By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
15 May 2008
A petition of more than 1 million Cambodian signatures calling for anti-corruption legislation will be passed to the National Assembly Friday, and organizers hope it will push lawmakers to act.
The signatures were collected over several months “to demand quick passage” of an anti-corruption law of international standard, according to a statement by the Coalition of Civil Society Organization Against Corruption.
“This anti-corruption petition is very important for politicians and voters, before the July national election, to demand the government and National Assembly quickly pass the anti-corruption law after the election,” said Pok Puthearith, a project manager for the Khmer Institute for Democracy. “We want the National Assembly to make a promise to the people.”
Sok Sam Oeun, director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, called the petition “a strong message for all political parties.”
The coalition wanted political parties to make the elimination of corruption a main part of their platforms, he said.
Most political parties have already done that; corruption has dogged the government since its inception, costing the nation as much as $500 million per year.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has promised to pass legislation to curb the practice many times, but that legislation has remained in the draft stage for years.
The signatures were collected over several months “to demand quick passage” of an anti-corruption law of international standard, according to a statement by the Coalition of Civil Society Organization Against Corruption.
“This anti-corruption petition is very important for politicians and voters, before the July national election, to demand the government and National Assembly quickly pass the anti-corruption law after the election,” said Pok Puthearith, a project manager for the Khmer Institute for Democracy. “We want the National Assembly to make a promise to the people.”
Sok Sam Oeun, director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, called the petition “a strong message for all political parties.”
The coalition wanted political parties to make the elimination of corruption a main part of their platforms, he said.
Most political parties have already done that; corruption has dogged the government since its inception, costing the nation as much as $500 million per year.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has promised to pass legislation to curb the practice many times, but that legislation has remained in the draft stage for years.
11 comments:
congratulations! god bless cambodia.
Good luck with that. If the Assembly really wants to pass the laws on corruption they would have done it long time ago. They can't do their jobs, should be eliminated by bullets in their heads.
Okay, but don't called us, let us called you instead, alright?
Corruption is most single factor hurting the poor. Indirectly, it depriving the government from having enough resource to properly allocate that resource to support the programs for their development. While the poor is getting poor, the loophole for the rich is getting richer through the corruption loophole.
Hope to see such a legislation will be in place.
Definition of "Corruption" shall be clearly stated to cover a wide ranges and acts of corruption to ensure a fair and justice in which is reflecting of action upon a particualr person is said to be corrupted and a particular person who is said to be paying bribes.
2:39 AM
Do agreed with your view [If the Assembly really wants to pass the laws on corruption they would have done it long time ago].
If you looked at the composition of Parliment which consisted of 3 majority political parties: CPP, FUNCIPEC and SRP. They [Parlimentarians] shall be working side by side to effectively and constructively debate in the best interest of the bill before it becomes absolute legislation, whereas the definition of "Corruption" shall be widely covered the entire ranges of acts which can be constitued as "Corrupt/corruoption", and whereas a person is said being accused of corruption or a person is said to be paying bribe shall be fairly prosecuted and punished, whereas, the authority who would handle the case shall be within the government body or independent body and its given power shall be absolute or shall be refer to other authority.
If all parlimentarians kept on walking out or boycott the seession when there was a disagreement then the bill could never became legislation.
Their differences shall be kept aside but shall unite for the best interest of legislation which in turn will be good for the interest of the country.
Actually, Cambodia has had a law making corruption a crime since the start of the Royal Government when the United Nations Transitional Authority (UNTAC) criminal law was adopted by the National Assembly. Article 38 states in relevant part: "...any civil servant, military personnel or official agent of any of the four Cambodian parties to the Paris Agreement, or any political official who, while performing official duties or tasks related to such duties, solicits or attempts to solicit or who receives or attempts to receive property, a service, m oney, staff, a professional positon, a document, an authorization or any benefit in exchanger for any one of these same elements is guilty of the crim of extortion and shall be subject to a punishment of three to seven years in prison. 2. The court may remove the convicted person from elective office and may also prohibit him or her, after serving the prison sentence, from stanting for election or from holding any position in the public administrationo for a period of two years. 3. The penalty for this crim shall also include a fine of double the sum of money or value of the property extorted."
This law is still in effect until a new criminal law is passed.
Gentleman
Thank you 6:05 AM for your clarification. I believe CPP politicians are fully aware of that.
Taken over ten years to pass corruption laws is insane. it proves that it is not CPP intention to pass the law.
If politicians can't find definition of corruption is a real joke. Corruption commission is independent body, where its recommendation should directly go to the King in order to satisfy our national constitution.
Fellow cambodians, please vote for a change and to support democratic party where your demand and national interest are fulfilled.
Democratic parties should adapt this demand as platform and honors it.
Neang SA
Cut the bullshit, 10:14, there are many ways to fight corruption other than with stupid piece of paper.
7:06Pm what best than piece of paper? Let people power decide the fait of ah Hun xen?
The bottom line is that there has been a corruption law which was passed by the National Assembly right after the formation of the Royal Government- so prosecutions could have occurred if a prosecutor had chosen to do so. In other words waiting and waiting for a so-called "corruption law" before being able to prosecute under current law is bogus.
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