Corruption Main Issue as Cambodia's Donors Meet

 

By Heda Bayron

Cambodia's foreign aid donors¹ gather next week to assess progress in the country's economic reforms. The World Bank warns that Cambodia risks economic stagnation² if the government fails to deal with corruption⁴.

The World Bank says "endemic" corruption is making Cambodia's poor poorer. It says corrupt³ public officials contribute to the depletion⁵ of the country's natural resources and impede⁶ investment.

In a report released ahead of the annual aid donors meeting Monday, the international lender called on the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen to implement⁷ "urgent efforts" to improve governance - such as improving laws and strengthening the judiciary.

Failure to do so, it says, will be costly⁸ for the future of the country.

Sok Hach, director of the Economic Institute of Cambodia, says he expects donors to press harder for results.

"Donors right now highlight the real issues," said Sok Hach. "Before they just complain behind the scene and in front of the government, they just pledge for a lot of money. What is interesting is that the World Bank is now focused more on the issue of governance that it was not before. "

A World Bank survey showed a majority of companies pay bribes⁹ to public officials to secure contracts. But the system of accountability is weak, anti-corruption laws lacking and the country's judges and prosecutors¹⁰ poorly paid and trained.

Cambodia is struggling to rebuild its economy after a legacy¹¹ of war and genocide. Some 40 percent of the country's 13 million people live on less than $1 a day.

With Cambodia's economy expected to grow only two percent next year, economists¹² say it cannot afford to delay reforms.

The government recently drafted a four-year strategy to address these issues. Mr. Sok says it is a good start.

"I think the government more or less recognize that this [reforms] is missing.," he said. "I think the World Bank tried to take this opportunity to tell the government, 'Okay you are right, but you have to implement it right now'."

The donors' conference Monday will be the first such meeting since 2002, when Cambodia received $635 million in aid.

No donors' meeting was held last year as Cambodia struggled for months to form a new government following national elections. The European Union Thursday says it is giving $33 million to fight poverty in northwestern provinces.

On Thursday, Vietnam's major donors held a similar meeting and pledged more than $3 billion in aid, 21 percent more than last year.注释：
stagnation 萧条
endemic 地方流行病
depletion 耗尽
impede 妨碍
judiciary 司法的
highlight 强调
bribe 贿赂
prosecutor 检举人
genocide 种族屠杀
opportunity 时机
province 省

1 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 stagnation   

n. 停滞

参考例句：

• Poor economic policies led to a long period of stagnation and decline. 糟糕的经济政策道致了长时间的经济萧条和下滑。
• Motion is absolute while stagnation is relative. 运动是绝对的，而静止是相对的。

3 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

4 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

5 depletion   

n.耗尽，枯竭

参考例句：

• Increased consumption of water has led to rapid depletion of groundwater reserves.用水量的增加导致了地下水贮备迅速枯竭。
• Farmers should rotate crops every season to prevent depletion of the soil.农夫每季应该要轮耕，以免耗尽土壤。

6 impede   

v.妨碍，阻碍，阻止

参考例句：

• One shouldn't impede other's progress.一个人不应该妨碍他人进步。
• The muddy roads impede our journey.我们的旅游被泥泞的道路阻挠了。

7 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

8 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

9 bribes   

n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 )；向（某人）行贿，贿赂

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏

10 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

11 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

12 economists   

n.经济学家，经济专家( economist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sudden rise in share prices has confounded economists. 股价的突然上涨使经济学家大惑不解。
• Foreign bankers and economists cautiously welcomed the minister's initiative. 外国银行家和经济学家对部长的倡议反应谨慎。 来自《简明英汉词典》