PHNOM PENH – The government will not merge or cut down ministries but will focus on strengthening their capability to perform their tasks, Prime Minister Hun Manet says.

He told the closing ceremony of the annual convention of the Ministry of Civil Service on March 20 his government was taking a “strengthening rather than expanding” approach to public administration reform.

Reform, based on function analysis and structure review, aimed to make procedures more effective and efficient. 

It also deals with unclear or overlapping functions and responsibilities of ministries, institutions and units under ministries.

Reforms will tackle lack of centralization and will focus on activities to be implemented clearly, based on the budget and human resources of the ministries and institutions.

It also addresses complexities and difficulties in the relationships between ministries, institutions and ministries, institutions or between units and units under the same ministry or institution.

Each ministry or state institution must consult the Ministry of Civil Service and Ministry of Economy and Finance during function analysis.

Currently, there are 28 ministries, two secretariats — Civil Aviation and Border Affairs — and the office of the Council of Ministers. 

Twenty ministries and institutions have held conferences to review their structure with the Ministry of Civil Service. 

Hun Manet said that Cambodia will not follow reform by cutting numbers of civil servants or demolishing ministries which are being carried out in many countries such as the US or Vietnam. 

He said he will not merge the ministries of Agriculture, Water Resources and Meteorology, and Rural Development — the three ministries long criticized as having overlapping tasks. He said the ministries will strengthen their duties and work effectively together.

He acknowledged that reform might cause unease among public servants, especially those directly affected. 

“No reform is easy,” he said. 

He said success depends on various factors including clear vision, strong commitment and participation of all stakeholders.

“Our approach is different from other countries,” he said. 

“Our ‘strengthening rather than expanding method’ is to increase effectiveness inside each institution and official performance,” he said, adding that human resource is the most decisive factor.

The government’s approach would be criticized but Cambodia was doing things its own way.

The function analysis and structure will help understand the situation of public administration before taking any action to deal with issues that arise. 

He said the government cannot slash state institutions or transfer civil servants without understanding the real problem.

He also told ministries and institutions to improve their services, including cutting down complex procedures and speeding up service provision.