'Prescribing medicine' for the disease of avoiding and shirking responsibility

Identifying signs of officials avoiding responsibility

According to delegate Tran Quoc Tuan (National Assembly Delegation of Tra Vinh province), the situation of civil servants shirking and avoiding responsibility can be divided into groups. One is the group of officials who have degraded political ideology, officials who shirk and are afraid of responsibility, shirking and dodging, officials who do not want to do it because there is no personal benefit. The second is the group of officials who are afraid of violating the law and do not dare to do it.

According to delegate Tran Quoc Tuan, cadres who have degraded political ideology, show signs of avoidance, fear of responsibility, shirking responsibility, fear of making mistakes, and do not want to do things because they do not have personal interests, can be overcome immediately because up to now, at any time or in any agency, unit, or locality, there have always been a small number of cadres with such a nature. The problem is whether the unit can identify it or not, and when it does, how to handle it.

The urgent solution that needs to be done immediately is to replace these cadres with good cadres who are dedicated and responsible, because we do not lack good cadres.

“In the long term, in addition to Conclusion No. 14 of the Politburo, I propose that the National Assembly and the Government should direct the review and improvement of the legal system, especially legal regulations related to civil servants and public employees to ensure consistency, no overlap, and no contradictions to serve as a basis for encouraging and protecting dynamic, creative cadres who dare to think, dare to do, and dare to make breakthroughs for the common good,” delegate Tran Quoc Tuan suggested.

As for the group of officials who are afraid of violating the law and do not dare to do anything, this is the majority of the officials who are afraid of responsibility, they themselves have created the above limitations. This is also the biggest obstacle causing work congestion in the whole system.

The reason for this phenomenon is that some current legal documents, especially sub-law documents, lack uniformity and are difficult to implement. Typically, the same content of regulations can be understood differently or the same content of work can be implemented in two sub-law documents with inconsistent instructions.

“I witnessed on the sidelines of the National Assembly session, two National Assembly deputies debated the content of a provision of a law that is still in effect. That debate made me very worried and concerned, because it was happening right in the legislative body, so it cannot be ruled out that it will happen in executive agencies, including inspection and examination agencies, and thus there is a risk of leading to many different consequences for officials performing public duties. These shortcomings were frankly reflected by many National Assembly deputies during the discussion session on May 29, 2023,” said delegate Tran Quoc Tuan.

Another reason is that officials are afraid of violating the law, worried that inspection and examination work is becoming more and more substantial, along with the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity being implemented drastically and more and more effectively. In particular, there are cases of law violations from many years ago that have been discovered and, due to the seriousness of the violations, have been criminally prosecuted. These cases have made many officials afraid, because those officials have done similar work at previous times, which has created a contagious effect on some other officials, forming a mentality of hesitation, fear, fear of being disciplined, especially fear of being criminally prosecuted. Among those officials, we do not exclude that there are dedicated and responsible officials, but they cannot carry out their work due to the inadequacy and lack of consistency in the guiding documents.

Sharing this view, delegate Vu Trong Kim (National Assembly Delegation of Nam Dinh Province) said that the issue of civil servants being afraid of making mistakes here needs to be clearly mentioned in terms of being afraid of making mistakes and avoiding and pushing them away. Whatever is favorable, they take it upon themselves, and whatever is difficult, they push it to the organization, other people and outsiders...

Delegate Vu Trong Kim stated: At the recent mid-term conference of the Party Central Committee, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong made an important speech clarifying these manifestations and pointing out the causes. Accordingly, a number of cadres fear that if the fight against corruption becomes stronger, they will lose their will and not dare to act. This is the most sensitive cause that the National Assembly delegates have not mentioned.

What is the solution?

Regarding the solution to diagnose and treat this disease, delegate To Van Tam (National Assembly Delegation of Kon Tum Province) said that it is necessary to handle the assignment of responsibilities, individualize the responsibilities in the implementation of public duties as well as individualize the responsibilities of collectives and individuals in advising or proposing amendments and promulgating legal documents within their authority. The reason is that the delay in promulgating detailed documents has not been overcome.

From the above situation, some National Assembly deputies proposed that the National Assembly and the Government should pay attention to, focus on researching, reviewing, amending and supplementing the full contents of legal regulations, especially sub-law documents, to ensure strictness, consistency and ease of application so that localities, units, organizations and individuals can immediately implement them based on them.

The Prime Minister has repeatedly directed to further promote decentralization and delegation of power, but so far there has been no change. If this work is done well, it will reduce the pressure and burden on higher-level agencies, while increasing the responsibility of localities and lower-level agencies. To do so, it is necessary to determine which tasks are the responsibility of the locality, then boldly delegate power to the locality, and the locality will be responsible before the law.

Identifying and overcoming the above phenomenon, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that this situation has delayed and stagnated public service activities, eroded and weakened the trust of people and businesses in state agencies; hindered development motivation and resources, affected all aspects of social life, especially the socio-economic development goals in the current difficult context of the country.

Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra affirmed that, more than ever, it is necessary to change to raise awareness and responsibility for cadres and civil servants in each agency and unit. Focus on political education, ideology and public ethics. Immediately and drastically rectify to seriously implement the Party's Resolutions on Party building and rectification associated with the responsibilities of Party members, cadres and civil servants and seriously implement the Directive of the Government and the Prime Minister on strengthening discipline in state administrative agencies, handling the work of ministries, branches and localities.

Strictly implementing the direction of the National Assembly, the National Assembly Chairman, the Government and the Prime Minister, step up the review, proposal to supplement and perfect institutions and policies, especially in the socio-economic field where difficulties and problems still arise in practice and contents related to powers, authorities, agencies and organizations; promote decentralization, delegation of power and authorization.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has advised on institutionalizing the Party's policy on encouraging the protection of cadres, innovation, daring to think, daring to do, daring to take responsibility for the common good. Currently, the Ministry of Home Affairs has consulted with ministries, branches, experts, 63 provinces and cities, and the Ministry of Justice, but due to legal and jurisdictional problems, it has reported to the Government Party Committee to report to the competent authority. If necessary, it will report to the National Assembly to issue a pilot resolution to protect cadres who dare to think, dare to do, be dynamic and creative.

Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra said: The Ministry of Home Affairs also advised competent authorities on the roadmap for reforming salary policies and ensuring income for cadres, civil servants and public employees. Clearly define the responsibilities of heads of agencies and organizations in performing public duties. Mobilize the entire political system to participate synchronously to implement solutions with the highest sense of responsibility, determined to break the mentality of fear of mistakes, fear of responsibility and inaction in performing public duties. In addition, the Minister of Home Affairs also reported to the National Assembly on solutions for reforming administrative procedures, in which the Ministry advised the Government and the Prime Minister on more synchronous, specific and drastic solutions to promote administrative reform in general as well as reform of administrative procedures, removing difficulties and obstacles for investment enterprises as well as for development.

Delegate Tran Van Khai (Ha Nam Province National Assembly Delegation) proposed that the National Assembly Standing Committee assign the Law Committee to preside with the National Assembly agencies in 2024 to conduct thematic supervision of "Implementation of legal policies by cadres and civil servants according to the Law on Cadres and Civil Servants in 2022" nationwide. In particular, focusing on the obligations and rights of cadres and civil servants (Chapter II) and the things that cadres and civil servants are not allowed to do in Section 4, Article 18, which stipulates prohibited things related to public ethics: Evading responsibility, shirking assigned tasks, causing factions, disunity, voluntarily quitting work or participating in strikes.

Urgently, continue to perfect the institution in the direction of focusing on individualizing responsibilities, especially the responsibilities of leaders. At each level, each sector, each locality, build a process to personalize the responsibilities of each job and each field, taking actual effectiveness as the basis for evaluating cadres. Continue to direct the tightening of discipline throughout the political system, emphasizing the assignment and assignment of tasks to clear people, clear tasks, clear deadlines, along with regular inspection and supervision. When each agency, unit, organization, and locality is interested in and determined to individualize responsibilities, the strength of the political system will certainly be increasingly consolidated.

The National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels shall strengthen the functions of supervision, questioning, re-questioning and requesting explanations to enhance the personal responsibility of officials and civil servants, especially leaders.

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