DPA
Phnom Penh - The Cambodian government kicked off an ambitious asset declaration programme for public officials on Monday in an effort to battle the country's endemic graft.
From January to March, roughly 100,000 officials including the prime minister will be required for the first time to declare assets including property, vehicles and business interests, a process overseen by the country's newly established Anticorruption Unit.
'Every level of government has to report directly to the Anticorruption Unit,' government spokesman Phay Siphan said. 'Their job is to prepare a system of transparency.'
The declaration process has drawn criticism because officials do not have to disclose bank account balances or the assets of spouses and family members. Spouses, in particular, often nominally hold property and other assets acquired in dubious circumstances by government officials, activist groups say.
Sek Borisoth, director of the good governance nongovernmental organisation PACT Cambodia, said staff at the Anticorruption Unit (ACU) would likely be unable to scrutinise closely the many thousands of declarations they will have to process in the coming weeks.
'It's going to be hard, and the ACU also admitted that,' Sek Borisoth said. He added that the declaration process was a good start and could serve as a 'baseline' against which to compare future declarations.
The international corruption watchdog Transparency International identified Cambodia as one of the most corrupt nations in the world last year, ranking the country 154th in its annual governance index. That put Cambodia on a par with countries such as Tajikistan and Guinea-Bissau, with only 15 other nations ranked as more corrupt.
In 2009, the US ambassador to Cambodia said the country loses perhaps 500 million dollars per year to corruption, equivalent to roughly a quarter of the national budget.
12 comments:
i think this is a good start, given none of this kind of approach exist before in cambodia; however, there ought be rules, regulation, ethics law, etc that help to facilitate this transition into our new rule of law way, etc... it is smart and clever and lawful not to use threat toward people in general, ease the transitional into a rule of law society by sorting out and incorporating into the new system and by way of exemption, exceptional clauses, etc, this way, people who had asset going before the law took effect don't have to worry about the new law and its enforcement given the rule of exemption or exception. the new law should take effect immediately and things will be different after the new law in effect, etc... this is a good start for cambodia. of course, there are still a lot of works to be done, be gentle and considerate where there are sensitive areas within the transitional period. that's all for my thought here! god bless cambodia.
សត្វពីងពាងរាយក្រឡាសំណាញ់សម្រាប់ចាប់សត្វល្អិតធ្វើជាចំណីអាហារ សត្វពីងពាងមិនដែលរាយក្រឡាសំណាញ់ចាប់សត្វពីងពាងគ្នាវាស៊ីទេ។
of course, something ought to be exempt, you can't just introduce a new law without some kind of smooth transitional clause, etc, you know. there weren't any law before but there is law now, so, that's the difference. thus, a compromise way must be incorporated into all of this for the sake of a smooth transition without so much disruption to way of life, etc, ok! that's smart and educated! changes are inevitable. things start somewhere, somehow, really! everything is open to question, that's the true, good democracy way, believe it or not!
in cambodia, people ought be educated to understand the before and after the new law take affect, etc... the before is different, thus should get some exemption as there weren't any law then, however, the after is different and the new law should apply immediately! so, understand the before and after scenerios, ok! this way, we all can avoid a lot of he said, she said immature syndrome, really!
This is another jungle law setup to protect all monkeys and kangraroo.
jungle to you only! you failed to see that there are more to cambodia than your glass half empty perception, etc, really! i hope you stay rotten overseas as cambodia don't want people like you corrupting our new law, etc! get lost, ok! bye bye!
TO KOPRY, YAY TEP, RATNA KEO, HENG SOY AND ALL KI TEAMS
-we need mental toughness to be eficiency leader.
-leader should have higher standard.
- he should be capable inlfuent people positively by demostrate himself willing to serve. Must let people know he is there for them so that people will listen and work hard for his command.
- Leader must be strickness and discipline.
He must make it clear betweent punishment and rewards.
Mr. sam rainsy don't have that quality. Mr Sam rainsy,he is very kind, and a significant selfe importance over service, he tend to be peac relax and easy and interest in comfort complacence zone, this will only attract weaker, weaker, and wearker people. he Mr. Sam rainsy is very, very, and very weakness leader. he must prepared to change, yes he must chang himselfe first that the first step to be winner characteristice. sorry if it means to insult you, but every body needs feed back.
cash in the bank is the first asset listed before any other asset in accounting system. if the spouse is not earning any salary where she or he get money to invest in any business.
declaration of asset should include income, expense and how many dependent in that family. whatever is left should be asset or negative asset.
to Phay Siphan,
you have lived in united state long enough to understand what is asset. why don't you teach the anti-government officials the correct way to declare asset.
It a coverup for ccp gover. bullshit I think. They are going after anyone that is not CCP support that have money.
Dear friends,
I do not think that those highly corrupted leaders are stupid to honestly declare all the asset they own. If they do, their CHUMTEAV will oppose them. In Cambodia, in most circumstances the CHUNTEAV rule the family.
Mr. OM YIN TIENG,
Do you believe that you can keep up your good job?
12:56 AM,
I don't think you live in Cambodia right now and I can guarantee that you are of a young generation who has no clue, whatsoever of how these corrupt Cambodian officials can play with the rules they set up to fool people.
Don't be too excited. Just wait and see and I hope you won't be the first person to be disappointed!
i don't think dirty habit comes overnight? if i were you, i wouldn't be so hypocritical about it all, you know! of course, the good people and citizens of cambodia want to see concrete changes and reforms, etc in this dirty habit of individual(s)! it should be about cambodia, not about people's own or personal interest, etc, you know! again, it takes education everybody i.e. the public/people of cambodia and so forth to be aware and understand it, really!
Post a Comment