The government has been adjusting the national level working group more than the Cambodian People’s Party’s working group to help promote its rectangular strategy and better provide services to the people at the sub-national level, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sar Kheng.

Speaking during the closing of the 2018 Results and 2019 Goals Meeting of the Stung Treng Provincial Administration on Wednesday, he said: “We’re striving to do what we can to strengthen the national level working group much more than the party’s working group, as I see it.

“Why? Because the national level working group is the driver of the synchronisation between the government’s political platform and rectangular strategy and local administrations. This applies to all sectors,” he said.

“The party’s working group does the party’s work. There’s plenty of time to do the party’s work. So in my view, it is necessary to strengthen functions at the national level and help support our national level working group to grow and to have enough energy and better capacity to do its work.”

Government spokesman Phay Siphan told The Post that the adjustments to the national level working group “will help to effectively provide services for the public at the sub-national level” and can compel inactive national-level officials to strive for excellence.

Political analyst Meas Nee welcomed the issues raised by the minister, saying that it helps reduce the number of national-level officials who neglect to provide public services.

He said the adjustment will compel officials to conduct their duties in a transparent, fair and correct manner and provide excellent services that promote a good image of the CPP.

“This adjustment can boost the popularity of the CPP, as some national level officials currently focus only on the party’s tasks without considering their duties to provide services for the local people, which has negatively affected the [CPP’s] popularity,” he said.