Every country needs some technological independence: the ability to build and fix its own important systems.
The problem with total dependence
When all your technology comes from outside, you can't fix it when it breaks and you can't adapt it to local needs. You inherit other countries' rules and priorities. Skills and knowledge flow out rather than in.
The argument here has nothing to do with nationalism. It is about being able to stand on your own.
What it actually looks like
It doesn't mean building everything from scratch, which is neither practical nor needed.
It means training local engineers, designers and product people who understand both the technology and the place. It means owning the systems where control matters most: payments, identity, networks. It means contributing to the open-source projects we depend on rather than only using them. And it means knowing where your data lives, with options that don't send everything overseas.
Starting small
We can't change it all at once, so we start with concrete things. Affordable computers for students and developers. Payment tools that work with local banks. Open-source software adapted for Khmer. Training that builds real skills.
Each small step makes the next one possible.
The long view
This is generational work and some of it will take decades. That's fine. The part that matters is starting and then keeping at it.