Cambodia poised to rush through anti-graft law despite delay pleas

Wed, 10 Mar 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - The United Nations' Cambodia office said Wednesday that the government should allow extra time for interested parties to examine an anti-corruption law that has been criticized as flawed. The parliament, which is dominated by the ruling Cambodian People's Party, began debating the draft law Wednesday, one day after a coalition of civil society groups called for more time to study its provisions.

"[The UN country team] notes with concern that an extraordinary session was convened only days after the draft was shared publicly with parliamentarians," the UN said, adding that the lack of public input into legislation had become standard practice in recent years.

Cambodia is ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, and donors and civil society have been calling since 1995 for a law to tackle graft.

The UN said the draft law ought to be debated openly by all interested parties "to ensure that it is consistent with international standards as required by the constitution" as well as making sure that it protects the rights of all Cambodians.

The cabinet approved the 25-page bill in December, releasing it to legislators only on March 4. The opposition condemned the haste, saying four days to study the draft legislation prior to parliamentary debate was inadequate.

Yong Kim Eng from the Coalition for Integrity and Social Accountability, a group of civil society organisations advocating anti-corruption reform, said it was unclear why the government was moving so fast.

He said the draft presented last week was substantially different from a 2006 version, in which civil society did have input.

Yong Kim Eng said one of the draft's weaknesses was a stipulation that most members of the two anti-corruption agencies would be handpicked by the ruling party or Prime Minister Hun Sen.

"I don't think this can be independent," he said. "The anti-corruption unit would be appointed by the prime minister and would be accountable to him. That means fighting corruption would be the responsibility of the prime minister and not of parliament."

The proposed law would require politicians, military personnel, police, judges, civil servants and the heads of civil society organizations to disclose their wealth.

The international corruption watchdog Transparency International placed Cambodia in 158th place last year in its Corruptions Perceptions Index, on par with the Central African Republic and Laos. Just 19 nations were ranked as more corrupt.

The US ambassador to Phnom Penh outraged the government in 2009 when she cited studies suggesting corruption cost the impoverished nation up to 500 million dollars annually.