Friday, June 22, 2007

All Parties Agree: Cambodia Needs the Aid

Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
21/06/2007

"Taking aid money was 'not begging'" - Heng Samrin National Assembly President
Ruling and opposition party officials who are usually at odds with one another agree on at least one thing: Cambodia needs the aid money it gets from donors each year.

Billions of dollars in aid have poured into Cambodia since UN-sponsored elections in 1993, and donors agreed Wednesday to give $690 million more. Rights groups said they were disappointed with donors, who continue to give aid to the government without holding it fast to policies of good governance.

While disagreements exist over how much oversight should go along with the aid, no one denies that Cambodia needs the money. Infrastructure, health, education and other institutions remain weak, wracked by war and neglect. Officials said after this week's meeting they intended to direct more money at those problems.

Critics said that without strong anti-corruption measures, aid money doesn't go where it is needed most, and instead finds the pockets of corrupt officials. Meanwhile, the problems of land-grabbing and rights abuse remain, and an anti-corruption law is stagnant.

With corruption siphoning off much needed funds for development, Cambodia risked becoming a permanent aid recipient, critics said, which threatened to turn the country into a beggar nation.

Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle Thursday said the money was necessary, but some took umbrage with the beggar analogy.

Taking aid money was "not begging," National Assembly President Heng Samrin said. "This is [getting] help from those countries."

National Assembly Finance Committee Chairman Chiem Yeap declined to forecast when Cambodia might stop relying on aid, in grants or loans from foreign governments or development banks.

"It is not different from women having babies. When they feel better, the midwives leave," he said. "We see that we should do things ourselves. But right after the war, our economic infrastructure was down, and we reconstructed our country. It is still not enough for our farmers' necessities, so we cannot pull ourselves away from foreign aid."

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't see any of this people look happy...
they all look scare and sad !
why?...600 some millions is not enough to feed the 70 millions yuon!
no wonder they all still sad, and unhappy.
well, if i got the much money, i would be jump over the bridge!lolz!!

Anonymous said...

Are they look cute just like pupes?

Any one want to adapte them?

Anonymous said...

Sama Samput tho . . . . ."All Parties agree: Cambodia Needs the Aid for THEIR POCKETS" Sama Samput Tho . . . Here is your holy water, Eh Vaang!!!!!

Anonymous said...

These three animals look like ape breeded man. They work for Vietnam at all cost.

Anonymous said...

Look at these three crooks: one looks like an ape, another one a bulldog and the last one Ah Kwak Hun liar.

Anonymous said...

These animals beg more money to burn them alive after prosecuting by HELL-Hound

Anonymous said...

Who care what the stupid international communities think regarding donations to Cambodia. As long as there is money $$$ that doners want to donate and a bit of efforts and the fine art of begging from the Hun Sen and the CPP governement. Hun Sen and families welcome these donate WITH A BIGGER THE LARGE PRIVATE POCKETS to keep the them SAFE from cambodian for GENERATION to come...sucker to all KHMERS.

There is a Hun Sen standard here...that is if Hun Sen & CPP keep on doing nothing...the Donation $$$ will keep flowing in... :-) ..because International communities a dump.

Anonymous said...

I don't think international communitie is dump.. both hun sen and the communitie is setting cambodia to be in debt.. the people now and futher generation gonna be slave of the futher.

debt collector gonna knock on the doors ! fken sad, very sad

Anonymous said...

idiotz of cambodia, products of vietname and pol pot..

cambodia is like what it is now, because of evil and idiotz... innocent suffer... but i don't believe they will last.. i just hope they will pay and plus suffer like worst then the poor and the innocents