Thursday, October 30, 2008

“From A Big Head And Small Body To Skinny, Will It Get Disease Soon?”


Referring to the article on the Cambodia Daily on “Gov’t Seeks Big Increase in Defense Spending” on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008, p. 25. The government is seeking to increase in 2009 more then two third lager than last years’s budget $300 millions for Defense Ministry.

I am so concerned for social-welfare which will get worse soon. As early this month government approved the increase in a large number of government cabinet that spends a lots of national budget for them. At the moment, government has proposed to the national assembly to approve the budget increment for Ministry of Defense. On the other hand, how much the government would pay more for a dozen of government’s advisors including new appointed advisors? As well as the NA’s and the Senate’s advisors? Whereas Social Affairs, Education and Health Ministries always expended lower then the national budget projection and civil servants' salary is still very low, how will the government achieve its Cambodian Millennium Development Goals in 2015? Will the government increase the amount of budget proposal to submit to the donors for more budgets too to address these issues?

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I see your point, and your concern, Soprach. It is evident that a request for a larger 'piece of the pie' for defense and military spending means a smaller 'piece of the pie' for social, education, and health programs and ministries. I would a have to assume that defense programs and budgets are relatively independent of the influence of foreign donor involvement, which suggests to me that more money allocated to defense and military would only serve to perpetuate, if not deepen, the corruption that already gives police and ministry officials too much power, and more incentive to abuse it.