KINGDOM OF CAMBODIANation Religion King
Mr. Jo Scheurer
Country Director
UNDP Cambodia
February 3, 2009
Subject: 3rd Cambodian Economic Forum
Dear Mr. Scheurer,
I strongly regret that the 3rd Cambodian Economic Forum organized by the Supreme National Economic Council in collaboration with the UNDP, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank will not include Members of Parliament at the most critical time when Cambodia must deal with the global economic crisis. I am well aware that the forum is initiated by the government and designed to be a discussion between government officials and policy makers, however the severity of the crisis demands a dialogue of all stakeholders who will sit together at the same table to find sound solutions for the whole nation. I am also aware of the workshop UNDP will organize for Members of Parliament and members of the civil society where experts will release research findings, however the situation requires dialogue with most senior members of the government and not a just a debriefing by experts.
Only today is the public aware of the holding of information on the high rate of inflation by the Minister of Planning prior to the 2008 elections. This lack of transparency hurts Cambodia and maintains a system of governance that can lead to even more disastrous economic, social and political consequences. By being part of such a system, we are all guilty and are accountable to the people of Cambodia who are suffering from not just political manipulation but gross violations of their rights to information and their right to participation. We must not condone such undemocratic practice but it is our responsibility to ensure that barriers to information be lifted at all cost.
The 3rd Cambodian Economic Forum will be of no purpose if it is just a mere occasion to hear speeches and discussions that does not translate into immediate actions against the current economic storm.
Sincerely yours,
(Signed) Sam Rainsy
Sam Rainsy Member of Parliament
cc: Mr. Qimiao Fan
World Bank, Cambodia
Mr. Arjun Goswami
Asian Development Bank Cambodia
I strongly regret that the 3rd Cambodian Economic Forum organized by the Supreme National Economic Council in collaboration with the UNDP, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank will not include Members of Parliament at the most critical time when Cambodia must deal with the global economic crisis. I am well aware that the forum is initiated by the government and designed to be a discussion between government officials and policy makers, however the severity of the crisis demands a dialogue of all stakeholders who will sit together at the same table to find sound solutions for the whole nation. I am also aware of the workshop UNDP will organize for Members of Parliament and members of the civil society where experts will release research findings, however the situation requires dialogue with most senior members of the government and not a just a debriefing by experts.
Only today is the public aware of the holding of information on the high rate of inflation by the Minister of Planning prior to the 2008 elections. This lack of transparency hurts Cambodia and maintains a system of governance that can lead to even more disastrous economic, social and political consequences. By being part of such a system, we are all guilty and are accountable to the people of Cambodia who are suffering from not just political manipulation but gross violations of their rights to information and their right to participation. We must not condone such undemocratic practice but it is our responsibility to ensure that barriers to information be lifted at all cost.
The 3rd Cambodian Economic Forum will be of no purpose if it is just a mere occasion to hear speeches and discussions that does not translate into immediate actions against the current economic storm.
Sincerely yours,
(Signed) Sam Rainsy
Sam Rainsy Member of Parliament
cc: Mr. Qimiao Fan
World Bank, Cambodia
Mr. Arjun Goswami
Asian Development Bank Cambodia
