September 28, 2006
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia Impoverished Cambodia will remain mired in poverty and reliant on foreign handouts unless the government tackles official corruption, the U.S. ambassador warned Thursday.
U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said Cambodia's leaders need to show a "genuine political will" to hold people accountable for corruption — regardless of their political and social status. The country has no anti-corruption laws, although the government is expected to forward a draft anti-corruption law to Parliament.
Cambodia is slowly emerging from its violent past and the trauma of the Khmer Rouge regime that killed nearly 2 million people in the late 1970s.
Despite recent economic growth, some 35 percent of its 14 million people still live below the poverty line, defined by the government as earning less than 1,826 riel (US$0.45; €0.35) a day. The average per capita income is US$450 (€355) a year.
The country's development has relied heavily on money from donors, who have pledged US$601 million (€474 million) in aid for this year.
But "even if we quadrupled (the amount) or gave billions of dollars (euros) of assistance to Cambodia, it would not be adequate, because what really needs to be done is that the leadership of Cambodia must decide ... on alleviating poverty, and the best way to do that is to fight corruption," Mussomeli said.
Many Cambodians in the countryside continue to face hardship caused by increasing land grabs by wealthy and well-connected people.
Unless the government commits to addressing corruption and land issues, "the Cambodian people can expect the same bleak existence that they have endured for too many decades already," Mussomeli said.
He also cited Transparency International's 2005 corruption perceptions index, a listing of 158 countries in which the least corrupt country ranked first, and the most at 158. Cambodia was ranked 130 — much lower than its two communist neighbors Vietnam at 107 and Laos at 77. Thailand ranked 59.
Last month, the independent Economic Institute of Cambodia said in a report that the government lost an estimated US$400 million (€315.4 million) in tax revenue because of corruption in 2005.
It based its findings on interviews with 1,200 companies in Cambodia that said they had to pay bribes to countless government agencies in exchange for their services.
Prime Minister Hun Sen reacted angrily to the report, saying his government was committed to improving the rule of law and fighting corruption.
"Cambodia cannot afford the luxury of corruption," Mussomeli said, adding that how the government choses to deal with corruption "will determine its place in the international community, as well as determine what kind of country Cambodia will be."
His remarks followed another stark warning about the future of democracy and rule of law that Yash Ghai, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special envoy for human rights in Cambodia, made in a report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva early this week.
In a press release posted on an official U.N. Web site, Ghai accused the government of using "the state for the accumulation of private wealth" and violating human rights on a "systemic scale."
"Many policies of the government had subverted the essential principles of democracy and due process, deprived people of their economic resources and means of livelihood, and denied them their dignity," he said.
Khieu Kanharith, the chief government spokesman, said he was too busy to give any comment and referred all questions to Om Yentieng, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Om Yentieng, who is in charge of the government's human rights committee, could not be immediately reached for comment.
U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussomeli said Cambodia's leaders need to show a "genuine political will" to hold people accountable for corruption — regardless of their political and social status. The country has no anti-corruption laws, although the government is expected to forward a draft anti-corruption law to Parliament.
Cambodia is slowly emerging from its violent past and the trauma of the Khmer Rouge regime that killed nearly 2 million people in the late 1970s.
Despite recent economic growth, some 35 percent of its 14 million people still live below the poverty line, defined by the government as earning less than 1,826 riel (US$0.45; €0.35) a day. The average per capita income is US$450 (€355) a year.
The country's development has relied heavily on money from donors, who have pledged US$601 million (€474 million) in aid for this year.
But "even if we quadrupled (the amount) or gave billions of dollars (euros) of assistance to Cambodia, it would not be adequate, because what really needs to be done is that the leadership of Cambodia must decide ... on alleviating poverty, and the best way to do that is to fight corruption," Mussomeli said.
Many Cambodians in the countryside continue to face hardship caused by increasing land grabs by wealthy and well-connected people.
Unless the government commits to addressing corruption and land issues, "the Cambodian people can expect the same bleak existence that they have endured for too many decades already," Mussomeli said.
He also cited Transparency International's 2005 corruption perceptions index, a listing of 158 countries in which the least corrupt country ranked first, and the most at 158. Cambodia was ranked 130 — much lower than its two communist neighbors Vietnam at 107 and Laos at 77. Thailand ranked 59.
Last month, the independent Economic Institute of Cambodia said in a report that the government lost an estimated US$400 million (€315.4 million) in tax revenue because of corruption in 2005.
It based its findings on interviews with 1,200 companies in Cambodia that said they had to pay bribes to countless government agencies in exchange for their services.
Prime Minister Hun Sen reacted angrily to the report, saying his government was committed to improving the rule of law and fighting corruption.
"Cambodia cannot afford the luxury of corruption," Mussomeli said, adding that how the government choses to deal with corruption "will determine its place in the international community, as well as determine what kind of country Cambodia will be."
His remarks followed another stark warning about the future of democracy and rule of law that Yash Ghai, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's special envoy for human rights in Cambodia, made in a report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva early this week.
In a press release posted on an official U.N. Web site, Ghai accused the government of using "the state for the accumulation of private wealth" and violating human rights on a "systemic scale."
"Many policies of the government had subverted the essential principles of democracy and due process, deprived people of their economic resources and means of livelihood, and denied them their dignity," he said.
Khieu Kanharith, the chief government spokesman, said he was too busy to give any comment and referred all questions to Om Yentieng, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Om Yentieng, who is in charge of the government's human rights committee, could not be immediately reached for comment.
7 comments:
Law to fight corruption is still in the air. Besause the government doesn't want to pass. When asked about corruption law,
they always said too busy to give detail or they still waiting for this for that...ect.
All Khmer poeple need to change thier leader. Your chance is next election in 2008.
We can use the commone law only corrupted people like Hun Sen and Ranarith group need law to tell wath is treason! YOU DOGS!!!!
The ambassador is talking about the only opposition on Cambodia.
SiS
we khmer should stand up and fight for it not always depend upon any other people to help....stand up..stand up kon khmer and stand for it for the election by not voting for the corrupted person or party...stand up for for our country and victory for for our children...stand up and join as a family and fight for it...don't be afraid BUDDA with you...stand up...
The US or the Khmer needs to take out Mr. Sen and his corrupted gangters or Cambodia will never be in peace....
sos!!!
Dear Mr. Ambassador,
Let give me a chance of ten years more. Before I die, I want to see that all of my grandchildren/grand nephiews all become billionaires and own at least two third of Cambodian lands. After that just to spend a few days then the corruption law will be put in place.
Dear honorable ambassador Mussomeli,
Your title is at the highest pedestal than title held by the kangaroos officials in Cambodia. "Sadech or King" in Cambodia don't mean a thing, it seems everyone has one attach to their name.
Thank you for standing up for Khmers who suffer under this evil regime. Since, ah Hun is a terrorist, why don't the US takes him out. I'm sure you have stipers in Cambodia. We appreciated even more if Hun, Heng, Hok, An, and others added to the terrorist's list.
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