Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Nepotism prevails among the CPP leadership rank at the National Assembly

Tuesday, 21 March 2006

Heng Samrin currently has 66 advisers and spends 101 million riels ($25,000) from the national budget monthly

By Vichhika
Voice of Khmer Youth


Mr. Heng Samrin who will become the president of the National Assembly (NA) in the near future has altogether 66 advisers, some of whom hold the rank of ministers with the majority holding the rank of secretary of state with a minimum salary of 1.4 million riels per month (US$350). In this affair, Mr. Nguon Nhel also has 14 advisers [under his order] and is planning to spend a budgeted amount of 22 million riels ($5,500) [per month]. These two leaders of the NA also incur other expenses for contract employees working in their offices.

According to the salary report for the month of February 2006, one of the advisers of Mr. Heng Samrin is Mr. Vong Sotr, the son-in-law of Mr. Heng Samrin. Vong Sotr is currently the secretary of state in the labor department. Vong Sotr is an adiver to Mr. Heng Samrin with the rank of minister, and he receives 2 million riels ($500) in monthly salary. Featuring among the list of Mr. Heng Samrin advisers is Mr. Phan Pheng, the police commissioner of Khan Daun Penh. He holds the rank of secretary of state with a monthly salary of 1.4 million riels ($350). As for Mr. Mak Pech Rith, the director of the Cam-Control department (ministry of commerce), he is also an adviser to Mr. Heng Samrin with a rank of secretary of state and a monthly salary of 1.4 million riels ($350) also. For Ms. Cham Nimol, director of administration (ministry of commerce) and daughter of minister of commerce Cham Prasith, she is also an adviser of Mr. Heng Samrin with a rank of secretary of state and a monthly salary of 1.4 million riels ($350).

Concerning Mr. Nguon Nhel who will incessantly become the first vice-president of the NA, he has 14 advisers to whom he spends a budget of 22.4 million riels to pay their monthly salary ($5,500). This number does not take into account the number of contract employees in the office of Mr. Nguon Nhel who has 5 of them at his service with a monthly salary of another 1 million riels ($250). Among the advisers of Mr. Nguon Nhel, features the name of Ouk Damry, the secretary-general of the Cambodian Red Cross holding a rank of secretary of state with a monthly salary of 1.75 million riels ($440).

In total the amount spent by Messrs. Heng Samrin and Nguon Nhel for their advisers, contract employees, is no less than 150 million riels monthly ($37,500).

Last week, prime minister Hun Sen asked Mr. Nguon Nhel on the adviser issue. There, Mr. Nguon Nhel lied to the prime minister in public in front of a gathering of senior CPP party officials, saying that he has only 10 advisers and Mr. Heng Samrin has only 20 advisers. However, based on the expense reports of Messrs. Nguon Nhel and Heng Samrin, it is obvious that Mr. Nguon Nhel lied to prime minister Hun Sen in his answer provided in Kampong Thom.

In addition to the hundreds of million spent monthly from the national budget for advisers salary, the lack of responsibility [of the advisees], there is also a number of people on the adviser lists who are there only to claim a salary [but do not actually provide any work]. It is known that a man in Kampong Cham who features as an aid to Mr. Heng Samrin in Kampong Cham but who in real life is a merchant, but because of his title as aid to Mr. Heng Samrin, he earns a salary of 400,000 riels ($100) a month. Among the list of advisers of Mr. Heng Samrin, there are people who also work in different government institutions, but they have been included in the list of advisers to Messrs. Heng Samrin and Nguon Nhel. The number of [irregular] cases against the two leaders of the NA is very large, and it is expected that this number will increase even more when Messrs. Heng Samrin and Nguon Nhel will legally occupy their functions.

What is most ironic is the fact that Nguon Nhel lied to the prime minister concerning the number of advisers of the CPP NA leaders at a time when Mr. Hun Sen is attacking Samdech Krom Preah Norodom Ranariddh, the former president of the NA, by accusing him of excessive spending. It is expected that the spending incurred by Messrs. Heng Samrin and Nguon Nhel for their advisers will increase when they enter their duty as president and first vice-president of the NA. The odd of increase is high considering Mr. Heng Samrin’s declaration saying that he will need more advisers when he will become the president of the NA. Most likely, the budget required for paying the advisers of Mr. Heng Samrin will increase to 200 million riels ($50,000) monthly.

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