PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has asked political parties and civil society organizations not to consider the actions taken by the Royal Government to help people in need as a tactic to gain more votes for the 2023 general election, stressing that the interests of the people are not a political game.

Speaking at the Cambodia Vision 2022 conference on Thursday morning, 6 October, the Prime Minister said that the measures the Royal Government has taken to help citizens in the past and in the present are based on policies that benefit all citizens of Cambodia.

"It is not a joke for political issues, but a great responsibility for the history of our nation," he said.

The Prime Minister also recalled the Royal Government’s involvement in helping people during the Covid-19 outbreak, saying that that Cambodia’s government, although poor, does not allow its people to die from this pandemic. The government has also provided monetary assistance to those who have been most affected by Covid-19, social assistance which has now recently been extended to those affected by inflation.

In this line, the Prime Minister urged political parties and civil society to understand this issue well.

"This is our responsibility and we hope that political parties and civil society will not use this issue as a weapon against the government,” he said. “To continue providing monetary support for the victims of Covid-19, with the provision of support for those who are affected by inflation as well, [is not] political manipulation, this is just a precaution."

Cambodia is considered as one of the world’s most successful countries in recovering from Covid-19, which can be attributed to the Royal Government's nationwide vaccination campaign that allowed the country to fully reopen on 1 November 2021.

The Royal Government has also spent around US $800 million to provide social assistance to the families that have been hardest hit by the pandemic. This does not include the budget used to purchase vaccines and treat people from Covid-19.