Original report from Phnom Penh
01 December 2009
The National Assembly on Tuesday passed the draft law for the 2010 budget, with overall spending reaching nearly $2 billion.
Defense and security spending increased by more than $50 million, while health and education spending rose nearly 20 percent and 11 percent, respectively.
The overall budget of $1.99 billion was an increase of more than $100 million from the year before.
Defense and security received $276 million, the Ministry of Health $144 million, the Ministry of Education $198 million, the Ministry of Agriculture $20 million, and the Ministry of Water Resources $8.8 million.
Finance Minister Keat Chhon thanked the National Assembly for passage of the new budget and said Cambodia was on track to reduce poverty by 1 percent in 2010.
The three parliamentarians of the Human Rights Party did not vote for the budget, because spending in areas like health care and education were only raised a small amount, HRP President Kem Sokha said. “Bigger spending was on defense and security.”
“The 2010 national budget forces people to pay taxes, and put tax payment pressure on the poor and rich as they suffer from the world economic crisis,” said Yim Sovann, a spokesman for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party.
Defense and security spending increased by more than $50 million, while health and education spending rose nearly 20 percent and 11 percent, respectively.
The overall budget of $1.99 billion was an increase of more than $100 million from the year before.
Defense and security received $276 million, the Ministry of Health $144 million, the Ministry of Education $198 million, the Ministry of Agriculture $20 million, and the Ministry of Water Resources $8.8 million.
Finance Minister Keat Chhon thanked the National Assembly for passage of the new budget and said Cambodia was on track to reduce poverty by 1 percent in 2010.
The three parliamentarians of the Human Rights Party did not vote for the budget, because spending in areas like health care and education were only raised a small amount, HRP President Kem Sokha said. “Bigger spending was on defense and security.”
“The 2010 national budget forces people to pay taxes, and put tax payment pressure on the poor and rich as they suffer from the world economic crisis,” said Yim Sovann, a spokesman for the opposition Sam Rainsy Party.
7 comments:
50 million to Hun Sen, 10 million to the following monkeys: Sok An, Hor Namhong, Keat Chhun, .....
I am socked to see how low they allocate money for agriculture department as this field holds 80 percent of Cambodian population livelihood. What happen to the voices from those members of parliament who are supposed to represent them? But guess what? these guys don't give a damn about the people's livelihood, they do only what is told only for the CPP who pointed them. I propose the election law be changed to have popular votes rather than appointed by the party. This is real democracy.
I hope this is not a salary for top ministry and their relative.
That what has been happen in the past only to salary ministry official.
The Dept. of Information and the Dept. of Cults and Religion should be eliminated to avoid state control.
As I have experienced the managemennt of national budget for many years, a big part of the national budged was cut at all levels buy the Governors, Provincial Finance and chief of provincial Departments and District offices.
For the procurement a lot of budget was stolen due to the overprice of the Goods, For Example the price of Computers, Photocopiers, printers... were 3 times higher than the real price.
So the more the Government increases the Budget, the more they steal the money. Look at the villas, house, cars.....of those involved in Budget managmment and spending.
How much remaining money really go to the lower level to provide service to the people?
Everybody knows that!
Thanks for the sharing 10.58am
I also know well that at the Ministry of Education, a pencil costed Riel 1,500 based on the expenses reported. The market price of the pencil was riel 250-300 at that time.
Suckers are everywhere in Cambodia. Where are the people who supposed to enforce all of these? It is somewhat a culture of stealing from government... This culture must ends...
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