Drivers, Vendors Fed Up With Corruption
By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
09 May 2008
About 100 Cambodians, from motorcycle taxi and tuk-tuk drivers,
vendors and politicians, met in a public forum Friday, urging the end
of graft and the passage of anti-corruption legislation.
Representatives from Funcinpec, Norodom Ranariddh Party and Human
Rights parties joined drivers, vendors and others in a forum sponsored
by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights.
=93Sellers always suffer, because bad officials confiscate their goods
and demand their money,=94 complained Von Pov, president of the
Independent Democracy of Informal Economy Association.
Motorcycle taxi driver Sem Somanthorn urged Cambodians to stop voting
for the ruling Cambodian People=92s Party if the anti-corruption law
cannot be passed.
=93If your political party wins the election, will it make an anti-
corruption law?=94 driver Kim Sophan asked the party representatives.
=93And if you were to be prime minister, would you dare to step down if
the anti-corruption law could not be done?=94
Funcinpec parliamentarian Khieu San told those gathered at the forum
that even though Cambodia does not have an anti-corruption law,
Cambodian law can still punish those who commit corruption, and many
such people have already been imprisoned.
The Coalition of Civil Society Against Corruption said Friday more
than one million Cambodians have signed a petition to push for the
approval of the anti-corruption law.
Justice Minister Ang Vong Wathana could not be reached for comment
Friday.
CPP lawmaker Cheam Yiep said Friday Prime Minister Hun Sen has often
pushed for the passage of the law. The CPP is able to safeguard people
throughout the country and bring economic development, he added.
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