By Ky Soklim
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French
A MP from the ruling party found the rationing as a mean to finance the increased military budget for the 2009 fiscal year.
Cheam Yeap, the CPP MP and chairman of the National Assembly committee for economy and finance, proposed to the government to reduce certain “non necessary” expenses in order to increase the country’s security.
“We must decrease the cost of gasoline and telephone usage in other ministries in order to increase the budget for the Defense and the Interior,” Cheam Yeap said on Thursday 20 November during a forum on the 2009 budget which was attended by MPs and civil society representatives.
Cheam Yeap indicated that Hun Sen has the right to rearrange the budget in order to assure the country’s defense. He also said that some of the weapons used by Cambodia are out of date, before quoting: “to have peace, we must prepare for war.”
This is nothing new, since the conflict started between Thailand and Cambodia, the Cambodian government plans on increasing the national security spending.
The 2009 budget plan will be brought to debate on the floor of the National Assembly which was elected in July of this year. The total budget planned amounts to close to $1.8 billion, i.e. an increase of 28% from the 2008 budget. In this budget, the defense spending is increased by 60% because of salary increase for soldiers and police officers.
Cheang Vun, another CPP MP and chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs committee, supported this budget increase. However, he hoped that the government will not set aside the agriculture sector which encompasses many of the poorest people in the kingdom.
Cheam Yeap, the CPP MP and chairman of the National Assembly committee for economy and finance, proposed to the government to reduce certain “non necessary” expenses in order to increase the country’s security.
“We must decrease the cost of gasoline and telephone usage in other ministries in order to increase the budget for the Defense and the Interior,” Cheam Yeap said on Thursday 20 November during a forum on the 2009 budget which was attended by MPs and civil society representatives.
Cheam Yeap indicated that Hun Sen has the right to rearrange the budget in order to assure the country’s defense. He also said that some of the weapons used by Cambodia are out of date, before quoting: “to have peace, we must prepare for war.”
This is nothing new, since the conflict started between Thailand and Cambodia, the Cambodian government plans on increasing the national security spending.
The 2009 budget plan will be brought to debate on the floor of the National Assembly which was elected in July of this year. The total budget planned amounts to close to $1.8 billion, i.e. an increase of 28% from the 2008 budget. In this budget, the defense spending is increased by 60% because of salary increase for soldiers and police officers.
Cheang Vun, another CPP MP and chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs committee, supported this budget increase. However, he hoped that the government will not set aside the agriculture sector which encompasses many of the poorest people in the kingdom.
