THE POVERTY TRAP --Yap Kim Hao-- I was invited to a luncheon and fireside chat jointly organized by the NUS Greater Good Series and Asia Refuge Projects. Dr Yang Saing Koma who received the Ramon Magsaysay Award for his rural development work in Cambodia and Professor Kua Ee Heok of NUS spoke on the topic “The Poverty Trap: Challenge of the Mind”. Asia Refuge Projects has invited Ambassador Chan Heng Chee as the Guest-of-Honour. This was also attended by NGOs from Cambodia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar. I was reminded of my involvement on behalf of the Christian churches in the world on the work of relief and rehabilitation in 1979 immediately after the conclusion of the war and Phnom Penh was re-opened for the people to return home where they were forcefully evacuated by the Pol Pot regime. The task of rebuilding the country was soon extended to development work. The new government that came into power then continues to the present which is a period of thirty-two years. Hun Sen was the Defense Minister. After meeting the whole Cabinet it was made known to us that he will emerge to lead and in 1985 became the Prime Minister till today. He is the longest serving Prime Minister in the world. Dr Koma who is actively engaged in agriculture and rural development in his own country now would have been confronted with the many of the same challenges then. In the fireside chat he shared his concern of the mind-set of his people in the development of the country. His call is to respect the thinking of the people and aid agencies should not impose their ways upon them. It was expected that the people will develop a new vision of their own future different from the Pol Pot regime. Recently the country has entered a new phase of urbanization and industrialization with a new form of expelling the urban poor to the countryside without adequate compensation and infrastructure to exist as a viable rural community. Foreign companies have invaded the country to grasp economic gains. It is not only the addressing of the mind-set of the poor especially those in the rural society but also those who hold economic and political power. Are they aware of why people are poor or how they have been made poor. What is the common mind-set of the citizens as they carve a future for their country? We cannot deal with economic growth without engaging in social and political advancements for the common welfare of the whole country. The poverty trap is not in terms of money but also that of social and political values. What is the vision of our global community of nations? What is the mind-set of the people within our own countries and how do we sustain one another in this inter-connecting world? This is the challenge we face for our common survival on planetary earth.