The cabinet shake-up will take place after the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts is renamed Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation. AKP
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday announced an imminent reshuffle of the cabinet to combat inefficiency at the highest levels of government.
The cabinet shake-up will take place after the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts is renamed ‘Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation’, Hun Sen said at a meeting of the Supreme Council for Consultation.
“There will be a shake-up in the cabinet in the future after the law on the establishment of the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation is implemented.
“We are creating a new ministry. His Excellency Senior Minister Cham Prasidh will remain at the helm of that ministry, but officials in other ministries might be reshuffled.
“Some institutions are not efficient and do not meet our expectations. Their officials are too lazy,” Hun Sen said, adding that government shake-ups are not uncommon in other countries.
The prime minister also asked the ministers to move fast to solve important issues in Cambodia, including land disputes and expanding the market for Cambodian agricultural goods abroad.
According to the Constitution, the cabinet comprises the prime minister, deputy prime ministers, senior prime ministers and ministers, and secretaries of state.
Khmer Rise Party (KRP) president Sok Sovann Vathana Sabung said: “The government has laid out clear and specific strategies, but the implementation of those strategies at the national and sub-national levels is not consistent.
“Because these reforms are incomplete, some of the targets are not being met. I want Samdech to lay out concrete principles to remove any obstacles when it comes to implementing these plans,” he said.
Regarding land disputes, Vathana Sabung said the prime minister should consider taking the land away from companies that have been granted economic land concessions but are not developing the area.
He said the land should be given back to the farmers, who would put it to good use and contribute to economic development.
Political Analyst Meas Nee told The Post on Monday that cabinet reshuffles must be done regularly to improve the workings of state institutions. If the same officials are allowed to serve in the same positions for too long, they become lazy, irresponsive, and corrupt.
“The priority is to remove lazy individuals. To do this effectively, the government must first assess how efficient the current cabinet is,” he said.
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