The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has launched a campaign to check the provision of public services next year. ACU
The Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has launched a campaign to check the provision of public services during the whole of next year. The campaign will be carried out at targeted service units of sub-national level administrations.
The ACU has also taken further measures to strengthen the public dissemination of information, mechanisms to receive feedback and address complaints from service recipients and the ethics of public service officials.
The campaign was launched to mark National Anti-corruption Day on Monday under the theme Promote together the public provision of good services.
In a post on Facebook on Saturday, the ACU said: “Checking the work of public service provision will connect, strengthen and expand the dissemination of updated information on public services and anti-corruption legal standard letters.
“This checking promotes the implementation of a mechanism to receive feedback and address the complaints of service users, as well as strengthens the effectiveness of following the work ethics of the public services.”
The ACU said the campaign aimed to ensure the implementation of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s approaches to provide public services “speedily and transparently”.
The press release quoted ACU head Om Yentieng as saying that the significance of improving quality and effectiveness of public services were to increase citizens’ confidence in the public administration.
The strategy to educate, prevent and stop corruption that was laid out had begun to be implemented last month in seven communes in Meanchey district.
Yentieng said the strategy had received “full support” from the National Anti-Corruption Council at a meeting early this month.
However, he could not be reached for further comment on Monday.
Affiliated Network for Social Accountability executive director San Chey told The Post on Monday that the strategy was not bad, but he wanted to see some services prioritised.
He said some services are causing problems for people, such as asking for construction permission, which is complex. This was because people lack a lot of information and awareness in terms of the procedures.
“So if the complexity were to be reduced, informal bribe-taking and the reliance on informal fees has to be tackled as well.
“This is a target that we want to see rather than spending wasted time evaluating or monitoring the same services, such as processing a birth
certificate and some administrative letters. The service of processing a birth certificate is far from perfect. So [they] should look into the remaining challenges,” he said.
Chey said the ACU should evaluate the necessity of what the challenges are and prioritise the issues accordingly. By doing so, he said, it would contribute much towards developing solutions.
