Cambodian and UNDP Officials Meet to Find Ways to Fight Corruption
“Phnom Penh: Officials of the Royal Government and the United Nations Development Program in Cambodia [UNDP] released on 24 January 2007 a study comparing the arrangement of different institutions to fight corruption, for which a conference was organized in Phnom Penh during three days (24-26 January 2007). Also anti-corruption activists and the representatives from twelve countries in Asia participated in order to create mutual communication to seek ways to fight corruption, H.E. Men Sam An, a Senior Minister and the Minister of the Ministry of National Assembly and Senate Relations and Inspection, and Mr. Douglas Gardner, the Resident Representative of the UNDP in Cambodia, presided over the conference.
“H.E. Men Sam An said, ‘There are participants from twelve different countries in the Asia-Pacific region in this first regional conference in the Kingdom of Cambodia. It is a great honor for the Kingdom of Cambodia to be selected by the UNDP as the place for this first conference on integrated action.’ She continued, ‘I have the strong belief that we all will have the opportunity to learn from each other’s good experiences in order to deal with corruption which is a serious problem for all countries in the world, because corruption destroys the economy and the everyday livelihood of the people.’
“H.E. Men Sam An went on to say, ‘I also hope that the conference will allow all of us to create and strengthen a network of people implementing the same tasks, so we can share and learn from each other all the different methods in order to promote management with transparency, accountability, and more effectiveness. I also would like to inform you about the active effort of the Royal Government of Cambodia against corruption so far, and share that we are busy with the preparation of an anti-corruption law.’
“In March 2006, the leaders of the Ministry of National Assembly and Senate Relations and Inspection met, decided, and passed an anti-corruption draft law to the Council of Ministers, and it had then to go through a meeting requesting suggestions from the Council of Lawyers and a group of economic, social, and cultural advisers of the Council of Ministers. On 12 September 2006, the Council of Ministers held a first inter-ministerial meeting and decided to give the further task to the Ministry of National Assembly and Senate Relations and Inspection, and to the Ministry of Justice, to organize a working group to check and adjust and correct some articles so that they are harmonized with other provisions of the criminal legal code.
“H.E. Men Sam An went on to say, ‘After the Council of Ministers arranged the second inter-ministerial meeting on 26-27 October 2006, and as a result of this meeting, the meeting decided to allow some relevant ministries and institutions to give written recommendations to the Council of Ministers for further checks and adjustments. At present, the anti-corruption draft law is at the Council of Ministers, which will continue to arrange inter-ministerial meetings, and then the draft law will go through a plenary session of the Council of Ministers, before it is passed to the legislative institutions for discussion and adoption in the near future.’ She continued, ‘According to the content of the anti-corruption draft law, an independent and neutral institution to fight corruption will be created after this law is adopted, and documents for a strategic plan to fight corruption will also be prepared. The UNDP promised to provide an adviser to the Ministry of National Assembly and Senate Relations and Inspection, who is specialized in this work.’
“Mr. Douglas Gardner, the representative of the UNDP in Cambodia, said, ‘We all know that the fight against corruption is not easy; however, if it is successful, it will provide a great encouragement for investors to come to this nation.’ He continued, ‘More investors will come to invest in the country, and this will provide jobs to young people who will help to make the national economy grow. At present, the governments and also the donors – from either sides, and also the multilaterals – increasingly pay attention to actions against corruption. Some countries are more successful than others in such actions against corruption. Thus, it is very good that we can learn from each other how to promote transparency and accountability in the context of the policy and society of a particular country.’
“H.E. Men Sam An added, ‘It is not sufficient that anti-corruption laws just exist, because the laws are just keys to open the door and to solve some specific problems.’ She stated, ‘To free a society from corruption, I believe that we must have laws and good governance, both in the public and the private sectors. Concerning this, the Royal Government of Cambodia has set up many specific measures by creating laws to broaden the management of public finance and of public procurements.’ She affirmed, ‘The Royal Government created the Ministry of National Assembly and Senate Relations and Inspection with the main purpose to fight corruption. There is also a general inspection department, and recently a department for internal audits has been created, to work on internal auditing in order to fight corruption at the ministerial levels.’
“Mr. Sek Barisoth, an official of a non-government anti-corruption organization (PACT), said, ‘I hope that the Royal Government will make efforts so that the anti-corruption law will be adopted soon.’ He went on to say, ‘The adoption of this law is not sufficient. This law has to be good. If this law were adopted just for getting it done, it would be worthless, because if this law is not good, it can not be effectively enforced, and this would be a waste of time.’ He continued that the preparation of the anti-corruption law did not encounter any technical problems, because the government has the necessary technical capacity, and also organizations outside of the government were prepare to help. He continued, ‘The creation of this law relates, of course, also to the criminal and the civil laws, but if we wait for the criminal law and the civil law to be adopted, and if the revision of these two laws might take another five years’ time to be finalized, then must the anti-corruption law also wait for another five years?’
“It should be stated that this regional conference on integrated action, organized by the UNDP, has participants from twelve countries, and the conference compares Cambodia to 14 countries which have major institutions against corruption, such as Australia, Botswana, Bulgaria, Hong Kong, Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and Tanzania. In the conference, H.E. Men Sam An cut the ribbon to inaugurate an anti-corruption book which was prepared by the UNDP in Cambodia, as a symbol of this opening of the regional conference.
“This conference will end on 26 January with the launch of some study documents.” Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #5949, 25.1.2007
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Thursday, 25 January 2007
Chakraval, Vol.15, #2643, 25.1.2007
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Mr. Khek Vandy [Princess Bopha Devi’s husband] Makes CPP, the King, and the Royal Family Quarrel with Each Other [over throne]
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Four Judges Start to Work on Documents of Heng Pov [former Phnom Penh Police Commissioner] by Questioning Him in Prey Sar Prison
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A Vietnamese Woman Sentenced to Five Years Imprisonment on Accusation of Sex Exploitation; Another Escapes [Phnom Penh]
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1252, 25.1.2007
- [Posts and Telecommunications] Minister So Khun Asks Telephone Companies to Pay Attention and Serve Customers Well
- Investigating Judges Start to Question Mr. Heng Pov about Kidnapping Korean Nationals
- Cambodia Asks Vietnam to Create Safe Areas of No Bird Flu at Border
- Bird Flu Occurs in Northeastern Thailand
- Taliban Rebels Plan to Build School Buildings for Children
- More Than 30 People Killed in Violence in Afghanistan [relating to Taliban insurgents]
Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #5949, 25.1.2007
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Cambodian and UNDP Officials Meet to Find Ways to Fight Corruption
- US Pacific Navy Starts to Train Cambodian Navy Again
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3071, 25.1.2007
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Mr. Sam Rainsy: Thieves Never Want to Create Law to Arrest Thieves [about delays in anti-corruption legislation]
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More and More Garment Factories Close and Suspend [because of bankruptcy and corruption], Making Khmer Workers Deadlocked and More Misfortunate
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Yuon [Vietnamese] Authorities Say Crimes [including smuggling] Increases at Khmer-Yuon Border
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4194, 25.1.2007
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Samdech Hun Sen Rejects Report Which Says There Is Intention to Overthrow the Royal Norodom Line and Replace it by the Sisowath Line
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Government Announces Decrease of Price of Garment Export by 10% [in order to encourage garment factory owners]
Reach Seima, Vol.2, #138, 25.1.2007
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Government to Spend More Than $100 Million per Year to Decrease Gasoline Price
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Prince Sirivudh Is Summoned by Court to Appear on 29 January [over Funcinpec complaints against Ranariddh]
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Prime Minister Urges that Labor Market in Cambodia Should Work 24/7
