In the readers' comments, the first opinion is in agreement with Dr. Doan Huu Tue.

Reader Que Thuong affirmed that she shares the same opinion as Dr. Tue. “Mr. Tue’s answers are very sincere with clear views, giving many people a new perspective on streamlining to make life easier, more effective and more practical.”

Sharing the same thought, reader Thu Ha said, “A self-respecting person always knows who he is, strives to improve himself, and always finds ways to help the people and the country develop. Mr. Tue is very straightforward and courageous.”

Reader Hiep Dinh commented: “Very true. Only those who go to work with an umbrella in the morning and come back with an umbrella in the afternoon to receive their salary are scared...”.

“The idle team has not done anything but is very good at getting in the way and ‘pulling factions’... Removing this group and increasing salaries for those with heart and vision will create a progressive and standardized working atmosphere in the state environment.

Thank you General Secretary To Lam , this is what the whole nation wishes for, to unblock the bottlenecks that have long hindered the country's development" - reader Le Van Tan commented.

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People are satisfied with the quick procedures at a local administrative agency. Photo: Thach Thao

“I am just a farmer, but reading this article and some of the opposing comments, I understand more and more why the civil service is so cumbersome and ineffective,” said reader Cao Van Binh.

“Those who can innovate and update their knowledge and skills will survive, otherwise they will have to eliminate themselves or be eliminated and then find a way to survive. Many people will be very scared when they are uprooted from their seats of many years, but the reality is that everyone will find a way to survive, many even live better” - reader Thuy Dao shared her opinion.

"Therefore, the most important thing for working people is to improve their contribution, professional skills, knowledge, dedication to work and an optimistic attitude towards changes in life" - this is the opinion of a reader named Khiem.

Who to keep, who to eliminate: Hope for fair and impartial evaluation

Besides the support for Dr. Tue, the opposing opinions are also quite strong.

Reader Van Tu said he has been "unemployed" for nearly 10 years. He agrees that "one should not be afraid of being laid off or being laid off", but disagrees with Dr. Tue's opinion that "if one is afraid of being laid off, one is not worthy of remaining a civil servant".

According to Mr. Tu, "the law of development will eliminate those who cannot do the job."

“Our country’s apparatus is cumbersome and ineffective due to both objective and subjective reasons. Without streamlining, sustainable development is not possible because the expenditure to maintain the apparatus is too large. When streamlining, there will be places that do not work well, and the wrong people will be reduced, but overall, the goal must be to reduce duplication or redundancy in functions and tasks,” this reader commented.

Reader Khai Quang commented that Dr. Tue is just a special case. “For people over 30 or 40 years old, it is possible to start over, but for people over 50, it is very difficult. I think that a doctor cannot represent everyone, and not everyone who leaves the civil service is successful."

“It’s not that if you’re afraid, you shouldn’t become a civil servant. Each person has their own abilities and inclinations, as long as they are dedicated to their work,” reader Luong Thanh Hai expressed his opinion.

Reader Nguyen Huu Minh, although supporting the streamlining of the apparatus, still thinks that "those who are afraid of streamlining do not deserve to continue being civil servants" is a simple, one-sided and personal thought.

“For many people, choosing to become a civil servant or public employee is choosing a stable job, following their strengths and interests, and wanting to contribute long-term to the people and the country. Many people are very talented, dedicated and also very successful in their roles and responsibilities as a civil servant or public employee.

Managers and senior leaders will also encounter difficulties and sometimes fail if placed in a private business position, simply because it is not their forte or desire.

Now, if we put the best civil servants and public employees of central ministries and sectors into a private business environment, how many of them will be successful? I believe this rate is not high because the environment is not suitable, not in line with their strengths and aspirations" - Mr. Minh analyzed.

Reader Nguyen Le wondered: “Of course, not everyone is qualified, but basically they were recruited according to the needs of the organization in previous civil service exams, in accordance with the law. Therefore, the solution when they are downsized or fired must be reasonable.

Furthermore, there is also the issue of evaluating who to keep and who to eliminate. Hopefully the method is fair and impartial, but in the end, if the person with the most connections and power stays, it cannot be called a success.

The concern is also clearly shown in the comment of reader Nguyen Anh Tu: “If you are young, it is not a problem, but there are people who have devoted themselves to this administrative management method for many years. They still work hard but the method is no longer suitable. And now, when they are old, they have formed a professional style and it is very difficult to change, so it is normal to be worried and afraid.

Therefore, there needs to be appropriate policies for these cases so that they can have new jobs or new approaches, or encourage them to quit...”.

And personal stories

In the comments section, some readers shared their own or their relatives' stories of leaving the civil service.

Reader Luu Huong said she used to be a civil servant for 12 years at a ministry-level agency.

“When I decided to leave that place 18 years ago to go to my current workplace, no longer a civil servant, my husband even called his parents-in-law to ask them to stop me. My boss said how foolish I was, the new place was just a small agency, the general manager there was only as young as my department boss. Then when they found out that my new direct boss was 8 years younger than me, even more people said I was stupid.

But I just laughed. They didn't understand that my younger boss was much better than me and working with him, I learned a lot of knowledge that I couldn't get in my old place, which was known as a big agency. Until now, everyone thinks I made the right decision."

Sympathizing with the above sharing, reader Co Mem expressed: "I don't understand why many people stick to state agencies, while working outside, still paying insurance and still having pensions, not any less, even higher". Co Mem told the story of her younger sister "working in the private sector, high salary, paying high insurance, recently quitting her job and receiving 6 months of unemployment benefits, meaning staying at home and playing, she still has 22 million VND per month, equal to several times the salary of a civil servant, now there is a private sector job offering a high salary".

More than a year ago, reader Misu Pham “proactively quit her job, proactively became unemployed, proactively left the safe place…”. Everyone thought the main reason was that she followed her husband abroad. But, she said, deep down, that was not the case.

“Before that, at the age of 33, after a long time working with all the strength and enthusiasm of youth, I felt myself wasting away every day. I had only that much knowledge and used it over and over again, without adding anything more... Then one fine day, my husband returned to Japan, so I packed up and followed. The purpose was to go out and learn something more... I was quick to make decisions, not afraid of having to do it all over again...

I had just left for more than a year when the country was bustling with talk of streamlining and merging... Many former colleagues inboxed to ask me how it felt to have a career, a reputation, and money, and then one day give it all up like that, was it a pity?" - Ms. Misu shared.

With what she has experienced, she advises, “Don’t be afraid, everyone. Human flexibility is great.... As long as you are human, you still have strength. When it comes to work, once you get through it, you will see it as a normal change in life.”

Reader Nguyen Duc Tuong said that in the 1990s, when the Government reduced the payroll, he volunteered to retire from the 176 regime, receiving one month's salary for each year of work.

“Back home, I was unstable for a few months, then looked for a new way to make a living. Now, at the age of nearly 70, I see that my decision was absolutely right. I am truly free, no longer tied down by a title of civil servant with hundreds of constraints that make my life so-so.

Going out is great, I work and enjoy, it's a bit harder than being a civil servant but life is much better, I can also save a little so that in old age I don't depend on anyone.

In this streamlining revolution, civil servants must save themselves before God saves them. To be a civil servant, one must have real talent. If one does not have talent, one will suffer in a hundred ways, especially when retiring," Mr. Tuong expressed.

Those who are afraid of streamlining do not deserve to continue working as civil servants . Once a successful civil servant and now a successful businessman, Dr. Doan Huu Tue believes that the goal of streamlining is that at some point, working in the state apparatus will be truly talented people who are dedicated to their work.