The Cambodian National Assembly has again rejected proposed freedom of information legislation, according to an article by Kaing Menghun and Cloin Meyn in Cambodia Daily and another, in the Phnom Penh Post.
A leader of the Cambodian Peoples Party called the bill unconstitutional and poorly written, according to the article.
CPP lawmaker Chheang Vun said Jan. 24 that the proposed law was unconstitutional because it would create a judicial body with oversight equal to the Appeal Court and the king, according to the article. He also objected to the cost. The article said:
Because the national budget comes from taxes, that means [the freedom of information regulating body] adds more burden to the people,” Mr. Vun said by way of explanation for rejecting an FOI law.
It was the second time in three years that the government has opposed FOI legislation, according to the article.
The bill was advanced by the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP). According to the Cambodia Daily report, “SRP parliamentarian Yim Sovann, who defended the proposed law during a meeting at the National Assembly on Tuesday, said that opposition lawmakers would have been willing to make concessions to get the law passed, but that Mr. Vun and his ruling party colleagues tossed it out without consideration.”
The article continued:
“If they find weak points, we can agree to make amendments,” said Mr. Sovann. “The problem is not a technical issue. It is a political issue.”
Mr. Vun, however, said that the law was not even worthy of debate.
“The law looks like ordinary text that is translated or written by an individual or organization. It is not formatted correctly and the wording is wrong.” Mr. Vun said.
Mr. Vun suggested that rather than drafting a new FOI law, Information Minister Khieu Kanharith should consider making the government’s 2007 information policy a law.
But according to Mr. Sovann, the government’s information policy has no mechanisms to hold officials accountable for failure to disclose information.
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