VOLUME 1, ISSUE 1
NEWSLETTER
APRIL-SEPTEMBER 2013
TI Cambodia Organises Anti-Corruption Pledge Signing Ceremony Ahead of Cambodia’s 2013 national elections, political parties called for an end to nepotism, abuse of public power and neglect of rule of law. On 12 June 2013, six out of the eight political parties who contested Cambodia’s July elections came together to sign a political pledge that signified their commitment to fight corruption and social injustice.
Party, Khmer Anti-Poverty Party and Khmer Economic Development Party. The ruling Cambodian People’s Party and the Cambodian Nationality Party declined the invitation to participate.
The event – hosted by Transparency International Cambodia (TI Cambodia) and the TI Secretariat – was attended by representatives from the Cambodian National Rescue Party, FUNCINPEC Party, League for Democracy Party, Republican Democracy
Delegates from 26 TI chapters located in the Asia Pacific were present to witness the pledge signing ceremony along with diplomats, development partners, civil society organisations and Cambodian youth.
“We have seen many political leaders stand up today and commit to the fight against corruption. We now invite the people to stand together with their leaders to fight this corrosive problem across the country and to hold politicians accountable.” - Kol Preap, TI Cambodia Executive Director
TI Cambodia Publishes Report on Cambodia’s 2013 National Election On 19 September 2013, TI Cambodia published its election monitoring report entitled—Final Election Observation Report on Cambodia’s 2013 National Election. During the elections, TI Cambodia deployed 906 nonpartisan observers to conduct a Sample-Based Observation. The representative sample consisted of 409
polling stations across 24 Cambodian provinces and municipalities. Based on the high level of irregularities witnessed on Election Day, TI Cambodia cannot express with confidence that the outcome of the election accurately reflects the will of the Cambodian people and has called for an independent investigation.
Launch of Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre TI Cambodia has established the Advocacy and Legal Advice Centre (ALAC) to empower citizens to pursue corruption related complaints and speak up against corruption. The centre provides free legal advice and assistance to victims and witnesses of corruption, supports citizens with corruptionrelated complaints, undertakes advocacy for broader reform and gives citizens a voice to fight against corruption more effectively. ALAC plays a significant facilitation role by referring relevant cases to the Anti-Corruption Unit of the Royal Government of Cambodia and other partners for effective solutions and intervention.
Driven by TI chapters around the world and supported by the TI Secretariat in Berlin, ALAC’s are fully operational in over 70 countries. Since the launching of ALAC on 20 September 2013, the team has advised a total of 23 cases. To file a complaint, citizens can reach the ALAC hotline by dialling 1292 or 7777. The ALAC team can also be reached by email at alac@ticambodia.org.
National Integrity System Assessment TI Cambodia’s Research and Advocacy Team has completed the 13 pillar draft reports of the National Integrity System Assessment (NISA). The NISA offers an evaluation of the principle institutions of governance responsible for enhancing integrity and preventing corruption in Cambodia. The information gathered will enable TI Cambodia to contextualise the performance of different sectors of Cambodian society with regard to their abilities to support just and democratic rule. When drafting the 13 pillar reports, the research team incorporated information attained by over 80 interviews. The interviews were conducted with senior staff members from the assessed institutions as well as
members of the media, civil society, academia and the donor community. In addition, extensive legal analysis and desk research — drawing on multiple reports, newspaper articles, journals, books and online sources — were also incorporated. The team has kept a close eye on political developments to ensure that the most up-to-date information is incorporated into the analysis. The full draft will be sent to the TI Secretariat and the NISA Advisory Group for reviews and comments. The final report is expected to be published in March 2014
Partnership and Coalition Building Combating corruption requires not only political will, but also the collective engagement of all relevant stakeholders. By building an anti-corruption network across the nation, we can collectively take action against corruption and advocate for legal reform. TI Cambodia is currently working closely with the Access to Information Working Group to advocate for the National Assembly to pass and implement a Right to Information law. Furthermore, TI Cambodia is pleased to announce that it has signed Memorandums of Understanding with the following organisations: Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC): 21 May 2013 Coalition for Integrity and Social Accountability (CISA): 25 January 2013 Cooperation Committee of Cambodia (CCC): 1 March 2013 Destination Justice: 30 September 2013 Khmer Youth Association (KYA): 27 September 2013
Youth Engagement Activities Second Youth Camp on “Youth Empowerment for Transparency and Integrity” (YETI)
accountability, better governance, and a corruption free society from their leaders. With the knowledge gained, young Cambodians attending the forum were encouraged to take the future into their own hands and foster changes in their youth groups, schools, families and communities.
From 10-14 May 2013, TI Cambodia was pleased to host its second youth camp in Kampong Cham Province. During the camp, over 70 youths from nine different provinces were educated about integrity, transparency and anti-corruption. International Youth Day Following the youth camp, the participants initiated eight projects to promote transparency and integrity within their own communities. The projects were funded by TI Cambodia and attended by a total of 1,934 youths.
On 12 August 2013, 394 youths participated in International Youth Day. The event was held at Panha Chiet University and was broadcasted to the public by Radio Free Asia, Radio France International, Radio Australia and Hang Meas TV.
Youth Forum TI Cambodia engaged over 500 youths in the fight against corruption by hosting a youth forum at Chaktomuk Theatre in Phnom Penh on 11 June 2013. The 535 youths in attendance hailed from 18 different provinces in Cambodia. During the forum, youth received training on how to recognize corruption and learned about the negative impact corruption has on Cambodian society. The youth attending the event also learned from representatives of Transparency International Indonesia and Transparency International Bangladesh about how their countries’ citizens and youth played leading roles in demanding more transparency,
During the event, a debate was organised between eight university students to discuss the role of youths in the fight against corruption. Throughout the debate, the audience was given a platform to actively participate.
“The Most Significant Change” Writing Competition Between August and September 2013, TI Cambodia ran the Most Significant Change (MSC) Writing Competition. During this time, contestants were asked to submit a short story discussing the most significant change that occurred in their life as a result of TI Cambodia’s program. TI Cambodia would like to congratulate winner, Phak Seangly, and thank all other applicants for their valuable contributions. Below is an excerpt from Phak Seangly’s winning submission, Now I Have Light to See the Way:
“In June 2013, I attended a Young Professional Journalists Training conducted by Transparency International Cambodia (TI Cambodia). The training was only four-days, but the knowledge I gained will last a lifetime. By providing me with additional training and education, I now have a stronger understanding of how to actively combat corruption in my society. As a journalist, one of the most powerful ways for me to implement effective change is by raising public awareness. Previously, I would only write about 20 corruption related articles per year. However, over the course of only the past two months, I have written ten articles for the Phnom Penh Post that deal with corruption related issues. Three of these are below: 1) Bribes on rise for test takers 2) Corruption fight on the cards 3) Ballot box delivers soldier’s graft claim The stories were published in both the Phnom Penh Post’s English and Khmer-language newspapers. The Phnom Penh Post is one of Cambodia’s leading independent media organisations. 40,000 copies of the Post’s English and Khmer-language newspapers are published daily and each copy is read by an average of three people. Additionally, more than 20,000 people and over 10,000 others visit the Khmer and English website respectively on a daily basis. Therefore, more than 100,000 people in Cambodia and abroad have access to my news reports every day. Thus, I can say that my articles about corruption certainly help to educate and raise awareness amongst the public to instil a hatred of corruption. This can only lead to increased participation in combating and eradicating corruption nationwide. Articles about corruption intimidate the purveyors and successfully act as a preventative measure. Training one journalist is like training hundreds of thousands of people. The real cause of journalism is to give true, objective news to the public in order to serve the people—not even serving the organisation where we work, not serving any political parties, not the powerful nor the rich. As a journalist, I will strive to shine light on this and produce more informative news stories about this cancerous corruption.”
Join the Fight Against Corruption Show your commitment and help fight corruption in Cambodia today with your TI Cambodia Anti-Corruption Membership Card! Membership benefits include: Contact Us :
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Address: #9B, Street 466
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Phone: (+855) 023 214 430
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Email: info@ticambodia.org Website: www.ticambodia.org
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Free legal advice and consultation services on Cambodia’s Anti-Corruption Law Mailed invitations to TI Cambodia events such as training workshops and youth forums Discount prices from TI Cambodia’s private company partners The opportunity to make a positive and long-lasting change in in our society