A National Assembly (NA) spokesman asserted on Thursday that representatives of parliament during the 6th mandate have orchestrated many missions to serve people in all sectors, especially health and social affairs sectors, despite claims from Cambodian Electoral Watch, which has accused the parliament of inactivity.
NA general secretary and spokesman Leng Penglong told The Post on Thursday that the representatives of parliament have indeed undertaken public service missions.
He said when people suffer catastrophes, such as building collapses, storms and other accidents, representatives of parliament always visited the victims to solve their problems.
He said: “If we compare it to the period when we had an opposition party [the 5th mandate], our activities have not decreased. During that period, opposition party members only visited their supporters. Currently, the representatives of parliament perform their missions for the people regardless of their political preferences.”
The Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia (Comfrel) said parliamentary efficiency in the first year of the 6th mandate has decreased compared to previous parliaments composed of multiple political parties.
A Comfrel press release published on Wednesday said while representatives are active in political discussions, they have paid less attention to the peoples’ problems.
It said: “Especially with land conflicts between people, there has been no intervention by any representatives of Parliament to assist or find a solution.
“Law implementation has been talked about in parliamentary sessions, but not one representative has criticised the process or asked any hard questions. In contrast, there is only appreciation and support for the leadership of the Royal Government.”
According to the press release, among the 125 representatives of Parliament, only 55 representatives were responsible for its 1,041 missions. This, the release said, is a decrease from the number of missions performed by parliamentary representatives during the 5th mandate.
The survey and advocacy coordinator of Comfrel Korn Savang told The Post on Thursday that the parliamentary representatives in the first year of the 6th mandate have complete control of executive and legislative powers, which could be detrimental.
Savang said when there are multiple political parties represented in parliament, it allows for debate, discussion and criticism. The implementation and drafting of laws can be edited and changed as a result of these debates.
