Days before the national election, candidates from the three major parties have started passing blame for the country’s flagging economy.
“More people are jobless now than when Prince Norodom Ranariddh was co-prime minister,” Funcinpec candidate and Finance Ministry Secretary of State Kong Vibol told the pro-royalist FM 90 on Friday.
Instead of giving investors confidence, Kong Vibol charged, Hun Sen’s government has created obstacles for investors including high transportation fees and increased corruption since a “coup d’etat” ousted then-first prime minister Prince Ranariddh in 1997.
“Investors do not believe that the government could provide safety,” Kong Vibol told FM 90. “No investors from Japan or the US are here since 1997.”
The nation will face big trouble if it cannot provide 200,000 jobs per year to both graduating university students and unskilled workers, he said. When Prince Ranariddh co-led the kingdom in the early 1990s, Kong Vibol said, 314,039 garment jobs were created.
“If the prince had the chance to lead the country a full period of five years, I believe he could create 1 million jobs,” Kong Vibol said.
Kong Vibol also claimed that the government has lost $200 million in tax revenue per year due to corruption, saying that the customs tax alone lost $120 million.
In response to Kong Vibol’s accusations, CPP Finance Ministry Undersecretary of State Ngy Tayi said that Kong Vibol is in charge of collecting tax revenue.
“If there is any lost revenue from taxes, Kong Vibol may be the person who kept it in his pocket because he is in charge of tax collection,” Ngy Tayi said. “With five years in the government, if there is anything wrong, he is the first man who is responsible.”
Hun Sen’s government has invested millions of dollars in basic infrastructure, Ngy Tayi said, such as roads, bridges, water canals and schools. “Without roads, how do investors transport goods?” Ngy Tayi asked.
In the radio interview, Kong Vibol also took aim at Sam Rainsy, saying that he drove investors out of Cambodia and into Vietnam.
“He gained political interest from workers, but Sam Rainsy never responded to workers who lost their jobs when the factories closed their doors,” he said. “Sam Rainsy never ever brought a single factory to Cambodia, but destroyed the jobs of the people.”
While Sam Rainsy destroyed the rice pot of the workers, Kong Vibol said, Prince Ranariddh gave the people jobs.
Sam Rainsy lawmaker Son Chhay responded by saying Kong Vibol is unskilled when dealing with the economy.
“What we have done was to protect our workers,” Son Chhay said. “We forced employers to respect labor laws and promote good working conditions. I have never seen any Funcinpec officials protect any workers.”
The US purchases more garments from Cambodia if the working conditions are good, Son Chhay said. He said the Sam Rainsy Party has selected 200 Cambodian economists to work with the party if it wins the election.
“Our team is not taxi drivers like members of Funcinpec,” Son Chhay said.
