Spokesman Says 10 Removed F’pec Officials Re-Appointed

Ten Funcinpec officials, including four recently removed from their posts for lacking adequate qualifications, have been re-appointed as dep­uty governors of Phnom Penh, Pailin Municipality and eight prov­in­ces, Funcinpec spokesman Nouv So­vathero said Monday.

Four of the 10 were among 43 Fun­cinpec officials removed from their posts shortly after the Khmer New Year in April and were supposed to attend a six-month training course in government administration. The remaining six were re­moved from other government jobs, Nouv Sovathero said.

“They have enough ability that the government accepted them back,” Nouv Sovathero said in ex­plaining why they did not attend the training course.

Prime Minister Hun Sen ap­proved the re-appointments on May 18, he added.

Uo Bun, Funcinpec’s former dep­u­ty governor of Kompong Speu province, was appointed a deputy governor of Phnom Penh, and Chan Sam An, former deputy governor of Kep Municipality, was ap­point­ed deputy governor of Siem Reap prov­ince, Nouv Sovathero said.

Funcinpec officials who are still in training at the Royal School of Ad­ministration will eventually be given other positions, as agreed during an April 11 meeting between Fun­cin­pec and the CPP, Nouv Sovathero said. Koul Panha, director of the Com­mittee for Free and Fair Elections, said the re-appointments indicate that the CPP is more interested in flexing its control over Funcinpec of­ficials than removing incompetent officials.

“It’s not a matter of skills, it’s a mat­ter of political intention. [CPP officials] wants to show that they are preserving the coalition, but they give Funcinpec officials no decision-making power,” he said. “I think the CPP wanted to show their political power and control.”

Government spokesman and Min­ister of Information Khieu Kan­ha­rith said the re-appointments were a concession to Funcinpec, and a demonstration that the coalition agreement remains strong.

“The appointments were in re­sponse to requests from Funcin­pec’s leadership,” he said.

 

 

Related Stories

Latest News