Rectify the situation of shirking responsibility.

Lesson 1: "Diagnosing" the fear of making mistakes and the fear of responsibility.

The guiding principles of our Party and State affirm that cadres and civil servants are servants of the people and have the responsibility to serve the people. However, currently, in many places, cadres and civil servants are withdrawn, evasive, and shirk responsibility, failing to properly and fully perform their duties and responsibilities. This "disease" causes delays in resolving many legitimate issues for citizens and businesses, hindering the socio -economic development of the province and the country.

They want a high position, but are afraid of responsibility.

The disease of "fear of responsibility" was clearly pointed out by President Ho Chi Minh during his lifetime. In his ideological legacy, President Ho Chi Minh addressed the root cause of this "fear of responsibility" very specifically: "If it benefits me, I am proactive; if it does not benefit me, I am passive. I want a high position, but I fear responsibility."

According to Uncle Ho, those afflicted with the fear of responsibility are those who: "Want high positions, but fear heavy responsibilities. Gradually, their fighting spirit and enthusiasm diminish, their heroic spirit and the fine qualities of a revolutionary also diminish; they forget that the number one standard of a revolutionary is the lifelong determination to fight for the Party and the revolution."

In the book by the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on "Resolutely and persistently fighting against corruption and negative phenomena, contributing to building our Party and State to be increasingly clean and strong" - published on the occasion of the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 2023) - excerpts from articles previously published in the Communist Magazine, including articles written by the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong nearly 50 years ago on the fear of responsibility, clearly point out the disease of fear of responsibility and its manifestations: "The immediate tasks require everyone to have a very high sense of responsibility, but currently among our cadres and Party members there are still comrades who fear responsibility."

The leaders of Son Duong district presided over the citizen reception.

In the context of the country's efforts to build a constructive, honest, and people-serving government, the issue of officials shirking responsibility is becoming a pressing concern, causing public outrage. In reality, many officials and civil servants, especially at the grassroots level, exhibit behaviors of shirking responsibility, avoiding, or even being indifferent to the urgent problems of the people.

The family of Mr. Nguyen Van Huan, residing in Group 4, My Lam Ward (Tuyen Quang City), has been waiting for many years to receive a land use right certificate. According to Decision No. 185/QD-UBND dated June 4, 2009, of the Yen Son District People's Committee, his family was allocated land for resettlement when the State reclaimed land for the project to renovate and upgrade National Highway 37.

However, after years of waiting, Mr. Huan's family's rights remain unresolved. Outraged, he has repeatedly sent letters to various levels of government, even appealing to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for help.

Mr. Huan expressed: "My family has complied with the State's policy and handed over the land for the project. Yet, to this day, our legitimate rights have not been guaranteed. I don't understand why such a simple matter has dragged on for so long?"

Similarly, the land dispute between the family of Mr. Dinh Quang B., Dong Tam village, and the family of Mr. Dam Xuan V., Dong Lanh village, in Tan Thanh commune (Son Duong district) has also been in a state of prolonged "suspension." Mr. B. has repeatedly sent letters to various levels of government, but has still not received a satisfactory answer, leading to a long-standing simmering conflict. Mr. B. has submitted a petition to the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee hoping for a resolution.

Prolonged delay

According to the Provincial Inspectorate's report, from 2024 to the present, the entire province has handled 2,200 cases of complaints and petitions within its jurisdiction, with 235 cases still under consideration. The province has conducted 3,426 citizen reception sessions involving 3,460 citizens and 3,413 cases. During these citizen reception sessions chaired by the Provincial People's Committee Chairman, it is not difficult to notice that cases that could have been resolved definitively at the commune or district level are instead "pushed" up to higher levels.

Typical examples include issues related to land disputes, compensation for land clearance, issuance of land use right certificates, or minor conflicts within the community, such as the land dispute between Mr. Hoang Cong Tien of Bao Ninh village and Mr. Le Duc Lanh of Lang Toi village, Yen Nguyen commune (Chiem Hoa).

For example, the protracted land expropriation case involving three families – Mr. Nguyen Phi Hung, Ms. Ngac Thi Dung, and Ms. Hoang Thi Tien – in Vinh Son residential area, Vinh Loc town (Chiem Hoa district), for the construction of Chiem Hoa Bridge, has yet to be implemented after many years… This is just one of the cases and petitions that the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee has forwarded to the district level for resolution.

Comrade Khanh Thi Xuyen, Chief Inspector of the province, stated: Complaints and denunciations are being addressed by all levels and sectors in accordance with the law, ensuring the interests of the state and the legitimate rights and interests of citizens. However, some cases and letters remain unresolved. This is due to the low level of responsibility of the heads of some agencies and units in handling complaints and denunciations. The qualifications and capabilities of some officials and civil servants working in citizen reception and complaint resolution in some sectors and localities are still limited compared to the requirements of the job; the resolution of complaints and denunciations is mainly concentrated at the district level, but the district inspection force is still small, leading to a mismatch between the workload and the number of personnel...

This situation is also clearly reflected in the monitoring activities of the Provincial People's Council. Many cases remain unresolved and delayed in addressing voters' petitions, dragging on from year to year. A typical example is the petition to expedite the procedures for Tuyen Quang Non-Ferrous Metals Joint Stock Company to return land to local management and to process land use right certificates for households residing in the Antimony Mine area, Ngoc Hoi commune (Chiem Hoa district).

Monitoring revealed that voters had petitioned on this matter since the 2nd session (August 2016), the 10th session of the 18th Provincial People's Council (August 2020), and continued to petition at the 2nd session (July 2021) and the 5th session (December 2022) of the 19th Provincial People's Council. At the time of monitoring, the petition had not been definitively resolved (after more than 8 years). According to the monitoring report and the Chiêm Hóa District People's Committee, in the Antimony Mine area, Dam Hong 3 village, there are 125 households living on an area of ​​39,347 m2. The land originated from the Thai Nguyen Non-ferrous Metallurgy Enterprise, managed since the 1970s, and allocated to households for use since 1996.

However, the legal records regarding the land use boundaries of the mine from 1960 to 1989 are incomplete. From 1989 to 1996, the map defining the mine boundaries was outside the land currently used by 125 households. Therefore, the land of these 125 households is not under the mine's management and does not need to be reclaimed. These households have been using the land stably, in accordance with the planning, and are eligible for land use right certificates. The monitoring team noted the difficulties faced by the Ngoc Hoi Commune People's Committee in locating the old records. The team requested the Provincial People's Committee to direct relevant units to guide the company in completing the procedures for returning the land to the district for management, thereby developing a plan for land allocation and issuing land use right certificates to the people.

In a complaint sent to Tuyen Quang Newspaper, Ms. Nguyen Thi T, from Ga Luoc village, Phuc Ninh commune (Yen Son district), expressed her frustration that the stream near Luoc bridge has been polluted for many years. At village meetings and voter consultations, residents have repeatedly reported the pollution to the local authorities, but it has not been thoroughly resolved. This situation has persisted, seriously affecting the daily lives of the people.

"We have repeatedly petitioned the local authorities about this situation, mentioning it at village meetings and voter consultations, but so far no thorough measures have been taken. We hope that the authorities at all levels will soon intervene, find the cause, and find a definitive solution to this pollution problem to restore a clean living environment for the people," Ms. T. shared.

According to the Provincial People's Council report, this is just one of several cases that have been unresolved for a long time. There are still outstanding cases and delays in resolving voter petitions that have dragged on year after year. This delay stems from resource constraints; the control and supervision mechanisms are sometimes overlapping and unclear, causing officials to worry about getting entangled in complex procedures. In addition, some officials lack initiative and creativity, are accustomed to a safe, "peace-seeking" approach, leading to avoidance of responsibility and shirking of duties…

The tendency to avoid responsibility, to be afraid of making mistakes, and to shy away from accountability is not just a problem for individual officials, but a dangerous "disease" that erodes public trust and slows down the country's development. If left untreated, this "disease" will have unforeseen consequences.

(To be continued)

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/chan-chinh-tinh-trang-ne-tranh-trach-nhiem-210077.html