Senate Marks Its 10th Year Anniversary

By Soy Sophea

Marking the 10-year anniversary of the Cambodian Senate, Senate President Chea Sim gave a positive evaluation, noting its contribution to peace and political stability throughout the nation.

The remarks were made at a one-day seminar on “10-year Achievement, Challenges and Vision of the Senate” on March 20.

He said since the Senate’s establishment on March 25, 1999, it has walked an honorable path toward many achievements, including contributions to national development as
well as encouraging the integration of Cambodia into a regional and global framework during globalization era.

The Senate President said the Senate attained prestige in national and international arenas and contributed to strengthening peace, political stability and national reconciliation, which remain crucial to Cambodia’s future.

“The Senate has responded to all compulsory and long-term needs of the Royal Government as it has been working tremendously to encourage reforms in all spheres of state, social, and economic development. It hopes to accelerate the development with transparency, justice, fairness and responsible,” he said. “The quality and effectiveness of the state’s laws and the representation of all national interests, as well as the interests of commune councils across the country, is a main priority that the Senate has concentrated on and prepared for thoroughly through its work activities, particularly the representation function, legislation function and oversight function.”

He said that it also played a role in providing recommendations and guidelines in strengthening state leadership toward rule of law and good governance and made an invaluable contribution to the success of the commune councils. As a bridge between the people and the state, as well as a representative of the commune council, the senate has to push for the implementation of decentralized and deconcentrated policy and rural development with the aim of alleviating poverty.

“We have been working to the concurrent progress of the democratization process within both the local and national levels in order to lead our society towards harmonization,”he said.

Oum Sarith, Secretary General of the Senate, said that from 1999 to 2005 was a period that the first legislature of the Senate kicked off its journey. Members of the Senate in the first legislature were appointed by the King at the request of the Senate President and the President of the National Assembly. He added that the mandate was postponed two times in the first legislature.

Since 2006, the second legislature of the Senate has been in office, Sarith added. It emerged through a non-universal election on January 22, 2006, with all incumbent members of the National Assembly and members of the commune councils from eight regions across the country taking part.

“This second step is considered as an evolution step of the Senate as it has a clear identity, especially the representation of the entire commune councils and the Khmer people as a whole,” he said.