If you're afraid of responsibility, don't be a government official!

Never before has the "fear of responsibility" been discussed as much as recently. Because officials fear responsibility, many projects and even "urgent tasks" are being pushed around and avoided. The clearest consequence is that after the Covid-19 pandemic, there were severe shortages of medicine and medical equipment, but many hospitals did not dare to organize bidding; many construction projects and programs remained stalled despite having ample funds, but could not be disbursed;... Explaining the cause of this situation, many believe that due to the fierce fight against corruption and the numerous disciplinary actions taken against officials, a segment of officials are afraid to act, afraid to make decisions, even on matters within their authority,...

Recently, the Government issued Decree No. 73/2023/ND8-CP, dated September 29, 2023, regulating the encouragement and protection of dynamic, creative officials who dare to think, dare to act, and dare to take responsibility for the common good. The Decree provides a legal basis to encourage and motivate officials to dare to think and act; however, many issues remain to be addressed in order to promote this as a trend.

The decree was issued in the context of existing "bottlenecks" in state management and production and business activities. The situation of "lying low and waiting," fear of action, fear of responsibility, fear of repercussions, leading to avoidance, shirking responsibility, and a lack of advice or proposals, or merely going through the motions, is spreading across many agencies, units, and localities. Some opinions attempt to blame the "anti-corruption campaign," arguing that the large number of officials and party members arrested and punished has created anxiety and confusion among some officials, making them hesitant to act and afraid of responsibility. Therefore, these opinions suggest that to encourage officials to think, act, and take responsibility, and to overcome this anxiety, it is necessary to limit the handling of both "dry and wet" cases.

This illustrates that the fear of responsibility is a chronic disease among cadres, stemming from professional incompetence, a lack of responsibility in their work, leading to half-hearted and conservative approaches out of fear of making mistakes, and reliance on the collective for fear of personal repercussions. In Party activities, they avoid criticism for fear of offending others. The symptoms of this disease are becoming increasingly apparent; in essence, it is the ego of cadres, only concerned with their own self-interest. This perception and attitude are inconsistent with the spirit of combating corruption that we are determined to implement. Affirming the significant achievements in combating corruption and rectifying the Party in recent times, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong once noted the need to rectify and eliminate the mentality of retreat and the fear that overly strong anti-corruption and anti-negative practices would hinder development, discourage progress, lead to stagnation, defensiveness, and avoidance of responsibility among some cadres, Party members, and civil servants, especially leading and managing cadres at all levels. "I have said this many times, and I repeat it now: Those who have such thoughts should step aside and let others do the work! All of us, especially those directly involved in personnel organization work, must have high willpower and determination, a clear conscience, and discerning eyes; don't mistake a chicken for a quail; don't assume something is ripe just because it's red," the General Secretary stated.

In reality, the recent resolute fight against corruption and the strict handling of errant officials have had a deterrent and preventative effect. Therefore, along with clarifying and strictly handling acts of corruption and negativity, encouraging officials to think and act boldly for the common good is crucial, creating a basis for removing the current "bottlenecks" and hesitant mindset.

The reform process does not allow cadres to falter in the face of difficulties. Because for the country to develop, especially when implementing strategic breakthroughs, it is even more necessary to confront challenges. To encourage and protect dynamic and creative cadres, and to remove "bottlenecks and obstacles" in mechanisms and policies, on September 22, 2023, the Politburo issued Conclusion No. 14, to create high unity throughout the Party and consensus in society. The Government also issued Decree No. 73 stipulating that creative proposals that bring effective results will be rewarded; and will be used as a basis for evaluation when ranking appointments, reappointments, planning, transfers, and rotations. For dynamic and creative cadres who do not complete or only partially complete the set goals but act in accordance with the policy and have pure motives, they may not be held accountable, may be excluded, exempted, or have their responsibilities mitigated. On the other hand, strict measures should be taken against officials who exploit these policies and guidelines to carry out or cover up acts of corruption, misconduct, profiteering, violations of Party discipline and State laws, etc.

The Party and State have no shortage of policies and guidelines, but to quickly eliminate the fear of responsibility, I believe specific sanctions are needed. For each key program and task, a responsible person should be assigned, along with a specific completion schedule for each part and a deadline for each task. Those who fail to comply must be held accountable, and depending on the severity, they may be reassigned to other duties. Those who hinder or negatively impact the quality and progress of work may face administrative or even criminal penalties if serious consequences result. Officials who fail to complete their tasks for two consecutive years must be transferred, and leading officials should be reassigned to lower positions.

Looking back at the revolutionary periods, especially during the Doi Moi (Renovation) period, there were many dedicated, pioneering cadres and Party members who dared to think and act, steadfastly pursuing innovation and creativity to achieve goals for the common good. General Secretary Truong Chinh, with his innovative economic thinking, initiated the country's renovation. Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet boldly overcame old ways of thinking with many proposed ideas that were included in the Party Congress documents, contributing to the formation of the Party's comprehensive renovation line. General Secretary Nguyen Van Linh advocated mobilizing and encouraging all workers, all productive capacities, and all economic sectors to promote production, circulation, and distribution with "things that need to be done immediately." The Secretary of the Vinh Phuc Provincial Party Committee, Kim Ngoc, who initiated many innovative and groundbreaking policies in agricultural production, will forever be remembered for his contributions. These exemplary figures have been honored and serve as inspiration for today's officials to overcome obstacles and dedicate themselves to the common good of the collective, community, and society.

Civil servants are public servants, those who "take the lead," and must have the courage to take responsibility for their actions. General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has repeatedly said that anyone who feels discouraged should step aside and let others do the work; we do not lack civil servants. The people always expect this. If you fear responsibility, then don't be a civil servant!

Huyen Linh

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