Sam Rainsy during the commune election campaign (Photo: Cambodge Soir)
Tuesday, May 15, 2007By Duong sokha
Cambodge SoirUnofficial Translation from French by Tola EkStarting from 01 June, the SRP will pay each month, $25 to its commune chiefs, thereby doubling their current salaries. This measure aims at turning these local elected officials into “clean and exemplary” officials by helping them resist the temptations.
The SRP decided to provide help to its 28 commune chiefs in order to help them avoid any temptations. Starting from 01 June, the SRP will pay them 100,000 riels ($25) each per month, this in effect will double these village chiefs’ current salary. Sam Rainsy explained this action as the party desire to turn the SRP communes into “clean and exemplary communes,” i.e., the SRP hopes to keep them incorruptible.
As expected, the news was welcomed by the party members. Touch Meng Sreang, the Boeng Salang Sangkat chief in Phnom Penh, did not hear about this news yet: “That’s good. This will encourage us. But, we were already working to the maximum during the last mandate,” Touch Meng Sreang said while insisting that he was re-elected because of his previous “results.” The SRP generosity does not bring smile to the CPP. When he learnt about this news, Sok El, the Ka Kap Sangkat chief in Phnom Penh, said tersely: “Good for them. I am not jealous and I will not ask anything form my party,” he confessed. Nevertheless, he is not doing well with his $25 monthly salary: his wife who works in the field, and his children who take care a small shop at home, help him make ends meet in the family.
“Partisan” logic
The SRP bonus also created irritations at the Ministry of Interior. Sak Setha, the general director of the administration in charge of decentralization, denounces this partisan logic which does not serve the general interest: “If he really has a big heart, why doesn’t he give money to all the commune chiefs in the country? This is a partisan tactic. This is only a personal subsidy, not a development strategy to the service of the general interest,” he said. According to Sak Setha, the State dedicates each month more than $1 million in salary to the commune councilors. “It the economy is developed, we can eventually increase their salaries,” he slipped.
Beyong the goal it was aiming at – fighting against corruption – the SRP gesture seems to be welcomed because it comes at a time when the Prime Minister recently announced that the salaries of public servants would be increased starting next year by 25%. The SRP measure will cost this party only $700 per month in order to double the salary of 28 commune chiefs. If the CPP, which counts 1591 commune chiefs, were to imitate the SRP, it would cost no less than $39,000 each month. If the State were to decide to double the salaries of all the 1,621 commune chiefs in the country, it would have to pay $40,500 extra per month.
Irrespective of the amount of money spent, Kul Panha, the executive director of Comfrel, believes that it would be better if the SRP intervenes with the Ministry of interior to ask for an increase of salary for all the commune councilors, irrespective of their party affiliations. “The fact that a political party pays directly its commune councilors, this could make people think that these councilors are under its tutelage,” Kul Panha said with regret. Nevertheless, he remembers that the SRP promised during the election campaign that its commune councilors would not accept bribes during the exercise of the mandate. “The increase of the commune chiefs’ salary is maybe one way to assure that this promise will be fulfilled,” he said.
