International donors including the World Bank and International Monetary Fund should change their approach to helping Cambodia because their efforts have had little impact on grinding poverty, the country's opposition leader said Monday.
"Donors must revise their approach to Cambodia because international assistance fails to reduce poverty," former finance minister Sam Rainsy told reporters on the eve of a multi-national donor meeting here.
"The current approach by international financial institutions, such as the World Bank and IMF, and donor countries is based on macro-economic figures," he said.
"For them, a GDP (gross domestic product) growth of four to five percent is satisfactory.
"But what are the engines of Cambodia's growth: deforestation, prostitution, drug dealing, gambling, money laundering and very cheap labour industries."
The outspoken parliamentary opposition leader criticised the major donors for acting in an "irresponsible" fashion.
"They keep pouring money to build infrastructures, which are washed away by floods, and which are linked to bad management and corruption."
More than 200,000 people a year had died prematurely since 1991, despite the billions of dollars in foreign aid and UN intervention, Rainsy said.
"The poverty associated with corruption and bad governance under (current prime minister) Hun Sen (since 1985) is responsible for more deaths than brutal executions under Pol Pot," he said.
Around 1.7 million people are believed to have died in the "Killing Fields" at the hands of the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979.
"Since 1993, the international community has pumped 3.0 billion dollars into Cambodia. Has it improved living conditions? No," Rainsy said.
"At 53 years, life expectancy is the lowest in Asia, except Afghanistan".
Cambodia's first finance minister after the 1990 Paris Peace Accords, who was later sacked for criticising the government, predicted an explosive social mix as the poor continue to get poorer while the rich grow richer. "
He said international donors should pay attention to unemployment and social inequality, and "not respond to the beggar mentality of my government".
International donors gave 548 million dollars in aid to Cambodia in 2000. Japan was the biggest contributor with 138 million dollars, followed by France, the former colonial power with 120 million dollars.
The Fifth Consultative Group Meeting for Cambodia, bringing together countries including Japan, the United States, and seven international agencies such as the World Bank is due to begin a two-day meeting in Tokyo Tuesday.
The meeting is expected to settle on extending roughly 500 million dollars in aid to Cambodia, as was the case at every previous meeting of the donor group. |
