King Sihamoni signs into law amendment to the Constitution
KING Norodom Sihamoni has signed into law the 10th amendment to the Constitution, following its passage by the National Assembly (NA) and Senate.
An August 6 royal decree promulgates articles 19, 89, 98,102, 119 and 125 of the Constitution and articles 3 and 4 of the Additional Constitutional Law. The changes are designed to ensure the smooth functioning of national institutions and to avoid political stalemate seen following previous general elections.
The bill was passed by the NA on July 28 and approved by the Senate on August 5.
The 10th amendment has aroused concerns among at least four political parties and some civil society organizations (CSO) who said it could undermine the legislature, liberal democracy, pluralism and constitutional monarchy.
In late July, more than 100 CSOs, trade unions, associations and communities issued a joint statement expressing concerns that the amendment would in turn weaken respect for the rights and freedoms of Cambodian citizens as enshrined in the Constitution.
In an attempt to allay their concerns and dispel any misconceptions regarding the amendment, the Ministry of Justice on July 29 invited the parties – Candlelight, Grassroots Democratic, Khmer Will and Cambodian Reform – and more than 100 CSOs to a faceto-face discussion scheduled for August 2-4 in front of the public.
“As of August 5, not one of the four parties which submitted
a petition to the National Assembly, nor any of the 104 CSOs that issued statements over their concerns, have indicated that they would join the conversation,” said a ministry press release.
It said that if the parties and CSOs were really sincere, their representatives should have joined the discussion as invited, and their fears about the intent of the amendment would have been allayed.
“The justice ministry regrets that the parties and CSOs did not attend, and that they offered no explanation for their non-attendance,” it said.
The ministry expressed hope that the parties and CSOs would follow a series of explanations by representatives of the government about the content and purpose of the amendments.
It said the post-amendment Constitution would be the foundation that ensures the protection of the nation and people’s interests.
Ny Sokha, president of rights group ADHOC, told The Post that his organisation did not attend the meeting as it was too little too late.
“We wanted the drafters of the amendment to consult with the people and stakeholders – especially the nongovernmental parties – but the law has already been passed. We have already recorded our concerns in the statement we issued, and have nothing more to add,” he said.