Campaign to get a million signatures against corruption
A national campaign has been launched by 11 NGOs to gather a million signatures from Cambodian citizens in an appeal for the nation’s leadership to adopt the nation’s draft anti-corruption law. So far about 500,000 signatures from citizens in 19 of Cambodia’s 24 provinces have been collected, local media reported.
According to a report issued January 22 by Pact, the NGO providing financial support to the campaign, in some areas local authorities cooperated with teamwork of the campaign, but in some other places local authorities refused to help and even prohibited the campaign, VOD broadcast January 23.
Corruption is responsible for the loss of around US$320 million in state revenues each year, which contributes to the nation’s poverty, said US Ambassador to Cambodia Joseph A. Mussomeli while attending the campaign in Kratie province on January 22, Radio Free Asia broadcast on January 23.
He also encouraged the Cambodian government to adopt the law as soon as possible, reported Kampuchea Thmey January 25.
“I hope in the next 2 or 3 years the anti-corruption law will be adopted and put into practice. After the adoption, I think that there will be no more corruption.
I think the campaign to collect people’s signatures or thumbprints is important,” said the ambassador, adding that the law needs the political will of the Government to be successful in eliminating corruption, reported Rasmei Kampuchea January 26.
Information Minister Khieu Kanharith claimed that corruption takes place everywhere in the world, even in the US.
However, he also recognized that some corruption really exists in the Kingdom, VOD broadcast.
(Source: Corruption Monitor Bulletin, Issue 3, February 2008)