"Opening up the institutional framework" for special megacities.

At a meeting with the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee on the afternoon of May 29th, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man requested the city to urgently finalize the draft Law on Special Urban Areas; affirming that the National Assembly Standing Committee is ready to consider it for submission to the National Assembly; the message from the head of the legislative body shows a very strong political determination to create institutional breakthroughs for the city in the new development phase.

More than 40 years after the Doi Moi (Renovation) period, Ho Chi Minh City continues to play the role of the country's economic locomotive. However, in the past 10 years, the city's share of GDP in the national economy has decreased from 27% to 23.1%; the contribution of the Ho Chi Minh City region has fallen from 36% of the national GDP in 2001 to approximately 31%.

These figures do not reflect a decline in the city's potential or vitality, but rather show that the current governance framework is too narrow for the development requirements of an economic, financial, and innovation center that plays a leading role nationwide and has a population of over 14 million people.

In this context, the development of the Law on Special Urban Areas is expected to create a fundamental shift from pilot-based special mechanisms to a superior, long-term, and stable legal framework to form a modern urban governance model, providing impetus for Ho Chi Minh City to achieve breakthroughs.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man requested the city to urgently finalize the draft Law on Special Urban Areas.

Years of experience have shown that Ho Chi Minh City does not lack support mechanisms; from Politburo resolutions to National Assembly resolutions 54, 98, and 260, the Central Committee has always given special attention to the city.

However, most of these mechanisms are designed to address specific problems at each stage, are pilot programs, or are time-limited. The current requirement is not to add new, specific mechanisms, but to build a legal framework that is compatible with the status of a "special megacity."

A notable point of the draft law currently being reviewed by the city is its strong decentralization of power to the city government, with nearly 300 proposed powers assigned to the City People's Council, the City People's Committee, and the Chairman of the City People's Committee. This is an important step forward, reflecting the spirit of "local decision-making, local action, and local accountability."

However, the true effectiveness of decentralization lies not in the number of powers granted, but in the degree of autonomy in implementation. If many matters still require consultation or approval from central agencies before implementation, the goal of enhancing the proactive role of the Ho Chi Minh City government will be difficult to achieve.

Therefore, most opinions at workshops and conferences providing feedback on the draft law suggest that the city should boldly propose to the National Assembly the codification of provisions that have been tested in practice, limiting the mindset of prolonged pilot programs and minimizing unnecessary consultation procedures. This is a particularly important issue because if the law still has "hesitant decentralization," it will not be able to be implemented smoothly in practice.

Another crucial requirement is the shift from a managerial mindset to a governance mindset. With cities growing in scale and complexity, the government must not only perform administrative functions but also possess the tools to foster development, coordinate resources, and respond quickly to changing circumstances.

The bill needs thorough review and refinement to become a law that unlocks development resources. Feedback from the business community shows a great need for a transparent, stable institutional environment capable of quickly addressing bottlenecks arising in practice.

When resources from state-owned enterprises, the private sector, strategic investment, science and technology, and innovation are properly unleashed, the city can generate new drivers of growth.

Of course, even the best-designed law cannot create breakthroughs on its own without a competent, courageous, and innovative enforcement team. Superior institutions need to be accompanied by effective checks and balances, clear accountability, and an environment that encourages officials to think outside the box and act for the common good.

Therefore, the Law on Special Urban Areas is not just a "private matter" of Ho Chi Minh City. It is also a crucial test for national governance thinking in the new development phase; a transition from a special mechanism to a superior institution, from administrative management to modern governance, with genuine decentralization and delegation of power, and a development-oriented approach.

"Opening up the institutional framework" for special megacities, therefore, also means expanding the development space for the entire country. The greatest value of this law will not lie in the number of mechanisms granted, but in its ability to create a new development model, capable of unlocking resources, promoting growth, and spreading development momentum to the entire region and the economy.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/mo-the-che-cho-sieu-do-thi-dac-biet-10418801.html