{"id":16952,"date":"2021-10-15T20:20:41","date_gmt":"2021-10-15T13:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vodenglish.news\/?p=16952"},"modified":"2021-10-15T20:21:14","modified_gmt":"2021-10-15T13:21:14","slug":"in-a-whistle-stop-tour-sar-kheng-pushes-for-better-local-governance-ahead-of-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vodenglish.news\/in-a-whistle-stop-tour-sar-kheng-pushes-for-better-local-governance-ahead-of-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"In a Whistle-Stop Tour, Sar Kheng Pushes for Better Local Governance Ahead of Elections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
With Covid-19 restrictions lifting across the country, Interior Minister Sar Kheng crisscrossed the country this week to attend six inauguration ceremonies for new provincial governors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The six stops, some only for a few hours, followed a similar pattern: A suit-clad Kheng arrived at the provincial hall, did the performative handing over of the provincial seal, then proceeded to give a speech before zooming off to the next inauguration ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The senior CPP leader spoke about the administration of the provinces and why governors were being shuffled, hit out at the opposition, and asked officials to prepare for the upcoming commune elections. He also made news while in Pursat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSoon we will transfer the party leaders in Phnom Penh and Preah Sihanouk, where Say Chhum will speak at the transfer ceremony,\u201d the interior minister said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kheng did not clarify who would be replaced in the two large provinces, with party spokesperson Sok Eysan saying he was unaware of what the minister was talking about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The government in September announced that six <\/strong>governors were being shuffled around, one new governor was being installed and another governor was moved to the Interior Ministry. Kheng had attended a seventh inauguration ceremony for the new Stung Treng governor on October 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kheng was in Pursat on Thursday when he said the moving around of governors was necessitated by outgoing governor Mao Thonin\u2019s completion of two mandates in the province. Thonin has been made the new governor of Kampot. He said governors moving around did not indicate any sort of hierarchy, because all provinces were equally important and all needed governance and development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He stressed that the swapping of governors was unrelated to their performance, and was more an administrative measure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is important for those governors to develop their province. With public services\u200b, they should be responsible and accountable with the people and the government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Provincial governors, such as Mondulkiri\u2019s Svay Sam Eang, have had to deal with a slew of allegations of corruption and ineffective governance. Mondulkiri has seen numerous accusations of land disputes involving government officials, one of which resulted in the removal of a district governor<\/a>. Other officials involved in these allegations have so far not been prosecuted, and more than half have retained their jobs. Sam Eang has been made the new governor of Stung Treng.<\/p>\n\n\n\n