Moving Forward with Reforms

By William E. Todd, U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia

This week, I am very glad to be back in Cambodia after spending some time in the United States, where I had the opportunity to speak about Cambodia’s growing economy and the opportunities for business and investment here.  During my trip, I was also following events in the National Assembly and the efforts of Cambodia’s elected leaders to finalize critical electoral reforms and lay the groundwork for continued development.  My readers are also focused on these events.  Sotheara from Kampot wrote me to ask, “With the National Assembly fully seated and going about its work, what is the next step for Cambodia?”

As tough as the road has been to this point, forming a National Assembly was actually the easy part.  Now the two leading parties have to figure out a way to work together to address issues that matter to the Cambodian people.  There have been some positive developments on this front in recent weeks.  Several Ministers – including the Minister of Education, Youth and Sport; the Minister of Health; and the Minister of Cults and Religion – have demonstrated their commitment to the democratic process by meeting with parliamentary commissions in the National Assembly to provide information and answer questions.  In the United States, one of the most important duties of our Congress is to provide oversight of the executive branch.  I know this from experience – I have been called to appear before the U.S. Senate on two occasions as part of the process of becoming an Ambassador.   The Cambodian National Assembly can and should play a similar role, and government officials should continue to embrace the important responsibility of answering to the people through the legislature.

I believe that the initial signs of inter-party cooperation we are seeing in the National Assembly are giving the Cambodian people greater confidence that the democratic process can be effective and will benefit them in their daily lives.  The new dynamic in the parliament is promoting constructive dissent and more deliberation on important issues, which in turn draws more interest and engagement from the public.  These trends are incredibly important.  Democracy thrives when issues are deliberated publicly and the people are engaged in what their elected leaders are doing.

Improved communication between the CPP and CNRP brings increased expectations that they will work together on important reforms on behalf of the Cambodian people.  Of primary importance is achieving meaningful resolution on the reform of the National Election Committee (NEC).   

NEC reform is the first significant issue that the new National Assembly is facing, and how the reform is handled will have a profound impact on the Assembly’s ability to work together on other matters.  If the two parties can agree on NEC reform, it will pave the way for collaboration on other issues that the Cambodian people want the government to address, including labor rights, land issues, and opening up the media.  If NEC reform does not happen, it will make it all that much harder to find common ground in other areas.

Over the past several months, the Royal Government has demonstrated that reform is possible by making slow but steady progress in key areas such as education, health, and environment.  Continued efforts to improve education are critical as Cambodia approaches ASEAN Economic Integration in 2015.  In this column, I wrote recently about important reforms being tackled by the Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sport, including cracking down on corruption in the National Exam and improving teacher pay.  Preparing young Cambodian leaders for success is a key objective for the Cambodian government and is also a top priority of the U.S. Embassy.   

Important reforms in the health sector have also been moving forward.  With commitment from the Prime Minister, a few years ago the Ministry of Health rolled out the Health Equity Fund to cover health care costs for a significant proportion of the identified poor, with costs shared between the government (40 percent) and donors (60 percent).  This roll-out was an important step toward a broader vision for expanded health care coverage for Cambodians.  I look forward to seeing the Ministry of Health expand the range of services covered by the Health Equity Fund, including by extending the program to the near-poor and increasing the government’s share of funding.

The Ministry of Health has also taken ambitious steps to reduce maternal mortality – an effort supported by USAID’s robust maternal and child health program.  One important reform was the Ministry of Health’s midwife incentive policy, instituted to encourage midwives to deliver babies in medical facilities.  Since this program was introduced six years ago, substantially more women have chosen to deliver in health centers rather than at home, reducing risks of complications for both mother and newborn.  To build upon these successful reforms, next steps should include continuing to improve the quality of services at the health facilities, stepping up efforts to address neonatal mortality, and improving the Ministry’s procurement and financial systems to reduce corruption and increase efficiency.

On the subject of environment, the Minister of Environment is looking to streamline the Ministry's organizational structure and staffing.  He has identified top priorities including protecting biodiversity, improving Cambodia's environmental legal framework, monitoring land concessions, and stopping deforestation.  The Ministry is conducting a public participation process to spread understanding about the draft law on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).  When enacted, the EIA will serve as an important guide for investors, businesses, and communities to protect Cambodia's natural resources for future generations.

As you can see, important progress is happening in Cambodia, but building on the momentum of reforms in education, health, and the environment will not be possible until electoral reform is completed.  This critical step for democratic development requires continued attention and compromise.  The hard work will be worth it, though, as electoral reform will open the door to even more initiatives that will benefit the Cambodian people and inspire greater confidence in government.

Thank you very much for this opportunity to answer your important questions.  Please continue to send me questions at AskAMBToddPP@state.gov and leave comments on my blog at http://blogs.usembassy.gov/todd. 

 

William E. Todd is U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia.