AFP
PHNOM PENH — Cambodia's parliament on Wednesday started debating a controversial and long-awaited anti-corruption law, more than 15 years after the legislation was first proposed.
Cambodia is consistently ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, and the government has repeatedly come under fire from international donors and activists over its apparent unwillingness to tackle the problem.
Copies of the draft law, first proposed in 1994 and approved by the government in December, were hand-delivered to all lawmakers last week.
Deputy Prime Minister Sok An called the graft proposal a "special law" aimed at "reducing and getting rid of corruption".
But local right groups and opposition party lawmakers said the draft was flawed and asked parliament to delay the debate, saying the law would be ineffective and offered whistle-blowers little protection.
If the legislation is passed this week, a national anti-corruption council and an anti-corruption unit will be created to oversee investigations, according to a copy of the draft.
Public figures face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of accepting bribes, it said.
Cambodia was ranked 158 out of 180 countries on anti-graft organisation Transparency International's most recent corruption perception index.
It was also ranked the second most corrupt Southeast Asian nation after Indonesia in an annual poll by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, seen by AFP on Tuesday.
Last year, a US diplomat said that graft costs the country up to 500 million dollars every year, an allegation the government rejected as "unsubstantiated."
Cambodia is consistently ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, and the government has repeatedly come under fire from international donors and activists over its apparent unwillingness to tackle the problem.
Copies of the draft law, first proposed in 1994 and approved by the government in December, were hand-delivered to all lawmakers last week.
Deputy Prime Minister Sok An called the graft proposal a "special law" aimed at "reducing and getting rid of corruption".
But local right groups and opposition party lawmakers said the draft was flawed and asked parliament to delay the debate, saying the law would be ineffective and offered whistle-blowers little protection.
If the legislation is passed this week, a national anti-corruption council and an anti-corruption unit will be created to oversee investigations, according to a copy of the draft.
Public figures face up to 15 years in prison if convicted of accepting bribes, it said.
Cambodia was ranked 158 out of 180 countries on anti-graft organisation Transparency International's most recent corruption perception index.
It was also ranked the second most corrupt Southeast Asian nation after Indonesia in an annual poll by the Political and Economic Risk Consultancy, seen by AFP on Tuesday.
Last year, a US diplomat said that graft costs the country up to 500 million dollars every year, an allegation the government rejected as "unsubstantiated."
8 comments:
AH CHOY MARAI sok an who's gonna robb you if 10000000 Yuon's troops in your backyard. DO MA MAY THANG XE DUNG.
former 1979 refugee in Muth Chrouk. Ang giang Svay torng.
no doubt, it is a law to protect corrupt officials.
if opposition don't participate in the debate, then it is their fault and don't even try to complain later as an excuse, ok! if they don't participate, they are indirectly saying they don't want anti-corruption law. so, don't complain again, then! opposition shows they don't respect the law and do whatever they feel like. we all can see this! so if they complain again later, cambodia will remind them the fact that they decided not to debate it together!
is one month wait too long to wait? give them one month, if they want to delay it further, then, we know their intention!
Hun Sen said that if anyone wants to change anti-corruption law, they have to wait after the year 2013. I am thinking that if Hun Sen or CPP to draft a law to allow 1 million Vietnamese to live in Cambodia or draft a law to kill Khmer people now, then everyone want to stop these types of laws, should they wait after 2013 too?
No law is better than to have a bad law!
If government does not know how to draft laws, why doesn't government use consultants and experts who are experts on this type of law?
If parliament has been waiting for this law for 15 years already, why this institution wait for 2 weeks, one month, or two months more as requested by other parties or other sides of the society?
Does the present government think that all ideas that do not come from Hun Sen are wrong and unacceptable?
មានច្បាប់ដែលមិនយុត្តិធម គឺមិនមែនជាច្បាប់
Unjust law is not law at all!!
Good attribute of law is the main purpose of law!!!
Just like what Marting Lufer King Said !
We all have to respect the law but unjust law is not law at so you don't have to follow!!!
ច្បាប់ដែលសភាខ្មែរកំពុងអនុមតនេះគឺជាច្បាប់ការពារអំពើរពុករលួយ ។
បើសិនជាច្បាប់ប្រឆាំងអំពើពុករលួយម្លេះ សុខ អាន យល់ព្រមពន្យាពេលសំរាប់អង្គការសង្គមសីវិល គេបានពិនិត្យល្អិតល្អន់ ហើយបើកទូលាយអោយមានសិក្ខាសាលាដើម្បីទទួលមតិពីសាធារណជន និងប្រជាជនខ្មែរមិនខាន។
ដូច្នេះចូចាំថា ចោរ មិនដែលបង្កើតច្បាប់ចាប់ខ្លួនអេងដាក់គុកនោះទេ។
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