From July 1st onwards, the two-tiered local government system will be implemented synchronously, ensuring smooth state management and providing the best possible service to the people. (Photo: Dinh Tang)

The Ministry of Interior is seeking feedback on a draft decree defining the responsibilities of different levels of government in the field of internal affairs. Notably, the draft proposes transferring 120 tasks across eight areas of state management from the district level to the commune level; reorganizing the administrative apparatus, assigning responsibilities, decentralizing authority, and organizing the operation of the two-tiered government, especially in newly established wards and communes, going beyond mere administrative work. This is a test of reform thinking, a challenge to implementation capabilities, and an opportunity to transform each commune and ward into a truly effective "first link" in the public administration system.

The question of how to operate an administrative system efficiently is not new, but the more it is put into practice, the more questions arise. For example: A newly merged commune has a larger area, a larger and more diverse population, so will its administrative capacity increase accordingly? Are there enough staff? Can the offices, equipment, and information systems meet the needs of serving the people?

Notably, with the proposed transfer of an additional 120 tasks from the district level down to the commune level, commune-level authorities will be assigned a wide range of responsibilities, from population management, insurance, public services, emulation and reward programs, to administrative reform, inspection, religion, and civil servant recruitment.

This practice demands careful and systematic preparation, not only in terms of personnel but also in terms of organizational and implementation capacity. Commune and ward officials cannot operate a new system with a "get it done" mindset. Without a change in mindset, even the best tools will become useless.

It is readily apparent that some communes and wards, despite being equipped with computers, population management software, and electronic one-stop service centers, still process documents manually or in a semi-electronic, semi-manual manner. In some places, new organizational structures have been established, but these have not truly been reformed in a way that clearly defines responsibilities, increases individual accountability, and reduces intermediate levels.

It is readily apparent that some communes and wards, despite being equipped with computers, population management software, and electronic one-stop service centers, still process documents manually or in a semi-electronic, semi-manual manner. In some places, new organizational structures have been established, but these have not truly been reformed in a way that clearly defines responsibilities, increases individual accountability, and reduces intermediate levels.

In Ho Chi Minh City, one of the pioneering localities to pilot the two-tiered government model in 102 communes and wards since June 12th, many merged wards have populations exceeding 50,000 people. The demand for handling procedures, complaints, and receiving public services has increased significantly, while the number of staff is limited. The lack of synchronization in the data management system after the mergers makes information retrieval difficult. This is not to mention the psychological pressure and the ability of commune and ward officials to adapt to the new job. If these situations are not thoroughly addressed, they could create a "bottleneck" in administrative reform, which urgently needs to be accelerated.

Therefore, what is most needed now is not to quickly issue a standard model and apply it universally, but to correctly identify the "bottlenecks" in implementation in order to find comprehensive solutions.

First and foremost, the relationship between decentralization, delegation, and authorization within the two-tiered government system must be clarified, avoiding situations where "jobs are transferred but authority is not" or "authority is transferred but personnel are not."

Assigning additional tasks to the commune level must be accompanied by a corresponding transfer of decision-making authority, funding, and personnel. Some regulations that still heavily bureaucratize the organizational model and do not allow communes the flexibility to arrange their administrative structure according to local characteristics must be revised.

What is most needed now is not to quickly issue a standard model and apply it universally, but to correctly identify the "bottlenecks" in implementation in order to find comprehensive solutions.

Conversely, commune and ward-level authorities must also proactively prepare, not passively wait for coordination from above. Commune-level authorities, especially the Party committee and the head of the commune, need to reorganize the process of receiving citizens and handling work in a way that clearly defines responsibilities, sets deadlines, includes commitments, and publicly discloses results for citizens to monitor.

Furthermore, attention should be paid to standardizing the qualifications of commune-level officials; policies should be implemented to attract talented individuals to work at the grassroots level. Official training should involve updating knowledge with modern advancements, developing analytical skills, assessing situations, and implementing policies using new methods.

From now until July 1st is a crucial period to review, adjust, and refine the pilot model, avoiding unprepared operations that would then require scrambling to fix organizational, personnel, and technical missteps.

An equally important requirement is to change the way the quality of performance of commune and ward-level governments is evaluated. It cannot be based solely on the number of cases processed, but must be linked to the level of citizen satisfaction, the percentage of cases processed on time, and the effectiveness in identifying and resolving problems arising from practice. Only then will the two-tiered government system operate smoothly, not as two overlapping layers, but as two tightly interlocking gears in a modern administrative machine, oriented towards serving the people and using efficiency as the measure of success.

According to nhandan.vn

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-polit-xa-hoi/tinh-gon-khong-dong-nghia-don-gian-154929.html