The case of the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Chuc Son town (Chuong My district, Hanoi) being arrested on charges of producing counterfeit goods as medical alcohol is causing a stir in public opinion because this is not a normal economic case.
Mr. Pham Dinh Tuan is Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of a town - that is, a civil servant, assigned authority, elected by the people, trusted to implement policies, protect the law, and serve the people.
But while he was a local operator, he and his younger brother established his own company and directed the production of fake medical alcohol using methanol - a toxic substance that can cause blindness or death if used incorrectly.
This is an example of the situation of " bipartite civil servants" existing in the political system. On the one hand, they sign documents, hold meetings, and speak in the name of serving the people; on the other hand, they secretly produce counterfeit goods, causing harm to the community they are responsible for managing.
Of course, Mr. Pham Dinh Tuan is just a "bad apples making beet stew soup stew", just an individual, not a representative.
However, in the context of the whole system making efforts to reform administration, improve the quality of the apparatus and build a serving government, such violations are very regrettable. Because it has a significant negative impact on the overall image of the team of cadres and civil servants.
It is no coincidence that over the years, the Party and the State have always emphasized the requirement of "honesty, discipline, and responsibility" among the staff, especially at the commune and ward levels - the place closest to the people and will be assigned many new rights and tasks.
When people witness officials violating the law, what they lose is not only the trust in an individual, but the peace of mind in the system that they expect to protect their legitimate rights.
Mr. Pham Dinh Tuan's behavior, if true as the accusation, must be handled as strictly as possible to set an example.
However, the biggest lesson learned from this incident is the need to strengthen the effective supervision mechanism for cadres at all levels, including the grassroots level.
Monitoring is not only to detect violations, but also a method of prevention and early prevention of the risk of taking advantage of positions for personal gain.
At the same time, it is also necessary to review regulations related to business activities of civil servants.
For example, the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Enterprises recently passed by the National Assembly on the morning of June 17 stipulates that subjects that are not allowed to establish, contribute capital and manage enterprises include civil servants and public employees.
It should be emphasized that a violation like Mr. Pham Dinh Tuan's cannot be denied the entire efforts of so many cadres who are devoted day and night to the people across the country.
But from a violation, we can also learn lessons to perfect institutions, tighten discipline and strengthen the people's trust.
