Restructuring the State
and Rebuilding Capacity for an Efficient Cambodia
The country is experiencing
the commencement of
rehabilitation and development
after two decades of political, economic,
and social disruption. This reconstruction
is intended to be based on market
economy principles, a liberal, democratic
society, and an "Etat de Droit". None of
these frameworks can successfully be put
in place without a strengthened
Government machinery oriented along
these frameworks, accompanied by a
public service trained and oriented toward
these frameworks, and backed by fair
revenue generation that can sustain the
Government machinery and programme
delivery designed to lead to equitable
development for all Cambodians.
The development objective of the public
administration reform programme is to
transform the administrative machinery so
as to be capable of establishing a stable
climate for investment and private sector
development, providing necessary infra-
structures, developing human resources,
and more generally implementing
Government policies.
The specific objectives are to strengthen the
State machinery and "rule of law", to
increase productivity and service delivery
of the public administration,, to improve the
legal and organizational structure of the
public service, to increase the abilities of the
public servants, and to strengthen provincial
administration.
The National Programme for Public
Administration Reform (NPPAR) is an integral
part of the National Programme to
Rehabilitate and Development (NPRDC),
and was agreed to in February 1994, by a
meeting of the Council of Ministers. The
Programme was presented to the March,
1994 meeting of the International
Committee for the Reconstruction of
Cambodia. The Government�s NPRDC was
launched in 1994. It is considered necessary
to reform the public administration
institutions and personnel in order to carry
out economic reforms and sectoral projects.
The Government has legally constituted the
Interministerial Technical Commission for
Administrative Reform to serve as the focal
point for policy and implementation of
public administration reforms.
Number of Civil Service Employees
(as of September 1994)
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AGENCY NUMBER OF
EMPLOYEES
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Administration 143,855
Central Government 28,646
Health 4,ll4
Education 2,555
Social Welfare 776
Information l,377
Industry & Energy 765
Tourism 226
Planning 518
Foreign affairs 637
Civil Service 72
Religions 96
Justice 316
Environment 526
Commerce 51
Agriculture 5,020
Post & Telecommunications 833
Public Works & Transport 2,236
Economy & Finance 3,823
Civil Aviation 386
Cabinet 585
Royal Palace 242
National Assembly 293
Others 2,732
Provincial Government 115,209
Health 12,844
Education 72,060
Social Welfare 1,535
Information 2,468
Other Administration 26,302
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The National Programme for Public
Administration Reform is expected to lead
to a variety of improvements:
(a) Government institutions will have substantially
strengthened their capability to
deliver services to the people, and to under-
take continuous public administration
reform,
(b) the absorptive capacity of the
ministries and agencies will be improved.
Output, both tangible and non-tangible,
will increase on a cost-effective basis,
making public services available in a more
efficient manner,
(c) the structures and the
human resources of the central and local
administrations will be adapted to the
needs and means of the State. The public
service will be afforded an effective system
of administration and financing for human
resources. A new legal framework will
strengthen the neutrality and the motivation
of the public service,
(d) the capacities
of public servants from a wide range of
ministries and institutions will have been
strengthened in administrative management,
personnel management, budgeting,
and individual and organizational performance
management through training in
modern techniques,
(e) the provincial
administrations will be strengthened and
central-local relations will be clarified, and
(f) the institutional capability to define,
manage and coordinate the public administration
reform, will be established by
strengthening the Interministerial Technical
Commission for Administrative Reform in
the Bureau of the 'Council of Ministers, and
leading to the creation of a core of management
analysis experts who will contribute
to the public administration reform process,
as well as to continuous management
improvement.
EVIDENCE OF EARLY COMMITMENT OF THE GOVERNMENT TO ITS PUBLIC
ADMINISTRATION REFORM PROGRAMME
The Council of Ministers has already
undertaken a review of the structure of the
,State and its administration, the results of
which are embedded in draft laws, now just
being reviewed in the National Assembly.
These draft laws begin to clarify the structure
of the State, and the responsibilities of
ministries and other State organizations.
Other required laws, decrees and related
documents are also being drafted. The
Council of Ministers has established the
Interministerial Technical Commission for
Administrative Reform (ITC/AR), in order
to place emphasis on building capacity for
management and coordination of reform
programmes, continuous monitoring of
conditions, for policy development, for
evaluation of implementation efforts, and
for management of these change processes.
The ITC/AR is composed of 18 members,
representing the Council of Ministers and
key ministries. The ITC/AR has an
Executive Secretariat composed of eight
members, representing the Council of
Ministers, the State Secretariat of the Public
Service and the Ministry of the Interior.
Other salient points of reform involve, for
example, reform of the budgetary process
which was taken in December 1993 through
passage of the new public finance law and
the 1994 Budget. This budgetary reform is a
decisive step towards achieving greater
control over public expenditures. The
Ministry of the Interior has begun a process
of renovating provincial administrations,
including an effort to strengthen programme
delivery through clearer delineation
of responsibilities, improved communications
and training. Many operational ministries have
prepared two-yea
action plans. Sectoral programmes have
been endorsed at national symposiums an
conferences in areas such as commerce
health and education.
REFORM OF THE ADMINISTRATION
The National Programme to Reform the
Administration (NPRA) outlines the objectives
and operational modalities of the initiatives
to be carried out over the long term,
It is the result of work undertaken since the
election, and undertaken in consultation
with various specialized international institutions
and other organizations. The NPRA
was endorsed at an interministerial work-
shop in February 1995.
The NPRA consists of 5 operational fields
which were developed within the NPRD
itself. The Interministerial Technical
Committee to Reform the Administration
(ITC/RA), together with its Executive
Committee and Permanent Secretariat are
the architects of the interministerial consensus
on the implementation strategy. The
urgent, immediate operational priorities are
to complete the structure of the management
of the reform programme itself, which
includes facilities to mobilize and coordinate
external assistance; to clarify roles and
responsibilities; and to inform and seek the
support of the population. In order to
ensure the long-lasting effects of reform, it
is also essential to satisfy two conditions
(i) A firm long-term commitment from
contributing countries and international
organizations, because a reform of the
breadth envisaged will take many years
and will be costly- UNDP estimates that the
essential elements of reform will cost
around US$8 million in technical assistance
for the first five years of the programme.
This is excluding the cost of training and
reintegration which adds up to tens of mil-
lions of US dollars. For the moment, only
US$4 million have been promised and are
about to be committed. However, the World
Bank has extended a line of credit of US$17
million of which a small part could be used
to finance initiatives relating to the remodeling
of the civil service.
(ii) The existence of efficient, motivated
State officials because reform can be successful
only if officials are motivated, take
part and sustain the anticipated reform, and
if they have the necessary ability and
equipment. Adequate, incentives and
remuneration are therefore preoccupation�s
of prime importance.
The NPRA has identified the approach and
nature of the required actions in each of five
sections:
1. Restructuring the State Apparatus
The objective of this component is essentially
to organize governmental work efficiently
thus contributing to the strengthening of
the effectiveness of the Administration. It.
principally involves the strengthening of
the state-run superstructure to manage and
coordinate governmental action, to clarify
ministerial attributions., and to restructure
the services necessary for administrative
effectiveness and propriety. The structural
laws and regulations - those of attribution
and operation of ministries and agencies -
are on the road to completion. Already, the
law on the organization and function of the
office of the Council of Ministers has been
adopted. Others, such as the law on the creation
of the ministries and secretariats of
state and their organization and functions,
are recently submitted to the National
Assembly for approval. The next stage will
therefore focus on strengthening the
Council of Ministers' services, the formalization
of procedures and instruments of
decision, and of coordination and follow-
UP., and the clarification of mandates in
order to delineate roles and responsibilities.
2. Strengthening Operational Ministers
The objective here is to improve operational
ministries' performances and the quality of
services offered. The Royal Government is
implementing a targetted programme to
strengthen management capability and to
improve administrative techniques and
procedures. The Government, while it is
mapping out a national strategy, is outlining
programmes adapted to particular circumstances,
needs and abilities of targetted
ministries (Health, Education, Agriculture
and Social Welfare). The experience
acquired will be applied to the remaining
ministries in accordance with their needs. A
vast programme for strengthening the management
and administration of health services across
the Kingdom has just been
launched; a similar exercise in education is
starting; and a unit in public management
counselling will be established without
further delay to help the ministries carry
out these reforms.
3. Reform of the Civil Service
This component of the NPRA is made up of
three parts with the objective of transforming
the public service into a unified,, transparent.,
neutral and efficient service:
namely, reshaping the civil service; reforming
the framework for current management; and
reforming regulations. Much has
happened in the last year, in particular: the
introduction of the Common Statute for the
Civil Servants which establishes both the
State's rights and obligations as an employer,
and those of its employees; stops the
automatic hiring of students; and undertakes
to reduce manpower by 20 per cent
by 1997. There was also a first headcount of
staff in February 1995. The next priorities
cover a large area: undertaking a qualitative
and quantitative census of civil servants;
feasibility studies on reintegration measures;
and reforming personnel management It practices
and processes, including all
relevant basic statutes. The Royal
Government also intends to develop a
policy regarding State officials' remuneration
which is compatible with the sustainability of
the reform, and thus that of the
NPRD itself.
4. Development of Human Resources
The plan is to create a permanent programme
for improvement and training
with a view to strengthening the capability
of officials to meet operational priorities. In
particular, the Royal Government intends
to create a framework for managing such a
programme and to implement short-term
training to meet the most urgent needs.
This programme aims to increase competence
quickly and, therefore, the absorptive
capacity of the Administration. Several
seminars and information sessions have
been held. Intensive training is underway
for officials from the Ministry of Economy
and Finance and other specialized services,
such as disaster management. The Royal
School-for Administration has undertaken
an accelerated programme to address the
most pressing needs. The Royal Government
intends to accelerate its action and extend it
to a wider spread of priority needs. Seminars,
workshops and apprenticeships or tutoring in
the workplace would be preferred over more
traditional methods. In the short term, there-
fore, the object is to create a centre specialized
in the development of human resources; and
to formulate and implement a short-term
training programme in the design and management
of projects, in finance and in other
administrative techniques, for instance.
5. Strengthening Provincial
Administration
The object of this component is to reinforce
the capacity of territorial administration by
defining the framework for decentralizing the
administration, developing the capacity of the
Ministry of Interior to exercise a territorial
administrative function, and progressively
improving the organization and capacity of
provincial administrations. The Ministry of
Interior has already undertaken a vast work
programme extending from a definition of
administrative parameters to an exhaustive
inventory of State assets. The Ministry has
also organized important information and
familiarization sessions for provincial officials.
In the course of the next 18 months, attention
will be drawn particularly towards the
strengthening of interministerial ties in the
provinces; the improvement of communication
between the capital and the provinces;
the dissemination of information on laws,
regulations, and procedures; and the training
of provincial officials. Diagnostic studies will
be completed on the required structure, procedures
and practices for the decentralization
of the administration.
REFORM OF THE JUDICIAL APPARATUS
The restoration of l�Etat de Droit - the rule of
law - is an ambitious goal, and it presupposes
that different powers and instruments of
administration can act only within the limitation
authorized by law. It requires some kind
of jurisdictional empowerment. In order to
institute the rule of law, it is necessary that
both the effectiveness of laws and the legality
of acts be the object of control and eventually
sanctioned by institutional units such as tribunals.
Complementing the legal framework necessary,
the Royal Government is seeking to
implement mechanisms for the application of
adequate legal control. The Royal
Government wishes that judicial power be
endowed with the means and the people to
apply the decisions of the tribunals. Strictly
speaking, it is therefore necessary, and in parallel
with legislative work, to envisage the
restructuring of the judicial system first in
quantitative terms which will then enable an
improvement to be made in the quality of the
judiciary. Magistrates should have the means
to sit on the bench, respect privacy in deliberating
verdicts, and know how to draw up and
pass judgment.
The Royal Government envisages three major
priorities:
(i) the training of magistrates and clerks;
(ii) the provision of office equipment for the
tribunals; and
(iii) the rehabilitation of tribunals.
REFORM OF THE SECURITY APPARATUS
This reform is the most complex and politically
sensitive. At the same time, it is also essential
and fundamental to the success of NPRD.
The Royal Government has already embarked
on this work via two main thrusts:
1. Police and Public Security
The Ministry of Interior has embarked on a
series of initiatives for reforming the administration
of the police force and for rearranging
the network of detention centres. During the
course of last year, efforts were principally
focussed on training and acquiring basic
skills. Needs are well known and are
explained in other fora.
2. Demobilization of the Armed Forces
The Royal Government has pledged to reduce
the number of military staff from 130,000 to
90,000 over three years. A study mission
should reveal the main routes of action. Very
rapidly, feasibility studies should be completed
to determine the modalities and financing
of demobilization. Mechanisms for demobilization
and reintegration into civilian occupations should
be compatible with those for
remodeling the civil service. In both cases,
technical and financial assistance is indispensable
to the success of the operation. For
its part, the Royal Government has decided to
appoint civilian authorities to undertake the
process of demobilization. most probably the
Ministry of Social Welfare, Labour and
Veteran's Affairs.