A/HRC/4/36 page 20 91. The Government of Cambodia has produced successive reform plans which speak of governance, Millennium Development Goals, sustainable development, poverty reduction, rule of law and legal and judicial reform. It is, however, largely silent on the central issues raised in this and in previous reports of special representatives. That many reform plans have not been implemented and that progress has been less than expected is often attributed to continued weak institutional capacity, lack of coordination among donors, too many competing demands on fragile government institutions, and a lack of qualified people, a legacy of the Khmer Rouge period. 92. While these may have some validity, the Special Representative has concluded that in reality those holding economic and political power are reluctant to support genuine reform when they benefit from and rely on their control over State institutions to remain in power. 93. It is clear that technical cooperation, training and capacity building alone will not work without addressing the underlying problems and without a firm demand for accountability. The use of systemic human rights violations has been a rational choice for those who hold power in Cambodia, and who refuse to accept accountability vis-à-vis the law and the people of Cambodia. Different choices might be possible if the costs of repression were to be seen as being greater than their immediate benefits. 94. As evidence from Cambodia’s recent history and elsewhere indicates, repression, intimidation and extortion can create preconditions for serious counter violence. The Prime Minister has himself recognized this, for example, in his statements on land grabbing. 95. The reports and recommendations of the special representatives, the resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly and the concluding observations and recommendations of the human rights treaty bodies should all be an integral part of the dialogue between the Government and donor agencies. And Cambodia’s neighbours and influential Governments in the Asian region, especially those providing significant development assistance and loans to the Government, should be far more active in discharging their responsibilities towards Cambodia and its people. VIII. CONCLUSIONS 96. With the end of civil conflict, overall security has improved in Cambodia. Yet, the absence of effective institutions of government, basic laws and an impartial judiciary, accompanied by continuing impunity and threats against those who criticize the status quo, increasing landlessness and growing numbers of displaced persons all leave Cambodia’s citizens insecure, vulnerable to systemic denial and violations of their rights, and exposed to well-established methods for maintaining the existing economic and political order. Few of the problems Cambodia faces today are unique: entrenched corruption at the highest level; a system based on patronage; pillaging of natural resources; divide-and-rule tactics; use of the State structure to undermine the political opposition; and enrichment of the few to the neglect of the many.