Samdech Akka Maha Chakrey Heng Samrin, President of the National Assembly,
HE Nguon Nhel, First Vice President of the National Assembly,
HE Khuon Sudary, Second Vice President of the National Assembly,
Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs Chairpersons of Commissions of the National Assembly,
Samdech, Excellencies, Lok Chumteavs – Members of the National Assembly,
Today is an historic day for the Kingdom of Cambodia that the sixth legislative term National Assembly is working on its first session to adopt compositions of leaders of the National Assembly, and of the sixth legislative term Royal Government.
In my capacity as Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia just winning confidence of the National Assembly I wish to express my sincere and deep gratitude to the revered Preah Karuna Preah Baat Samdech Preah Boromneat Norodom Sihamuni, King of Cambodia, who always offers warm supports and encouragements to actions taken by the Royal Government pursuing the path of wisdom and good judgment of Samdech Preah Borom Ratanakaod Preah Baat Samdech Preah Norodom Sihanouk, the Heroic King Father of Independence, Territorial Integrity, and the Khmer National Unity, and Samdech Preah Maha Khsatrei Norodom Munineat Sihanouk, the revered Heroic Queen Mother of Khmer Nation in Freedom, Dignity and Happiness.
On behalf of the Royal Government, please allow me to convey wishes of good health and strength to the revered Preah Karuna Preah Baat Samdech Preah Boromneat Norodom Sihamuni. King of Cambodia, and Samdech Preah Maha Khsatrei Norodom Munineat Sihanouk, the revered Heroic Queen Mother of Khmer Nation in Freedom, Dignity and Happiness, to stay as cool shade for their children and grandchildren for a long time to come.
Please allow me to take this opportune moment to express profound thanks to Samdech Akka Maha Punhea Chakrey Heng Samrin who have fulfilled effectively and successfully his role as senior member of the National Assembly. I am conveying my gratitude to Samdech, Excellency, Lok Chumteavs – leaders and members of this supreme legislative institution, who have voted to place trust in the Royal Government of Cambodia of the sixth legislative term National Assembly, for which I am heading.
Samdech, Excellency, Lok Chumteavs, Ladies and Gentlemen,
The 29-July-2018 general elections was one that is fair, and transparent, for which some 83.02% of registered voters cast their votes. It is a high rate of voters turnout compared to most recent elections in numerous countries in the world. The high rate of turnout clearly reflects will of overwhelming majority of Cambodians in implementing their rights as citizens defined in the Constitution to choose dignitaries to lead the country in a democratic manner and rule of law. It testifies and underlines the Cambodian people’s wills in the whole country that they love peace and support firmly democracy, liberal pluralism, and rule of law. It also reflects their vehement denial to actions carried out by a group of people who tried to distract Cambodia from the path of democracy and rule of law, while inciting them to sink in those people’s ambitions that are perfidious and dangerous for Cambodia as a nation, seeking to downfall the legal Royal Government through color revolution, which would push Cambodia once again into the abyss of social turmoil and tragedy of destructive war.
On top of all these, results of the 29-July-2018 elections also reflects fully and sharply supporting will of the overwhelming majority and every-circle Cambodians to the need for continued leadership to build the country on the path of peace, development, and reforms in every field to achieve progress and prosperity. In this meaning, the Royal Government of the sixth legislative term National Assembly has an obligation to continue its supremely historic mission in steadfast and energetic determination to expedite development and drive deeper and wider reforms. In this spirit, the Royal Government has put together its political platform. In this auspicious occasion, I wish to submit it to the National Assembly and may it be recorded in the official note-taking and report of this National Assembly’s full session.
The political platform of the Royal Government is now presented to the National Assembly, and through this house, to compatriots and public to get to know about position, ideal, and determination of the Royal Government in serving the nation and people at all circumstances, while showing clearly vision and policy in every fields to continue to defend and build our motherland to a prosperous future in accordance with people’s wills and aspirations. I wish to take this chance to underline four major tasks that the Royal Government wishes to ensure to compatriots through our efforts to implement the political platform for Cambodia’s march forward in the sixth legislative term of the National Assembly:
Firstly, to ensure defense of peace, stability, security, and safety in villages and communes for a peaceful livelihood of our people throughout the country, while defending independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and preventing violation and destruction from whatever force it may be.
Secondly, to ensure continued driving for socio-economic development in every field focusing on good governance reform aimed at strengthening public institution and building clean administration, while increasing effectiveness and improving public service quality; to strengthen macro-economic environment of high resilience to crisis, and supported by sustainable, inclusive and equitable; to continue focusing high priority on human resource investment; to raise high and increase public and private investments, hard and soft, on necessary infrastructural system to attract and support economic activities as well as to serve people’s need; and to strengthen financial inclusiveness, especially to provide small and medium financial services, including rural credit services for small and medium enterprises, as well as low interest loans for low-income households, etc.
Thirdly, to ensure continued promotion and improvement of people’s living condition through provision of qualified education and vocational training to youth along with chances for them to get jobs; to help farmers expand production and find them markets that offer appropriate prices; to continue to increase wage/salary and other interests while improving working condition, and ensuring careers protection for workers/employees; to continue to increase salary and pensions for public officials, retirees and veterans; and to expand supply network and reduce price of electricity as well as to make effort to further reduce price of water, especially in rural area, etc.
Fourthly, to ensure social safety and steady livelihood of our people in the present and in the future through development and strengthening of effective and sustainable social protection system, and of social security regime to support every Cambodian people, especially the poor and vulnerable leaving no one to face danger without being given care.
Along with this, on behalf of the Royal Government for the sixth legislative term of the National Assembly, I wish to solemnly promise and make auspicious determination to our compatriots in the whole country that I am determined to lead national executive institutions to ensure successful implementation of political platform of the Royal Government that the Cambodian People’s Party presented to our people before the elections, and I have just presented to the highly respected National Assembly. It has focused specially on four prioritized concrete measures to be implemented in 2019:
- To continue to increase wage/salary for workers/employees, and to proceed to put into action bimonthly payday.
- To continue to increase salary and pension for public officials, retirees, and veterans, and to prepare for bimonthly payday through banking system.
- To reduce price of electricity in conformity with laid-out program and prices for 2019 and 2020.
- To lay out and implement social protection program in prioritized areas such as: (1) supporting women in pregnancy and children under two years of age of poor households; (2) putting into action regime on work-related risks for public officials; and (3) putting into action pensions for workers/employees
On behalf of the Royal Government, I am calling on the National Assembly, and through the National Assembly, the Cambodian compatriots inside the country and abroad, and development partners and actors – bilateral and multilateral – private sector, non-governmental organizations as well as officials at every level in ministries and institutions of legislative, executive and the judiciary powers, the armed forces, and subnational level institutions, to fully support and take active parts in implementing this political platform and turn it into an energetic and efficient movement with an aim to realize fruitful successes for the sake of supreme interest of our nation. In this spirit, the Royal Government will issue and drive successful implementation its Rectangular Strategy Phase IV, which is an agenda of socio-economic policy of this political platform for the sixth legislative National Assembly.
Once again, the Royal Government expresses its profoundest respect and gratitude to compatriots from every corner for their clear vision of reality of national revival and progress, and for their confidence and support to the Royal Government in every circumstance. Based on people’s support, the Royal Government is determined to mobilize forces to strive to implement its historic mission with brilliant successes in the sixth legislative term of the National Assembly.
[Start of Off-the-Cuff Speech]
Taking this opportune moment, I wish to remind members of the National Assembly listed in the Royal Government on one principle. According to the Constitution, the Prime Minister must be a member of the National Assembly. Aside from that, from Senior Minister and lower ranks must request to the National Assembly to leave their elected memberships. Some of you are senior ministers and ministers. It will be your duty to leave the National Assembly memberships. This afternoon, there will be lists of appointed ministers attached to the Prime Minister, Secretaries and Under-Secretaries of State. If you do not see your names in anyone of those lists, you do not have to do that. Should you see your name in the lists, please submit your resignation as National Assembly members to allow the one next in elected list to take your place in the National Assembly […] as we can see here […] HE Kim Phan will have to resign from the National Assembly to take his job at the Ministry of Commerce, and HE Sar Sokha will do so because he will be Secretary of State for Education, Youth, and Sports. Please prepare the list and send to me before my departure on 10 September for foreign missions.
[End of Off-the-Cuff Speech]
Finally, I wish you all – Samdech, Excellency, Lok Chumteavs, President and Vice Presidents, members of the National Assembly, the four Buddhist blessings, and successes in every tasks you are undertaking in services to nation and motherland./.
