SCCR tasked with guidance, not resolutions
THE secretariat of the Supreme Council for Consultation and Recommendations (SCCR) has reiterated the role of council members. They do not have a mandate to go into the field and offer solutions to any issue, as this is the responsibility of government institutions.
It said their task is to offer possible solutions and make recommendations.
The SCCR was first established by former Prime Minister Hun Sen following the 2018 general election to nurture a culture of dialogue among political parties, including those that did not win any seat. Incumbent Prime Minister Hun Manet has renewed its mandate to make use of the members’ collective knowledge and collect their input on various issues and policies.
SCCR secretariat-general Chhim Phalvorun released a January 3 summary report of the first SCCR meeting, held at the Peace Palace on December 27.
During the meeting, Sam Ol, a member of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), was elected to hold the council’s rotating chair.
“A budget will be provided to each participating party. It is to be used for them to perform their work with discretion. They will be responsible for forming concepts which will support the implementation of phase one of the government’s Pentagonal Strategy. Their ideas should be effective, realistic, serve the public interest and contribute to the development of the country,” said Phalvorun.
In the report, Sam Ol noted that he had instructed each of the SCCR members to provide inputs, ideas and recommendations to the government, rather than going outside their mandate and trying to resolve issues on their own.
He expected that they will contribute to helping Cambodia achieve its goal of becoming a high-income country by 2050.
“Neither the SCCR nor its members are entitled to solve any problems,” he stressed.
Pa Chanroeun, president of the Cambodian Institute for Democracy, saw limited power in the SCCR’s contribution of inputs and recommendations to the government.
Yang Peou, secretary-general of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, agreed with Phalvorun and Sam Ol on the role of SCCR members, noting that the government will certainly take their recommendations into consideration.
“In any democratic society, accepting comments and ideas from different sources is vital. Regardless of whether these comments come from the SCCR, members of the public, specialists or academics, if they might improve the government’s work, they are worth considering,” he said.
Peou added that the council plays an important role by contributing ideas to the government, but warned that they should not go beyond the role they have been set, as this could cause conflict with state institutions.
Chey Tech, socio-economic researcher and development expert, agreed that it is worth reminding all SCCR members about the limits of their role, in order to avoid potential issues, such as those which arose under the previous council’s mandate.