- Last Updated on 08 March 2013
- By Stuart White
- Cambodia's
government ranks among the worst in the world in terms of budget
transparency and has shown zero improvement since 2010, according to a
biennial report released by an international transparency group
yesterday.
According to the report from International Budget Partnership, which was presented at a conference by a coalition of NGOs including the NGO Forum and Transparency International Cambodia, the country scored 15 out of a possible 100 points – the same as in 2010 – putting its score between Nigeria and Egypt in a group of countries identified as providing “scant or no information” about their budgets.
The failing grade, the report says, is largely attributable to the Kingdom’s failure to make key budgetary documents – such as draft budgets and audit reports – accurate, useful and available to the public.
“Publishing the [budget] report, making it transparent, is just part of the process,” maintained Transparency International Cambodia Executive Director Preap Kol.
Failing to do so, he said, “may create a question mark as to whether the government has a real will for change”.
Kol also advocated a wait-and-see approach, noting that the 2014 survey “will tell whether the political will is there or not”.
In the meantime, noted In Samrithy of NGO Education Partnership, uncertainty over the budget among teachers was already causing disruptions in the education sector, and Ros Sopheap of Gender and Development for Cambodia similarly cited a dearth of specificity on funding for women-centric issues in the national budget.
According to opposition parliamentarian Son Chhay, Cambodia’s draft budget isn’t even made public to lawmakers outside of a select few in the ruling Cambodian People’s Party.
“No one besides the ruling CPP has a right to know or a right to decide on a yearly budget of the country,” he said, while noting that corruption accounts for hundreds of millions in lost revenue each year.
“We are left in the dark,” he added. “We are representing all the provinces, but we don’t even know what they’re doing in Phnom Penh.”
However, Phenn Rithipol, the bureau chief of the Ministry of Economics and Finance’s Department of Budget, maintained at yesterday’s conference that there was “no secret or reason behind” not publicising budgetary matters, but that there was simply no money with which to do so.
During his remarks, Rithipol allowed that there was “a lack of information sharing,” but urged patience, saying that ministry employees worked a difficult schedule, and were “very busy”.
I am proud of being a Khmer. Sharing knowledge is a significant way to develop our country toward the rule of law and peace.
Sunday 10 March 2013
Cambodia ‘near bottom’ in budget transparency
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
The 2024 Workshops for Foreign Confucius Institute Directors on June 13-21, 2024 at Sichuan Province, China
My sincere thanks and gratitude go to my respectful Rector, H.E. Sok Khorn , and the Chinese Confucius Institute Director, Prof. Yi Yongzhon...
-
Wachira Kigotho 09 May 2014 Issue No:319 Unequal access to university education is likely to persist in most countries globally ...
-
លោកនិពន្ធនាយកជាទីគោរពរាប់អាន! តាម ការពិនិត្យសង្កេតរបស់ខ្ញុំ មានប្រព័ន្ធផ្សព្វផ្សាយជាតិ និងអន្តរជាតិជាច្រើន បានច...
-
ការពិនិត្យមើលផលអាក្រក់កើតចេញពីវប្បធម៌ប៉ែងជើង ឬក្ដិចត្រួយគ្នា ដោយ កែវពេជ្រ មេត្តា 2011-11-03 ទម្លាប់នៃការប...
-
Chambers and Partners - Home 1 Bun & Associates THE FIRM Sources single out this firm as a market leader, highlighting its inc...
-
Combat Journalism: CQR Is reporting on global conflict worth the risk? By Frank Greve Introduction Chr...
-
ព្រះករុណាព្រះបាទសម្តេចព្រះនរោត្តម សីហនុ « ព្រះបរមរតនកោដ្ឋ » បានស្ថាបនាសាកលវិទ្យាល័យភូមិន្ទបាត់ដំបងតាមរយៈ ព្រះរាជក្រឹត្យលេខ ៣៤/៦៨.ប.រ ចុះថ្...
-
By Sam Rany 1. There is a jump in higher education in Cambodia, what do you see from this development? Actually, I o...
-
https://www.box.com/files/0/f/0/1/f_2876428255#/files/0/f/0/1/f_2876428255 International Journal of Higher Education ISSN 1927-...
-
Academic Adjustment Issues in a Malaysian Research University: The Case of Cambodian, Laotian, Burmese, and Vietnamese Postgraduat...
-
https://www.box.com/profile#/profile/183918435/page/1/1/2876421805 International Journal of Learning & Development ISSN 216...
No comments:
Post a Comment