20 April 2008By Uk Sav Borey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
On 18 April, the Sam Rainsy Party asked the CPP party president to organize a plenary session of the National Assembly (NA) to discuss and ratify important laws, including the anti-corruption law, the peaceful demonstration law, and the amendment to the general election.
Eng Chhai Eang, SRP Secretary-general, said that this request was made because the National Assembly closed its door for several months, whereas Cambodia needs these important law: “We want a NA meeting … for important laws, such as the anti-corruption law, the right to demonstrate law. The NA is closed for several months, (but) it should ratify these laws (instead).”
In response to the SRP request, Cheam Yeap, a CPP MP and member of the CPP permanent committee, said that the anti-corruption law is still in the government hand, and it was not submitted to the NA for review yet since the law is lacking in many points and the government is still thinking about it.
Cheam Yeap said: “Therefore, we want legal goals in (conformance with) the new criminal law which is (still) in the government’s hand. We have to wait for the criminal law to come out so that the anti-corruption law can come out at the same time, just as it is prescribed in the law.”
Cheam Yeap added that, regarding the amendment to the election law, the government has decided to stay with the current law. He said that there were 2 amendments made already: once in 1998 and once in 2003, so the law is preserved for the NEC to work under the framework of this (current) law.
Regarding the peaceful anti-demonstration law, Cheam Yeap said: “Regarding demonstrations, nobody takes responsibility for them, such as the demonstration against the Thai embassy and Thai companies in Cambodia, the government had to pay back more than $50 million.”
Yang Kim Eng, director of the People Center for Development and Peace, said that the SRP is correct in requesting the CPP for the NA to hold its session to review these important laws which are much needed by the government. He said that the anti-corruption law was dragged along for many years, and it was not presented to the NA for review and adoption, meanwhile the general public fall victim to this corruption which is taking place.
Recently, an anti-corruption coalition of civil society organizations in Cambodia, regrouping about 40 organizations, plans to send, in May, a petition thumbprinted by almost 1 million people, to ask that the new government formed after the 2008 election to speed up the adoption of the anti-corruption law, because this law has been blocked for a decade long already.
Eng Chhai Eang, SRP Secretary-general, said that this request was made because the National Assembly closed its door for several months, whereas Cambodia needs these important law: “We want a NA meeting … for important laws, such as the anti-corruption law, the right to demonstrate law. The NA is closed for several months, (but) it should ratify these laws (instead).”
In response to the SRP request, Cheam Yeap, a CPP MP and member of the CPP permanent committee, said that the anti-corruption law is still in the government hand, and it was not submitted to the NA for review yet since the law is lacking in many points and the government is still thinking about it.
Cheam Yeap said: “Therefore, we want legal goals in (conformance with) the new criminal law which is (still) in the government’s hand. We have to wait for the criminal law to come out so that the anti-corruption law can come out at the same time, just as it is prescribed in the law.”
Cheam Yeap added that, regarding the amendment to the election law, the government has decided to stay with the current law. He said that there were 2 amendments made already: once in 1998 and once in 2003, so the law is preserved for the NEC to work under the framework of this (current) law.
Regarding the peaceful anti-demonstration law, Cheam Yeap said: “Regarding demonstrations, nobody takes responsibility for them, such as the demonstration against the Thai embassy and Thai companies in Cambodia, the government had to pay back more than $50 million.”
Yang Kim Eng, director of the People Center for Development and Peace, said that the SRP is correct in requesting the CPP for the NA to hold its session to review these important laws which are much needed by the government. He said that the anti-corruption law was dragged along for many years, and it was not presented to the NA for review and adoption, meanwhile the general public fall victim to this corruption which is taking place.
Recently, an anti-corruption coalition of civil society organizations in Cambodia, regrouping about 40 organizations, plans to send, in May, a petition thumbprinted by almost 1 million people, to ask that the new government formed after the 2008 election to speed up the adoption of the anti-corruption law, because this law has been blocked for a decade long already.
