Cash for Siem Reap Market Repair to Come From National Budget
A $300,000 sum to repair Siem Reap City’s fire-ravaged Doeum Kralanh market, originally billed on Monday as a donation from Prime Minister Hun Sen, will actually be taken from the national budget, according to a senior ruling-party official. Less than three weeks before the July 28 national election, the prime minister has dipped into a discretionary emergency fund—the size and precise purpose of which is not known—to rebuild the market, which was razed by a fire on Friday. CPP lawmaker Cheam Yeap said that Mr. Hun Sen, as the head of the government, has the power to allot money to causes such as the repair of a market when needed. “In the national budget, there’s a reserve budget for times when Cambodia is in hardship, such as fire or flooding,” Mr. Yeap said, declining to say how large the fund was. … Cambodia National Rescue Party candidate Son Chhay said that the government refuses to provide details on how it spends a large chunk of the national budget. … He cited the audited 2006 budget, in which about 43 percent of government spending was not allocated to specific ministries. … “There’s about $1.5 billion that the prime minister can spend on what he likes,” Mr. Chhay said. …
