Two-tier local government - Accelerating right from the start - Part 3: Young officials find jobs on their own

The first days of operating the two-tier local government model recorded the image of young officials working diligently, leaving a good impression on the people. When young people step out of their offices, go down to the neighborhoods, proactively connect and share with the people, it is no longer a top-down reform but a movement from within the government.

Stick to the basics

After implementing the restructuring of the administrative apparatus with the operation of the 2-level local government model, in many communes and wards in Hanoi , the working atmosphere has many positive changes. Despite facing pressure from personnel changes, reassignment of tasks and adjustment of functions and tasks between departments, many localities have quickly stabilized the organization, maintaining a smooth administrative operation. Cadres, civil servants and workers in wards and communes are not only doing administrative work but also conveying the spirit of a government that serves faster and is closer to the people.

Thanh Khe Ward Youth Union ( Da Nang City) organized a volunteer team to support people at the Public Administration Service Center. Photo: XUAN QUYNH

Although it was late afternoon and a weekend, the Kien Hung Ward Public Administration Service Point (Hanoi) was still crowded with people coming to do administrative procedures. Ms. Vuong Thi Huyen, a specialist at the Kien Hung Ward Public Administration Service Point, shared that in the past month, almost every day, the staff of the unit worked 9-10 hours/day. The ward has arranged staff to guide people enthusiastically and warmly; step by step, the digital platform has been strongly applied. The entire document processing process is now digitized.

According to Ms. Nguyen Phuong Anh, Deputy Head of the Department of Social and Cultural Affairs, Kien Hung Ward People's Committee, when people come to the public administrative service point of the ward, they are all enthusiastically guided, getting a queue number, submitting documents, looking up or receiving results all become easy and quick. Each officer not only fully implements professional procedures but also acts as a bridge between the government and the people, demonstrating the spirit of service through closeness, initiative and flexibility in handling work.

In Ban Co Ward (HCMC), Mr. Bui Duy Hung, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the ward and Secretary of the ward Youth Union, still remembers the first days of taking on the task when the agency headquarters was severely degraded after many handovers. “We had to go from house to house, mobilize each table, each chair, even ask for a potted plant to beautify the agency. The headquarters is not only a place to work, but also a place to welcome people, a place to create trust and attachment,” Mr. Bui Duy Hung said. Thanks to the consensus of the whole collective, after only 2 weeks, the headquarters had a spacious and cozy appearance. Mr. Bui Duy Hung also coordinated with the Youth Union and colleges and universities to organize a program to support people at the ward's Public Administration Service Center. Young people in the "Green Summer" campaign directly assisted the elderly, guided them step by step in filling out the application, making many people moved to write letters of thanks. Every word of thanks, every smile from the people is the motivation for everyone to try harder in their work every day.

As a young cadre assigned to be in charge of the ward's activities, Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Tam, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of the ward and Secretary of the Hoa Hung Ward Youth Union (HCMC), shared that the current workload is much heavier than before. There are days when, instead of finishing work at 5 p.m., she and her colleagues stay until the evening to complete the report for the next day, as well as regularly connect with each neighborhood. According to Ms. Tam, through such visits to the grassroots, direct connections have been created and many intermediate steps in the activities have been shortened.

Dynamic, creative

Throughout the country, exemplary behavior has been spreading in many places, from urban to remote areas, in many different ways. For example, after the policy of merging commune levels, in Lao Cai province, young cadres who are ethnic minorities volunteered to work in remote and disadvantaged areas of the province, with the desire to contribute their youth to the work of streamlining the apparatus and improving the effectiveness and efficiency of state management at the grassroots level. After the arrangement, Che Tao commune - a unique and disadvantaged commune of the province - received 20 cadres from other places who volunteered to work. Volunteering to Che Tao commune, Ms. Ly Thi Them, Head of the Department of Culture and Society, said that as a young person, she wanted to have practical experiences and be responsible to the community. For her and many other colleagues, the smiles of the people and the socio -economic development of the commune are worthy compensation for their contributions. Many young officials in the current government apparatus not only perform their professional duties well but also spread the spirit of dedication and dare to take on difficult tasks.

Many young cadres working in communes and wards in Hanoi go to work early and come home late with an increased workload. Mr. Nguyen Tien Phuc, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and Secretary of the Ha Dong Ward Youth Union, shared that although the workload has increased many times, this is a challenge for young people taking on important positions at the grassroots level. To carry out his duties well, Mr. Nguyen Tien Phuc proactively applied technology to coordinate work contacts. He set up a Zalo group with the participation of Youth Union branch secretaries, clearly assigned tasks, and organized a network of deputy Youth Union secretaries from old wards to be in charge of each contact. He also took courses on AI to apply technology in processing records and managing union activities. According to him, technology helps reduce pressure and improve efficiency, especially in the 2-level local government model.

Also in Hanoi, Ha Dong Ward established a youth volunteer team to support people in completing administrative procedures at the ward’s Public Administration Service Center. This young force becomes a “bridge” between the government and the people, helping all procedures to be carried out quickly and neatly.

The young generation’s understanding of technology is also a big advantage. They proactively use Zalo, fanpages, and online groups to receive feedback, disseminate policies, and provide timely information to each household. A ward leader in Ho Chi Minh City believes that the current generation of young officials is the decisive factor in the success of the two-tier local government model. They are a new source of energy, bringing a breath of fresh air to the grassroots apparatus, helping the government get closer to the people and serve them better.

After the merger, Thanh Khe ward's population is about 201,240 people, considered the ward with the largest population in Da Nang City. Every day, the ward's Public Administration Service Center receives nearly 600 people coming to do administrative procedures. Among the bustling crowd, it is easy to see the image of young Youth Union officials, wearing green volunteer shirts, patiently guiding people through each step, from scanning the QR code to get a queue number, declaring documents on the computer to checking documents according to the list.

At the online declaration support area, the atmosphere is always bustling but orderly. Many elderly people, with trembling hands holding their phones, confused about where to start, were immediately helped by young people. Some sat close by, pointing to each item on the screen; some gently reminded each operation, encouraging them while doing it: "It's okay, just do it slowly". Although the pressure increased during rush hour, the young people were always calm, enthusiastic, and ready to repeat the process if people did not understand. After being supported in declaring documents, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lai (65 years old, residing in Thanh Khe ward) happily said: "I'm old, using the phone is slow, and I don't know how to use the computer. Luckily, there were some young members of the Youth Union who supported me enthusiastically, showing me step by step, which was very valuable".

Mr. Mai Hong Anh, Secretary of Thanh Khe Ward Youth Union, said that many members have attended community digital technology training courses, so they are proficient in operations, have a firm grasp of the process, and are capable of both online support and handling on-site situations.

- Dr. TRAN ANH TUAN, Chairman of Vietnam Administrative Science Association, former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs:

Currently, with the two-tier local government model, each cadre and civil servant performs more tasks and is in charge of more areas than before. The young cadres are the pioneers, both having the ability to access technology and daring to innovate management thinking. When the apparatus is streamlined, the capacity requirements are higher, forcing young cadres to constantly learn and improve their skills to meet the people's expectations.

- Mr. NGUYEN TUC, Member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front:

What is valuable about the young generation of cadres is the spirit of selfless dedication, the desire to develop all their abilities for the common good. That enthusiasm is very valuable, completely different from the "holding on to one's seat" mentality that existed in a part of the cadres in the past. Compared to our generation, today's young cadres are much better in terms of education, science, and technology, and have more conditions to develop in all situations. That spirit of progress, willingness to sacrifice, and willingness to contribute is very necessary in the current period.

REPORTER GROUP

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/chinh-quyen-dia-phuong-2-cap-tang-toc-ngay-khi-khoi-dong-bai-3-can-bo-tre-tu-tim-viec-de-lam-post806043.html