Do not let state agencies be "safe havens" for incompetent officials.
Báo Dân trí•01/12/2024
(Dan Tri Newspaper) - General Secretary To Lam said that the Politburo has decided to temporarily suspend the appointment and nomination of candidates for higher positions in agencies and units that are slated for restructuring and streamlining.
On the morning of December 1st, the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Central Committee held a national conference to thoroughly understand and implement the summary of Resolution No. 18 of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam; to report on the socio -economic situation in 2024, solutions to accelerate socio-economic development in 2025, and to remove institutional bottlenecks and obstacles. The conference was held in person at the Dien Hong Hall, National Assembly Building, and simultaneously online to 14,535 locations at the district, grassroots, agency, unit, military region, service, and corps levels nationwide, as well as provincial and city Party committees directly under the Central Committee, with over 1.3 million delegates in attendance. In his address to the conference, General Secretary To Lam emphasized that since the 10th Central Committee meeting on September 20th, the entire political system has undergone strong movements, operating with a new spirit and new speed to create new impetus and efficiency for socio-economic development. During this period, the Politburo and the Secretariat have held more than 10 sessions to consider and resolve nearly 100 major issues within their authority, fundamentally addressing outstanding issues and resolving many newly arising problems.
With sufficient willpower and determination, there can be no delay in streamlining the apparatus.
"The question now is whether we have the strength and momentum, the will and determination to enter a new era, an era of national development and prosperity?", the General Secretary asked, and affirmed the answer: "Yes, we do." General Secretary To Lam emphasized that streamlining the apparatus cannot be delayed any longer (Photo: Hong Phong). Similarly, regarding the question of whether now is the right time, the opportune moment, and the urgent, objectively necessary requirement for a revolution in streamlining the organizational structure of the political system to ensure its effective and efficient operation, General Secretary To Lam also gave the answer: "There can be no further delay." The General Secretary emphasized three core issues. Firstly, regarding socio-economic issues, the General Secretary noted the need for innovative thinking, "unleashing" resources, decisive action, breakthroughs, and self-improvement. To achieve the goal of high-middle income for the people by 2030 and high income by 2045, Vietnam's economic growth rate must consistently reach double digits in the following years. According to the General Secretary, this is a very difficult problem that we must solve, and only a simplified solution will provide a timely answer. The General Secretary noted the need to continue making further breakthroughs in institutions, removing all difficulties, obstacles, and bottlenecks to unlock all resources and vigorously reform the administrative system, creating a favorable environment for development. "We must have a strong enough remedy to cure the disease of officials working in bureaucratic, mechanical ways; corruption, harassment, mistreating citizens and businesses, prioritizing personal gain over action, deliberately slowing down work, seeking opinions in a roundabout way, blaming the system, blaming fear of responsibility…," the General Secretary emphasized. Stressing that now is the time to act, the General Secretary suggested that localities need to reflect and think "on their own land," fostering a proactive and creative spirit for development. "More than ever, the team of officials and Party members must uphold a high sense of responsibility, set an example in performing their duties with the spirit of putting the common good first, boldly innovating, creating breakthroughs, and courageously sacrificing for the country's development," according to the General Secretary.
"To have a healthy body, sometimes you have to endure the pain of tumor surgery."
The second issue the General Secretary mentioned concerned the Party congresses at all levels leading up to the 14th National Congress. Referring to the importance of the documents to be presented at the Congress, the General Secretary stated that the documents for the 14th National Congress must closely reflect the realities of life, be concise, easy to remember, easy to implement, and should become a "textbook" or a "dictionary" so that when needed, people can "look it up" and immediately find the "guiding light." Party and State leaders and delegates attending the Conference (Photo: Hong Phong). He also emphasized the need to pay close attention to overcoming the "ailments" of personnel work before the Congress, such as: those not seeking re-election playing it safe, being cautious, and not daring to implement new ideas; prospective members of the new Party committee being self-preserving, avoiding conflict, and fearing losing votes; calculating for relatives, acquaintances, and close associates to fill leadership positions; or using "organizational maneuvers" to sideline those they dislike... The third issue, streamlining the organizational structure of the political system, according to the General Secretary, is very urgent and mandatory; the sooner it is done, the more beneficial it will be for the people and the country. "This is truly a difficult issue, even very difficult, because streamlining the apparatus will involve the thoughts, feelings, aspirations, and interests of some individuals and organizations," the General Secretary stressed. Despite thorough and systematic preparation, Party leaders acknowledge that implementation in many units will undoubtedly face difficulties, even fierce resistance. However, the General Secretary emphasized that it "must still be carried out," because to have a healthy body, sometimes we have to "take bitter medicine," endure pain to "operate on the tumor." "This is a particularly important task, a revolution in streamlining the organizational structure of the political system. This is not just a matter of scale or quantity, but more fundamentally, it must create a qualitative change in the operation of the political system," the General Secretary said. He urged leaders and heads of Party committees and agencies to be exemplary, proactive, and decisive in carrying out assigned tasks in the spirit of "running while queuing"; "The Central Committee does not wait for the provincial level, the provincial level does not wait for the district level, the district level does not wait for the grassroots"; "The Central Committee sets the example, the localities respond." Delegates attending the conference on the morning of December 1st (Photo: Hong Phong). Party leaders emphasized the need for each level and sector to closely adhere to the plan, summarize and propose models for their respective agencies and units, ensuring timely progress (ministries and sectors must complete this by December); aiming towards the common goal of completing and reporting to the Central Committee the Plan for restructuring and consolidating the organizational apparatus of the political system in the first quarter of 2025. In implementation, despite the urgency, the General Secretary stressed the need for caution, certainty, adherence to principles, and the incorporation of feedback from practical experiences, experts, scientists , and even foreign experiences... to propose the most optimal organizational streamlining.
Eliminate unnecessary positions and focus resources on those who deserve them.
The principle emphasized by the General Secretary is that one agency should handle multiple tasks, and one task should be assigned to only one agency to take the lead and bear primary responsibility; thoroughly overcoming overlapping functions and responsibilities, and fragmentation in geographical areas and fields. "Agencies and organizations that have undergone initial restructuring must also review and propose internal restructuring; resolutely eliminate intermediary organizations; organizational reform must be linked to the effective implementation of the Party's policies on reforming leadership methods, strongly decentralizing power to localities, promoting administrative reform, and combating waste," the General Secretary directed. General Secretary To Lam emphasized that the new apparatus must be better than the old one and become operational immediately (Photo: Hong Phong). The requirement he emphasized was that the new apparatus must be better than the old one and go into operation immediately; there should be no interruption of work, no time gaps, no areas or fields left unoccupied; and it should not affect the normal activities of society and the people... In addition, according to the General Secretary, streamlining the organizational apparatus goes hand in hand with reducing the number of personnel and restructuring the staff to ensure they have the necessary qualities and capabilities to meet the tasks. "Streamlining does not mean mechanically cutting down, but rather eliminating unnecessary positions, reducing ineffective work, and thereby concentrating resources on key areas and people who are truly worthy and suitable," the General Secretary said. Emphasizing that state agencies should not be "safe havens" for incompetent officials, the General Secretary stated that the Politburo has decided to temporarily suspend appointments and nominations for higher positions in agencies and units slated for restructuring and streamlining (except in truly necessary cases). Recruitment of civil servants will also be suspended from December 1st until the completion of organizational restructuring according to the Central Committee's guidelines and the Politburo's policy. "The work ahead is immense and urgent. Time waits for no one. The country is standing at a historical threshold, entering an era of progress. The work we do today will determine the future. Delay would be a disservice to the people," the General Secretary stressed.
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