World sees little return on billions in Cambodia aid
Aid donors pledged US$601 million yesterday to help support Cambodia's development this year, bringing the amount foreign governments and international organisations have poured into the impoverished nation over the past 15 years to more than US$7.5 billion.
But there are growing doubts about the sincerity of Cambodia's leaders and their efforts to embrace democracy, with critics saying the goodwill of the international community has borne little fruit since the UN peacekeeping mission in 1991 and the first democratic election in 1993.
The failure to uphold the rule of law and create an independent court system; encourage free speech and a proper opposition, or crackdown on corruption is evident in the frustrations of many Cambodians.
'We have the rule of law but there is a lack of enforcement,' said Lay Sihorn, 48, a jeweller.
Taxi driver Ben Phirum, 41, said the judicial system remained weak and noted false charges were often brought against individuals, who were forced to pay bribes to be released. 'We need to stop the violence and the fake arrests,' he said.
Human rights groups had lobbied the foreign donors ahead of yesterday's meeting about the country's lack of good governance.
Basil Fernando, executive director of the Asian Human Rights Commission, in particular was critical of Prime Minister Hun Sen's use of criminal defamation law to silence his critics.
He said it was 'part of an attempt by the prime minister to consolidate absolute power in the country, in violation of the Cambodian constitution, which declares Cambodia as being a liberal democracy'.
'We know ... 14 years is not enough time to build a liberal democracy but there should be signs of a strong commitment to achieving it. Instead we are seeing the country going backwards more and more.' Mr Fernando said donors needed to pressure the Cambodian government to honour its commitments, especially in developing an independent judicial system. Cynicism about the democratic process heightened after the Cambodian government decided to release in January four human rights activists and also restore the parliamentary immunity of opposition party leader Sam Rainsy, just ahead of the foreign donors' meeting.
Sam Rainsy, a long-time foe of the prime minister, fled to France after being charged with defaming Cambodia's leader and was given an 18-month jail sentence in absentia. Last month, Sam Rainsy retracted his long-held claim that the prime minister was behind a grenade attack in 1997 against his party. In return, the opposition leader received a royal pardon on his jail sentence.
Hun Sen declared the reconciliation with Sam Rainsy was the 'best day in the history of the democratic process' since the elections in 1993.
Pen Mengleang, who runs a business selling plastic flowers, said: 'If there is a chance of reconciliation and peace between the political parties then I think the country and the people will prosper.'
For many Cambodians democracy is measured against the once violent and bloody rule of the Khmer Rouge that resulted in the deaths of 1.7 million people between 1975 and 1979. In that context there are many who are reluctant to criticise the progress of fragile democracy in the tiny nation.
