Agriculture minister Dith Tina addresses the working group for Banteay Meanchey province during a December 28 meeting. MAFF
Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Dith Tina, who heads the government working group for Banteay Meanchey province, has instructed its members to serve the public to the best of their abilities.
He ordered them to spend time with the members of their communities, so they would be able to see the challenges they face and find timely solutions.
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Tina was addressing the members of the working group at the provincial hall on December 28.
“You must cooperate closely with each other and take responsibility for your work. You must listen to the people, so you can discuss effective solutions, in line with the government’s priority policies,” he said.
He reminded them that the group is there to assist state institutions, not replace them.
Government spokesperson Pen Bona agreed that the working groups are there to support the local authorities, not interfere with their roles. The groups are necessary, as the members can be close to the people and hear directly about their problems and requests.
“The government led by the Cambodian People’s Party [CPP] serves the people because they voted for the CPP. After the new government was formed, these groups were set up to help the public. They cannot just sit in their offices and not take the time to learn about the hardships of the people,” he said, adding that the working group members visit their local communities whenever they have spare time from their important work.
Yong Kim Eng, president of the People’s Centre for Development and Peace, opined that the working groups are unnecessary and may only affect the performance of local authorities.
“I think the local authorities spend more time meeting with the working groups and less time fulfilling their local obligations,” he said.
CPP spokesman Sok Eysan clarified that working groups are a mechanism which supports local authorities. They were established with the goal of understanding the situation on the ground in the community so they can find ways to assist.
“After the new government was formed, new working groups were set up one after another, such as the one led by agriculture minister Tina in Banteay Meanchey province,” he said.
