Cambodia asks for World Bank help to fight economic inequality
DPA
Phnom Penh - Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday admitted his government had been less than perfect in implementing policies to head off growing social and economic inequalities and asked the World Bank for help in correcting the imbalance.
Speaking at the launch of a World Bank report into equity and development in the country, Hun Sen acknowledged that rapid economic growth that had so far mainly benefited only a small percentage of the population could be a catalyst for social unrest but said the country still lacked the infrastructure to address the problem.
'We need to correct our policy and implementation in some main fields to ensure and push faster development of the country,' he said. 'All work in all fields must ensure social inequity cannot take deeper root in the national social structure.'
Hun Sen has previously warned of a 'farmers revolution' if the country's rapid development continued to stretch the gap between rural poverty and urban wealth - a fear echoed by many international donors, including the European Union and Germany.
However critics have pointed to endemic corruption and a perceived culture of impunity for the rich and powerful as a leading cause of the problem and urged the government to pass an anti-corruption law to combat it.
The law has so far not been tabled before the National Assembly despite promises by the government to donors that it would be unveiled last year.
Hun Sen was speaking on the eve of an official trip to Japan, which is a major donor to Cambodia but so far lags far behind countries such as South Korea and China in terms of business investments.
Analysts speculated Hun Sen might have made the appeal to the World Bank ahead of a Consultative Group meeting of international donors scheduled for next week.
During that meeting, the donors the country has come to rely heavily on after 30 years of civil war were expected to be vocal in their criticism of continued delays in reforms to key areas, such as the notoriously inept judicial system and anti-corruption legislation.
Speaking at the launch of a World Bank report into equity and development in the country, Hun Sen acknowledged that rapid economic growth that had so far mainly benefited only a small percentage of the population could be a catalyst for social unrest but said the country still lacked the infrastructure to address the problem.
'We need to correct our policy and implementation in some main fields to ensure and push faster development of the country,' he said. 'All work in all fields must ensure social inequity cannot take deeper root in the national social structure.'
Hun Sen has previously warned of a 'farmers revolution' if the country's rapid development continued to stretch the gap between rural poverty and urban wealth - a fear echoed by many international donors, including the European Union and Germany.
However critics have pointed to endemic corruption and a perceived culture of impunity for the rich and powerful as a leading cause of the problem and urged the government to pass an anti-corruption law to combat it.
The law has so far not been tabled before the National Assembly despite promises by the government to donors that it would be unveiled last year.
Hun Sen was speaking on the eve of an official trip to Japan, which is a major donor to Cambodia but so far lags far behind countries such as South Korea and China in terms of business investments.
Analysts speculated Hun Sen might have made the appeal to the World Bank ahead of a Consultative Group meeting of international donors scheduled for next week.
During that meeting, the donors the country has come to rely heavily on after 30 years of civil war were expected to be vocal in their criticism of continued delays in reforms to key areas, such as the notoriously inept judicial system and anti-corruption legislation.
2 comments:
I want you (WB) to help me on my term and way.
Chker kontuy kwean, lear kontuy only climbing under the fence. It's time to ask for AID.
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