(Photo by: Heng Chivoan)Tuesday, 29 September 2009
Nguon Sovan
The Phnom Penh Post
PRIME Minister Hun Sen on Monday dismissed recent GDP growth forecasts by international organisations, urging the population to concentrate on work rather than predictions on the Kingdom’s economic output for 2009.
Speaking Monday at an inauguration ceremony for a new Ministry of Tourism building in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen again predicted that the agricultural sector would flourish this year.
“Whatever the forecast is – positive or negative – it is not important because it is just a figure,” he said.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) last week projected that the agricultural sector would be one of the few bright spots for the Kingdom’s economy, forecasting 5 percent year-on-year growth for 2009.
But ADB and the International Monetary Fund both lowered their predictions last week for Cambodian growth in 2009, to 1.5 percent and 2.75 percent contractions respectively.
In contrast, the London-based Economic Intelligence Unit, which has traditionally pitched its forecasts below the ADB in particular, this month revised upwards its prediction for the economy from -3 percent to -1.5 percent for this year. It cited signs of a global recovery for the improved forecast.
Nevertheless, Hun Sen said, such predictions remain meaningless to most of the population.
“The most important issue is the people’s living conditions.... If they have enough water and food, if there are people that are dying from starvation or not,” said Hun Sen, adding that most Cambodians had not shown any interest in GDP forecasts previously, even when the Kingdom experienced double-digit growth in recent years.
Earlier this year the government predicted GDP growth of about 6 percent for 2009, although some officials have since said that the economy would likely expand at around half this level.
Speaking Monday at an inauguration ceremony for a new Ministry of Tourism building in Phnom Penh, Hun Sen again predicted that the agricultural sector would flourish this year.
“Whatever the forecast is – positive or negative – it is not important because it is just a figure,” he said.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) last week projected that the agricultural sector would be one of the few bright spots for the Kingdom’s economy, forecasting 5 percent year-on-year growth for 2009.
But ADB and the International Monetary Fund both lowered their predictions last week for Cambodian growth in 2009, to 1.5 percent and 2.75 percent contractions respectively.
In contrast, the London-based Economic Intelligence Unit, which has traditionally pitched its forecasts below the ADB in particular, this month revised upwards its prediction for the economy from -3 percent to -1.5 percent for this year. It cited signs of a global recovery for the improved forecast.
Nevertheless, Hun Sen said, such predictions remain meaningless to most of the population.
“The most important issue is the people’s living conditions.... If they have enough water and food, if there are people that are dying from starvation or not,” said Hun Sen, adding that most Cambodians had not shown any interest in GDP forecasts previously, even when the Kingdom experienced double-digit growth in recent years.
Earlier this year the government predicted GDP growth of about 6 percent for 2009, although some officials have since said that the economy would likely expand at around half this level.
16 comments:
If 2/3 of the nation's revenue has not been stolen by Hun Sen, his families, and his cronies, Cambodia economy won't be much a headache.
Nothing wrong with focusing on the positives and build on that positives instead of dwelling on the negatives. But, at what price is the Kingdom is paying for that positives? Is it worth it? That is the debate.
“Whatever the forecast is – positive or negative – it is not important because it is just a figure,” he said.
THIS SHOWS HOW EDUCATED CAMBODIAN LEADER IS. EDUCATION FROM THE JUNGLE DON'T USE FIGURS FORECAST (educated guess), THEY USED BUSH AND TREE BRANCHES.
10:20, Negative side is as important as the positive. Matte of facts, it is more imprtant because it must pay extra attention to reduce this in order to gain on the positive side.
shame to all pouk ah yuon slaves
hun sen is a good yuon slave like the rest of his comrades khmer rouge like comrade sihanouk, monica sihanouk, hor nam hong, keat chhun etc. Why you guys all always ask why these yuons slaves kill and destroy Khmer for yuons? Of course because it is the mission fixed by their masters to their slaves
I keep saying all along that All of Cambodian people need are just a bowl of rice and dry fish and that's it.
Don't look into figures and graphs. Because Hun Sen he doesn't understand those things. They atre too complicated and give him too much headache.
Just plant rice and catch some fishes would be much easier for each luch and dinner
That's why when Sam Rainsy kept insisting to tell HUN SEN to have checks and balances, he is not happy.
Posted by Ah rorleay heng xoy!
When this son-of-Vietnamese bitch opens his mouth, lots of maggots come out of his stinky mouth, and his breath scatters and pollutes th air. Ah Sen, please shut your fucking stinky mouth, because your breath smells worse than a rotten corpse.
CPP Traitor
Stubpid dictator Hun Xen!!!!!!!!!!
He doesn't understand nothing!!!
He have only one eye! Men!
Do you expect him to see both ways?
10:53PM,
If you keep saying as you have said, then you look down on Cambodian people so much. We all want to be happy and morally rich; it's more than just a bowl of rice. Take a quick glance at crooked rich from top to bottom and ask a question: why do they become so rich in a poor country like Cambodia while the majority of people are poor and some of them are even so poor as to sell their daughters for just a few hundred dollars. Stop looking down on Khmer people, will ya?
2:21AM You hit the point.
reverse psychology use this term to describe people who are always denying and denying and stuborn.
Case in point:
A person who used to tell people that s/he wants to be rich, famous and live comfortable, then one day s/he turned around and said," I don't care I'm rich or not as long as I have something to eat".
and people said to him or her, " oh we heard that you want to be rich"
10:53pm, it would work well if cambodia is the only country and people on the planet. in fact of course, it is best way to live simple like during the stone age of hunting and gathering society, however, in reality, we are now living in a competitive world and a more advance and modern world, so cambodia has to adjust to changes and go along the flow. otherwise, siem and youn historical enemies will take advantage of cambodia again by steal from us our lands, natural resources, etc... so, we have to wake up and be competitive and be smarter by all means. do learn from everybody on the planet, really! remember the stupid mistake of pol pot's KR regime! they failed to think in terms of competitive with the world around them because they are ignorant and think like a tadpole in a confined fish bowl or a frog in a well which is all a metaphor for being ignorant, really. i hope cambodia and khmer people are beginning to wake up now and see the world around us. the world is really big, really, and there are more to cambodia than you and i, really! wake up and smell the coffee, ok! be competitive in many ways and think openly. definitely learn from everybody in the world, ok! cambodia and khmer people deserve better by now! please stop being ignorant any longer, instead be smart by adaptation, reform-minded, etc... god bless cambodia and all our beautiful khmer people and citizens.
i rather ride in a car, in an airplane, in a modern train, etc, than say an oxcart, a canoe, etc... i mean oxcart and canoe are now museum stuff and only use as recreational only nowadays. so, please wake up and get with the program. stop having and using outdated thinking, ok. reform your outdated mentality for the sake of khmer country and people, ok! god bless cambodia.
Du wah I sait, Du yu unterstan nuw!
Wow! Ah Sen really speaks English well.
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