Proposal to consider legalizing the reception and handling of anonymous or online denunciations

On the morning of November 11, continuing the meeting program, Government Inspector General Doan Hong Phong presented the draft Law on amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Citizen Reception, the Law on Complaints, and the Law on Denunciation.

National Assembly session on the morning of November 11. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Notably, the draft adds regulations on receiving citizens online, which aims to create more favorable conditions for agencies, organizations and individuals when exercising their right to complain and denounce, especially in cases where travel is difficult and far away.

Government Inspector General Doan Hong Phong presented the draft Law on amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Citizen Reception, the Law on Complaints, and the Law on Denunciations, on the morning of November 11. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Accordingly, citizens can choose to receive citizens in person or online. Online citizen reception is when agencies, organizations, and people receiving citizens use electronic devices connected to each other through the network environment at the place of citizen reception to receive, listen to, and receive complaints, denunciations, recommendations, and reflections from citizens; explain and guide citizens on how to make complaints, denunciations, recommendations, and reflections in accordance with the provisions of law. Minutes of work, data, documents, and records arising during the process of receiving citizens online are guaranteed, have legal value, and are the basis for resolving the case.

The draft law stipulates that the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level shall directly receive citizens periodically at the citizen reception location at least 2 days a month; when necessary, the Chairman of the People's Committee at the commune level may receive citizens unexpectedly to promptly receive and direct the settlement of complaints and denunciations...

Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for People's Aspirations and Supervision Duong Thanh Binh presents the inspection report on the morning of November 11. Photo: QUANG PHUC

Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Citizenship and Supervision Duong Thanh Binh presented the review report, stating that the majority of opinions in the Committee agreed with the provisions of the draft law on the form of online citizen reception. However, there were opinions suggesting that the Government further evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of the online citizen reception model in the past time, the technical infrastructure conditions to ensure connection between the provincial-level citizen reception headquarters and the central citizen reception headquarters, between the provincial-level citizen reception headquarters and the provincial and commune-level citizen reception points...

There is a proposal to study the transfer of the Citizen Reception Headquarters model from the district level to the commune level. Although the drafting agency has given an explanation and proposed to maintain the current citizen reception model; however, this proposal recommends careful consideration of the factors that could potentially increase the number of complaints and denunciations by many people at the commune level to build a suitable citizen reception model, contributing to reducing the workload for commune-level authorities; research and assign the Government to specify details on the citizen reception model at the commune level.

In particular, there are opinions that currently, the protection of whistleblowers still has many shortcomings, there are many cases where whistleblowers have their identities revealed, are under pressure, even persecuted or retaliated against, but the handling of this behavior still lacks deterrence. Therefore, it is recommended to study and supplement regulations prohibiting the disclosure of whistleblowers' identities in any form and clearly define the legal responsibility of agencies and organizations that allow this information to be leaked or disclosed; consider legalizing the reception and handling of "anonymous or online denunciations" in accordance with the policies of competent authorities.

LAM NGUYEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/kien-nghi-can-nhac-luat-hoa-viec-tiep-nhan-xu-ly-doi-voi-to-cao-an-danh-hoac-to-cao-qua-mang-post822847.html