An official on Wednesday tried to downplay a controversial pay hike in the National Assembly that was approved by Prime Minister Hun Sen, saying the extra money will only be used for lawmakers to visit their constituents and will only span six months.
The official, deputy chairman of the Assembly’s Finance Commission Kuoch Ky, defended the measure, while most other high-ranking officials have refused to discuss it.
Earlier this week, an opposition party member and a senior Finance Ministry official said the raise would last through 2003, providing enough $600 installments to eventually purchase a car. Kuoch Ky (Fun) tempered their statements by saying the raise would only pay for travel expenses, but he declined to provide a copy of the document signed by Hun Sen on Friday.
He also vigorously denied critics’ accusations that the raise was a preemptive move to soften lawmakers on important upcoming legislation.
“This is completely false, because we have been asking for [this raise] for a very long time,” he said. He added that since late last year, the Assembly was denied successive requests for a free car, the resumption of duty-free vehicle purchasing privileges and a $1,000 raise.
Kuoch Ky defended Hun Sen’s support of the raise and argued the $600 was actually inadequate to meet most lawmakers’ monthly travel needs.
He also expressed some doubt the raise would motivate all lawmakers to visit their constituents, adding that some “never go…. They’re lazy.”
He said the 12 Assembly members representing Phnom Penh—four each from CPP, Funcinpec and the Sam Rainsy Party—would have few expenses to shoulder, while lawmakers representing remote provinces might easily pay $600 for just one visit.
Of these inequities, Kuoch Ky said, “Fairness and justice never happens in the world….There must be rich and poor, undeveloped and developed, poor cities and wealthy cities.”
Despite Kuoch Ky’s attempt to justify the pay raise, a number of government officials Wednesday criticized the salary increase.
Chhy Yiheang, government adviser and philosophy dean at the University of Phnom Penh, said the government, the National Assembly and the Senate all want the nation to improve but criticized the disparity between lawmakers’ and civil servants’ salaries.
He said civil servants had expected their salaries to match lawmaker’s inflating figures this year, but with the newest raise, “Civil servants are completely hopeless today.”
Other critics could not discount the idea the raises are payoffs.
Opposition lawmaker Son Chhay cautioned against taking the ruling CPP’s wealth lightly. “The bonus will make an impression on every lawmaker,” he said.
(Additional reporting by Thet Sambath)
