http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/g ... udget-2018
The Council of Ministers on Friday approved a national budget for next year that calls for more than $6 billion in spending, the largest increase ever proposed for the Kingdom, with big boosts for education, defence and the arts.
In an executive summary of the draft law released on Friday, the Council of Ministers proposes raising the budget by nearly $1 billion, stating that the budget increases are necessary to run the Senate and national elections next year and to improve the economy.
“The royal government must ensure both elections will be smooth, orderly, correct, free and fair,” the statement read.
In addition, the money is also needed “to ensure defence, peace and social stability” in order to prevent “any tricks and any kinds of attempts to make the country fall into chaos and instability”.
The proposal will go to the National Assembly by the end of the week – the second time in as many years that the legislative body is forced to decide the budget amid significant political turmoil.
Cambodia National Rescue Party President Party President Kem Sokha is currently in pretrial detention on “treason” charges, while Prime Minister Hun Sen has alleged the party as a whole is involved in a plot to topple the CPP-led government.
Last year, the CPP-controlled National Assembly voted in favour of a $5 billion budget for 2017 in the absence of CNRP lawmakers, who boycotted in protest of a number of politically charged legal cases against their colleagues.
If the proposal is accepted, the Ministry of Education will see the single biggest funding boost, of roughly $167 million, or 24 percent. The Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Health are also set to receive sizeable increases of 17 and 15 percent, respectively, or $80 million and $63 million.