Ruth Tigges Professionals and governance: juggling actors in the reform of the Cambodian administration Dissertation submitted at the Department for Southeast Asian Studies II, Faculty of Philosophy University of Passau January 2009 1 For Stella Maite 2 LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES 5 LIST OF ANNEXES 6 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 7 ABSTRACT 11 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 12 1. INTRODUCTION 14 1.1. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK........................................................................................................ 15 1.2 INSTRUMENTS AND SELECTION CRITERIA .................................................................................... 23 2. PROFESSIONALS AND STATE-FORMATION: CONTINUITY AND CHANGE 24 2.1. PROFESSIONALS DURING THE ANGKOR PERIOD ......................................................................... 24 2.2. THE EARLY MODERNIZERS: PARAPROFESSIONALS AND NATION BUILDING.............................. 27 2.3. PROFESSIONALS AND LEFTIST MOVEMENTS ............................................................................... 29 2.4. THE FIGURATION OF STRATEGIC GROUPS AFTER THE KHMER ROUGES .................................. 32 2.5. COOPTATION OF PROFESSIONALS? FROM BUREAUCRATIC POLITY TO BUREAUCRATIC CAPITALISM .......................................................................................................................................... 35 2.6. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................. 38 3. PROFESSIONALS TODAY: A STRATEGIC GROUP? 39 3.1. EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................... 39 3.2. OCCUPATIONAL FIELDS: WHERE ARE THEY NOW? .................................................................... 43 3.3. CASE STUDIES ................................................................................................................................ 45 3.3.1 CASE STUDIES OF PROFESSIONALS WORKING AS CIVIL SERVANTS............................................... 45 3.3.2. CASE STUDIES OF PROFESSIONALS WORKING FOR DONOR ORGANIZATIONS............................... 47 3.3.3. CASE STUDY OF A PROFESSIONAL IN A NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION (NGO) ............. 50 3.3.4 A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY OF A PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYED IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR ........... 51 3.3.5. ANALYSIS .................................................................................................................................... 52 3.4 PATTERNS OF SELF-ORGANIZATION: PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS ..................................... 53 3.5. COGNITIVE STRUCTURES AND LIFEWORLDS: HOW CAMBODIAN PROFESSIONALS THINK ...... 55 3.5.1 SIMILARITIES IN LIFESTYLES AND COGNITION.............................................................................. 56 3.5.2 DIFFERENCES RESULTING FROM VERTICAL INTEGRATION ........................................................... 59 3.6. BEHAVIOR AND PRACTICES WITHIN THE CAMBODIAN BUREAUCRACY .................................... 64 3.7. LACK OF COMMON STRATEGY? ................................................................................................... 68 3.8. PROFESSIONALS: A CAMBODIAN STRATEGIC GROUP?............................................................... 70 3.9 PROFESSIONALS: A GLOBAL STRATEGIC GROUP?........................................................................ 71 3.10 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................ 74 4. ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM IN POST 1993 CAMBODIA: IMPLICATIONS AND INSTITUTIONAL SETTING 76 3 4.1. INSTITUTIONAL SETTING OF DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION FOR ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS AND ITS ACTORS ................................................................................................................................... 76 4.1.1 THE POLITICAL NEGOTIATION LEVEL: CDCF (UNTIL 2007 CG)................................................... 78 4.1.2 THE SEMI-POLITICAL, TECHNICAL LEVEL: GOVERNMENT DONOR COOPERATION COMMITTEE (GDCC) ................................................................................................................................................. 79 4.1.3 THE TECHNICAL LEVEL: TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP (TWG).................................................. 80 4.2. THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS AND ITS OFFICE ........................................................................... 81 4.3. HISTORIC CONTEXTUALIZATION OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM................................ 83 4.3.1 THE PRIORITY MISSION GROUP (PMG)........................................................................................ 90 4.3.2 THE MERIT BASED PAY INCENTIVE (MBPI) SCHEME .................................................................. 91 4.4. POLITICAL TENSIONS .................................................................................................................... 92 4.4.1 POLITICAL CONFRONTATION AT THE GOVERNMENT-DONOR COORDINATION COMMITTEE (GDCC) LEVEL ...................................................................................................................................... 93 4.4.2 POLITICAL CONFRONTATION AT THE CDCF LEVEL...................................................................... 96 4.5. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................... 101 5. PROFESSIONALS AND ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM: A CONTESTED NEGOTIATION PROCESS 103 5.1. THE POLITICAL TENSIONS AND THEIR BASIS WITHIN THE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION ................................................................................................................. 103 5.2. THE CONTESTED ISSUES: JOINT MONITORING INDICATORS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS....... 105 5.3. THE JOINT MONITORING INDICATOR’S RELATIONSHIP AND THEIR DYNAMICS OVER TIME. 106 5.4. ANALYSIS OF THE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP (TWG) ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM (PAR) MEETINGS................................................................................................................ 109 5.4.1 JOINT MONITORING INDICATOR 1: IMPLEMENT THE APPROVED "JOINT GOVERNMENT-DONOR STRATEGY” FOR PHASING OUT SALARY SUPPLEMENTATION PRACTICES IN CAMBODIA .................. 110 5.4.2 JOINT MONITORING INDICATOR 2: IMPROVE PAY AND EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE. .............................................................................................................................................. 116 5.4.3 JOINT MONITORING INDICATOR 3 AND 4.................................................................................... 129 5.5. CONSENSUS FINDING 2008 .......................................................................................................... 132 5.6 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................ 134 6. CONCLUSION 137 BIBLIOGRAPHY 141 4 List of Figures and Tables FIG. 1: NUMBER OF CAMBODIAN STUDENTS STUDYING OUTSIDE CAMBODIA 41 TABLE 1: AGE DISTRIBUTION OF CAMBODIA GRADUATES 43 FIG. 2: PROFESSIONALS AND THEIR OCCUPATIONAL SPHERES 42 FIG. 3: THE THREE INTERFACES FOR POLICY NEGOTIATIONS 77 FIG. 4: CHRONOLOGY OF KEY DOCUMENTS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM 85 FIG.5 THE KEY COMPONENTS OF THE STRATEGY TO RATIONALIZE THE CIVIL SERVICE 86 TABLE 2: CHRONOLOGY OF THE MEETINGS OF THE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM 108 5 List of Annexes ANNEX 1: MAP OF CAMBODIA 148 ANNEX 2 : INTERVIEW QUESTIONNAIRE 149 ANNEXE 3: TRANSITION OF POLITICAL, LEGAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEMS IN CAMBODIA 151 ANNEX 4: SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF SELECTED PROFESSIONALS 155 ANNEX 5: STATEMENT OF THE GENERAL THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL UNITED MOVEMENT JANUARY 1999 164 ANNEX 6 : CAMBODIAN TYCOONS IN THE SENATE AND THEIR ACTIVITIES 167 ANNEX 7: “IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR” 168 ANNEX8 : SINCERE CONGRATULATIONS TO HIS EXCELLENCY SOK AN, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, MINISTER IN CHARGE OF THE OFFICE OF COUNCIL OF MINISTERS ON THE OCCASION OF THE CEREMONY TO CONFER HIS HONORARY DOCTORAL DEGREE OF PUBLIC POLICY AND MANAGEMENT CHAMROEUN UNIVERSITY OF POLYTECHNOLOGY (CUP) DELIVERED BY H.E OM YENTIENG 169 ANNEX 9: KEY PROFESSIONAL FIGURES OF THE “RUSSIAN GENERATION”: DR MONIROTH AND DR. CHUON NARON 172 ANNEX 10: NUMBER OF CENTRAL AND PROVINCIAL SERVANTS BY MINISTRY 177 ANNEX 11: STRUCTURE OF THE ROYAL GOVERNMENT OF CAMBODIA 181 ANNEX12 : LIST OF THE JOINT TECHNICAL WORKING GROUPS IN CAMBODIA 179 ANNEX 13: ACTION PLAN OF THE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATIVE REFORM 2007 180 ANNEXE14 : THE OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS (OCOM) 182 ANNEX15 : LIST OF INTERVIEWEES 183 ANNEX 16: THE RECTANGULAR STRATEGY 185 ANNEX 17: TIMELINE OF LYCÉE SISOWATH'S HISTORY186 ANNEX18: KEY CAMBODIAN UNIVERSITIES 188 6 List of abbreviations AAA Australian Alumni Association AFEC Alliance for Freedom of Expression in Cambodia ASCOJA Asian Council of Japan Alumni ADA Appui de Dévelopement Autonome Ad Hoc Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association APSARA Authority in charge of the Management of Angkor and the Region of Siem Reap BSAF Base Salary and Allowances Framework CAR Council for Administrative Reform CCHR Cambodian Center for Human Rights CDC Council for the Development of Cambodia CDCF Cambodia Development Cooperation Forum CDRI Cambodia Development Resource Institute CG Consultative Group CGDK Coalition Government of Democratic Kampuchea CIB Cambodian Investment Board CICP Cambodian Institute for Cooperation