Corruption
in Cambodia
I am sure
all of us are aware that the latest Corruption Perception Index by Transparency
International's 2013 scored Cambodia at 20 points, which "0" means
that a country is perceived as highly corrupt and "100" means it is perceived
as very clean. This index translates
that our country takes the honor of being named the "highly corrupt
country." In fact, Cambodia was ranked 160 out of 175 listed countries
in 2013 a fall from three places from its 2012 ranking of 157 (http://cpi.transparency.org/cpi2013/results/). Regionally speaking, we are the worst among
ASEAN Ten Member States. Once again, we are on the map for becoming famous as
one of the most corrupt country in the world.
So what
happens here? We don't need a rocket scientist to explain this.
Just look around us everyday, our country is engrained with corruption
and political patronage (see my article:
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/opinion/cambodia-is-ingrained-with-corruption-political-patronage-32120/).
Corruption has become a cancer in Cambodian society. It is widespread
everywhere and at all levels, in schools, courts, hospitals, public and private
services,.. "The big eats big, the small eats small." Weak
institutions, governance, poor business climate (lack of partiality and
predictability), poverty, class inequality, injustice and immorality are some the
breeding ground for corruption. Too many
people across the country are still living in extreme poverty and the economic
growth is not inclusive.
So what
is the solution? Let’s be truthful and blunt.
In Cambodia, the most common cause of corruption is believed to be a
combination of enormous discretion and low accountability. There comes a
time when we have to accept that the system is not working despite the passage
of anti-corruption law in 2010 and a special unit to deal with this problem.
The government has promised repeatedly to stamp out corruption but the report
shows that all the pledges are not back up by effective actions. Concrete actions are needed more than words of
wisdom and empty promises to tackle this contagious vice. Strengthening good
governance and applying rule of law in leadership and state governance as well
as maintaining integrity and providing justice are the remedy to fight
corruption. Giving ALL civil
servants a living wage will improve their corrupt behavior and preventing them
from taking bribes. The prosperity in Cambodia must be inclusive by providing opportunities
for all and not only to the well-connected officials and elites. Developing public awareness and providing
quality education will also help improve the value of honesty and personal
integrity. Gandhi offers a solution as
well, "Be the change you wish to see in the world (Cambodia)."
To move
forward, I would like to end by quoting Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency
International, " It is time to
stop those who get away with acts of corruption. The legal loopholes and lack
of political will in government facilitate both domestic and cross-border
corruption, and call for our intensified efforts to combat the impunity of the
corrupt.”
Let's
hope that Cambodia will do better next year with another promise made by our Prime Minister Hun Sen to eliminate
corruption (Prime Minister Hun Sen’s speech on September 2013) by carrying out the
deep institutional reforms.
