Social activists deliver bundled copies of an anti-corruption petition to the country's parliament in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Friday, May 16, 2008. Cambodian social activists pressed lawmakers on Friday to take real and serious steps to enact a long-awaited law for combating widespread corruption in the impoverished Southeast Asian country. (AP Photo/Heng Sinith)Monday, 19 May 2008
AP/ Khoun Leakhana
The Mekong Post
Anti-corruption activists on Friday presented the National Assembly (NA) with evidence of widespread support in an attempt to pressure lawmakers into taking concrete steps to enact a long-awaited law to combat corruption.
Describing themselves as a coalition against corruption, they presented a petition to the NA after collecting more than one million thumbprints and signatures from people in support of their anti-graft drive.
Corruption “has been occurring almost everywhere and at every hour, and there is no sign that would lead us to believe it will slow down,” said the petition of the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations against Corruption, which comprises more than 40 nonprofit groups.
It said corruption is “getting worse gradually” while legislation needed to fight it has remained stalled in draft form for 15 years.
“Without even starting to enact the law, corruption will surely not decrease, and corrupt individuals will continue quietly sucking away the nation’s wealth,” the petition said.
The coalition said it has collected 1,098,163 thumbprints and signatures since it began a nationwide campaign last November.
“With over one million thumbprints, we want to urge the government to pass the anti-corruption law which has been delayed for over 10 years,” said Huot Rattanak, a senior officer with Pact-Cambodia’s Anti-Corruption for Equity Program.
About 100 campaigners hauled the petitions to the NA in 12 bundles. Security guards prevented them from bringing in all the forms, allowing only 10 activists in to deliver a three-page petition to the parliamentary office.
“We accepted the petition but not the copies of the thumbprints and signatures. Their quantity is huge, and we do not have space for storing them,” said Khuon Sodary, chairwoman of the parliamentary committee for human rights and reception of complaints.
The activists claimed symbolic success in making their case on behalf of the public.
“The NA side explained that the anti-corruption draft law was already sent back to the Council of Ministers, but after the election the bill will have to be re-arranged before it is sent back to the NA,” Kek Galabru, president of local human rights Licadho said.
She added that NGOs should keep up their pressure on the NA to adopt the corruption legislation while it is closed for its mid-mandate break.
Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, said the petition march was “unprecedented,” adding that both the government and the NA must make efforts to pass the draft soon even though the NA is on vacation. “The new NA must prioritize the draft for the discussion as soon as it starts work,” he said.
Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government has been persistently slammed by foreign aid donors and other critics for failing to tackle corruption. In 2007, Cambodia was ranked 162nd among 179 countries in a survey by Berlin-based Transparency International, a non-governmental group tracking corruption worldwide. Cambodia was 151st in 2006.
Describing themselves as a coalition against corruption, they presented a petition to the NA after collecting more than one million thumbprints and signatures from people in support of their anti-graft drive.
Corruption “has been occurring almost everywhere and at every hour, and there is no sign that would lead us to believe it will slow down,” said the petition of the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations against Corruption, which comprises more than 40 nonprofit groups.
It said corruption is “getting worse gradually” while legislation needed to fight it has remained stalled in draft form for 15 years.
“Without even starting to enact the law, corruption will surely not decrease, and corrupt individuals will continue quietly sucking away the nation’s wealth,” the petition said.
The coalition said it has collected 1,098,163 thumbprints and signatures since it began a nationwide campaign last November.
“With over one million thumbprints, we want to urge the government to pass the anti-corruption law which has been delayed for over 10 years,” said Huot Rattanak, a senior officer with Pact-Cambodia’s Anti-Corruption for Equity Program.
About 100 campaigners hauled the petitions to the NA in 12 bundles. Security guards prevented them from bringing in all the forms, allowing only 10 activists in to deliver a three-page petition to the parliamentary office.
“We accepted the petition but not the copies of the thumbprints and signatures. Their quantity is huge, and we do not have space for storing them,” said Khuon Sodary, chairwoman of the parliamentary committee for human rights and reception of complaints.
The activists claimed symbolic success in making their case on behalf of the public.
“The NA side explained that the anti-corruption draft law was already sent back to the Council of Ministers, but after the election the bill will have to be re-arranged before it is sent back to the NA,” Kek Galabru, president of local human rights Licadho said.
She added that NGOs should keep up their pressure on the NA to adopt the corruption legislation while it is closed for its mid-mandate break.
Rong Chhun, president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, said the petition march was “unprecedented,” adding that both the government and the NA must make efforts to pass the draft soon even though the NA is on vacation. “The new NA must prioritize the draft for the discussion as soon as it starts work,” he said.
Prime Minister Hun Sen’s government has been persistently slammed by foreign aid donors and other critics for failing to tackle corruption. In 2007, Cambodia was ranked 162nd among 179 countries in a survey by Berlin-based Transparency International, a non-governmental group tracking corruption worldwide. Cambodia was 151st in 2006.
2 comments:
if you vote for SRP you get this anti corruttion law adopted but if your vote for cpp please wait for antother five years
i think its time to overthrough Hun sen aside and get a new president that knows what they are doing. Maybe get his Administration out too such as Kith Meng all of them are corrupted
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