Cambodian PM Denies Ministry Merger Rumors, Focuses on 'Institutional Strengthening'

Prime Minister Hun Manet has reiterated that the government has no plans to reform its administration by merging ministries and institutions. The Prime Minister emphasized that the focus of administrative reform is on strengthening existing institutions, not reducing the number of ministries. Speaking at a ceremony to distribute property ownership certificates to citizens in Kandal province, Prime Minister Hun Manet stated, "Our reform policy remains the same from the beginning; there is no plan to cut ministries and institutions. However, each ministry and institution must analyze its functions." In this regard, the Prime Minister suggested that departmental-level staff reductions within ministries might occur to strengthen institutions, avoid overlapping roles, and align with the evolving economic, social, and technological landscape. This announcement comes in response to circulating rumors on social media suggesting that some ministries would be reduced and merged into a single entity. Furthermore, some reports indicated that certain ministries would be downgraded to directorate-general level, with their ministers potentially moving to Deputy Prime Minister positions after such mergers. Prime Minister Hun Manet explicitly rejected these claims and called for an immediate cessation of discussions regarding the dissolution of ministries. He characterized the rumors about ministry dissolutions as false information that could negatively impact the morale of civil servants. The seventh mandate government has identified public administration reform as a key priority, aiming to analyze functions and restructure state ministries and institutions. This reform strategy is being implemented across all government bodies, with the Ministry of Civil Service, as the secretariat of the reform committee, having completed functional analyses of various ministries and institutions.