TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Cambodia sees mixed bag for 2015

Cambodia expects the arrival of the ASEAN Community in 2015 to present challenges as well as opportunities for its people

Sok Chan (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, September 13, 2012

Share This Article

Change Size

Cambodia sees mixed bag for 2015

C

ambodia expects the arrival of the ASEAN Community in 2015 to present challenges as well as opportunities for its people.

Economic advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sok Siphanna believes that the ASEAN integrity will create more opportunity for Cambodia.

“Cheap labor in Cambodia is one factor that can attract investment,” he said.

In the manufacturing sector, the opportunities could be even wider.

“Our manufactured products could be available to the 500 million people in the ASEAN region,” he added at a roundtable discussion on the ASEAN Economic Community 2015, organized by the Club of Cambodian Journalists and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Phnom Penh recently.

He realized that opportunity should be pursued and urged Cambodians to take initiative.

“Cambodians should be prepared for the future. It is time for Cambodia to further develop,” he said.

Cambodia’s Information Minister Khieu Kanharith stressed the need to reform education as a tool to better develop its youth into the leaders of tomorrow.

The education system in Cambodia is still not standardized across the country, and though there are good schools, they are far too expensive for the average Cambodian.

“Education is an important factor which could give Cambodia the ability to compete with other ASEAN members.”

Moeun Tola, head of the labor program at the Community of Legal Education Center, said that in order to compete with ASEAN members in 2015, Cambodia has to strengthen the ability of its students, increase vocational training courses for unskilled workers, and further educate farmers on land, budget, market and technique.

The ASEAN Community 2015 would see people and products crossing freely in the region.

His main concern is that Cambodians are not able to compete with their immediate neighbors such as Vietnam and Thailand. “They have an abundant amount of skilled workers,” he said.

Labor analyst Kem Ley criticized the government for not setting up a comprehensive program to prepare its people to work overseas. Cambodians should be trained with certain skills so that they can compete with other ASEAN peers. “Migrant workers need more vocational skills,” he said to The Jakarta Post over the phone.

One major challenge that should be addressed is language. “English is commonly used in the Southeast Asia region,” he added.

Ken Chanthan, president of the Young Entrepreneurs Association of Cambodia, said that 2015 would also provide big opportunities for young entrepreneurs to expand their business.

Having deep knowledge about different cultures, politics and regulations would broaden understanding throughout the region.

The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.