end.” Jane said this is the hardest part about living in Country X, “there is a stigma that you can’t share without getting in trouble, which is kind of true, but Satan uses that fear to convince people they are un-usable. As a foreigner, we put barriers on ourselves that the locals do not. Sometimes it’s hard to find the truth as a foreigner with the risk of being thrown out for speaking about your beliefs.” While law enforcement tolerates Buddhism, they do not permit any open Christianity. The reality of this persecution dawned on several fellow racers who met a man that had just been released from prison after a five year sentence for sharing his faith. There were two other men they met with warrants out for their arrest after they prayed for someone in public. This is genuine oppression and Christians in Country X live with it every day.
ECONOMIC INEQUALITY UNDER COMMUNISM
Throughout capital, you will often see BMWs, Mercedes, Bentleys and Rolls Royces. I only ventured into the city three times and encountered all of these vehicles in glaring contrast to the poverty around them. This was very surprising to my expectations of a communist nation. Jane explained a little about these massive economic inequalities. Anyone who has any kind of money, influence or power has a residence in the capital. Many poor people also move to the city for the chance of better education, employment in commerce and political connections. Once in the city, there is a possibility of upward social mobility, but only if they already have money and can purchase a government position… A little backwards for people to need money in order to work their way up, but that is how the system works. This is almost the only opportunity for a rise in social class. “They are expected to pay for interviews and from there they must keep paying to climb the ladder. People will sell everything they have to get a family member in the government or police in hopes that they will have someone to have there back.”
Outside of the city, the education system is very poorly maintained and binds generations of people within their economic class. Children are only required by the government to attend school until third grade, but even at the cost of roughly $12 per year, some families are not able to afford any more for their children.
TAX POLICY
Learning about the communist system that allows for dramatic economic inequality made me curious about taxes. Shouldn’t there be a tax policy that helps balance the scales so the impoverished conditions are even just slightly mitigated? The short answer is no, “In practice, there isn’t a set income tax.” I asked if there is any predictability year to year, “No, there is no real documentation and no predictable income tax. Every year is different and some years you pay taxes you didn’t know existed, like a water tax. A man came last year and we had to pay taxes for water even though we had never heard of it before.” All tax payments are handled by negotiating with a tax collector and his boss, both of whom like to pad their pockets. The collector goes to the tax payer and asks a price, then he returns to his boss with a counter-offer from the tax payer. The issue is resolved when the boss, tax collector and tax payer are all agreed on a price that works for them.
HOW DOESE THE JUSTICE SYSTEM FUNCTION IN REGARDS TO THE POOR
The outcome is pretty predictable for a system of law enforcement rooted in bribery, “the poor do not see as much justice because they can’t afford it. Maybe they will have justice if they have connections in government.” She quickly began to explain why it is unfair to vilify the police:”If you’re going to become a police officer in Country X, you know one of the benefits is getting money to put into your own pockets.” They are paid very little and still have to pay for their job, so if they did not get extra money they would not be able to work. They also have to help support their family that probably gave up everything for them to have that position. “It works out for both parties, in truth, to have these bribes because it allows the people to bypass the long process of going through the process of fines at the police station.” The bribe is usually less than the fine.
JANE’S THOUGHTS ON AMERICA
I was curious to hear what Jane thought of the different national experiences she has under her belt and her answer surprised me. She told me there weren’t as many differences between the two countries as people might think.
“In America, we think we have power because we are educated and free to speak out, but really we don’t see many impacts. Similarly, the people here don’t have an impact because they will be shot for speaking out or are not educated enough to even do so. People with power use it to their own benefit. It’s sad, but it’s human nature.” Jane was defending some of the fatalism that permeates the culture of Country X, saying the outcome of a jaded and uninvolved populace is not very different from what she saw while living in the US. She concluded saying that, “false senses of security under any government detract from God’s glory.”
This conversation was so perceptive because in Jane’s experience, people with limited freedom and people with significantly more freedom both fall prey to lives of passivity.
My prayers are for the activation of God’s people and for a movement of freedom to sweep the globe. I’m also praying for those who’s religion is undergoing political oppression and that they would experience the fullness of God’s love and promises in their lives, regardless of a change in government. As Jane pointed out, government is not where we put our hope. Thank you so much for reading! I would love to know your thoughts and experiences.
God Bless!
