The Committee for Free and Fair Elections will set up public forums across the country to encourage commune councilors and the public to cooperate in a collective effort to develop their communities, a Comfrel official said Wednesday.
“Through the public forum, we will offer people a chance to remind commune councilors of the promises they made before the elections, and about other problems the communities face,” Comfrel Director Koul Panha said.
The first discussions will take place in 25 communes of 10 municipalities and provinces this Sunday and will be held again after the July elections, Koul Panha said.
Although public forums are still a novelty, he said he hopes commune councilors will recognize the importance of a free exchange of ideas and will take the initiative to be more attentive to community needs.
Leng Vy, the Ministry of Interior’s Department of Local Administration director, praised Comfrel’s idea but said the committee should have asked for permission from his department before confirming its plans.
“Commune councilors will require permission from the Ministry of Interior [to participate]. If Comfrel doesn’t have [it], I am afraid the commune councilors won’t agree,” Leng Vy said.
He said commune councilors have not set up public forums on their own because they are new to their positions and the Interior Ministry has not offered them enough direction.
Leng Vy said 506 of 1,621 communes receive up to $10,000 in government funding every year.
