The Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia has re-elected Van Sou Ieng of PPS as chairman of the country’s largest business association.
In an election held Sunday, manufacturers also re-elected Alex Yang of Tai Yang first deputy chairman and elected former secretary-general Roger Tan of Thai Pore second deputy chairman. The association also chose five newcomers among its 15 executive council members.
A total of 137 of the 197 members cast votes. The council serves two years.
New secretary-generals, treasurers and other committee leaders will be appointed on Thursday, according to the association.
Van Sou Ieng, who has held the chairmanship since the association’s creation in 1996, said Tuesday that he would like to lead the country’s largest industry to a more competitive position in the international market.
“We have very heavy responsibilities to carry out in this year and the next year,” he said, promising to work to ensure the success of a labor monitoring program in cooperation with the International Labor Organization and the US. He also vowed to improve the investment climate to attract more foreign investors and to make the industry more competitive in the region.
“We would like to make sure that workers and managers make coordinated efforts to compete in the export market,” he said.
Van Sou Ieng predicted the coming years would not be easy for Cambodia to sustain continuous growth.
He pointed to signs of economic recessions in the US and other buyer markets, and a negative image of Cambodia’s labor relations in the industry.
“It will be very difficult to fight in the international market,” he said. “We have to correct that image of Cambodia.”
