Dear comrades leaders, former leaders of the Party, State, National Assembly, Government, Vietnam Fatherland Front, leaders of Party committees at all levels, leaders of central and local departments, ministries, and branches,
Dear comrades attending the conference.
After a morning of urgent, serious, democratic and responsible work, the Conference completed the entire content of the proposed program. The speeches were very rich, profound, and frank, requiring research, reception, and improvement of the organizational structure of the political system and the 3-level government model in the coming period.
We highly agree and affirm: the policy of renovating and streamlining the organizational structure of the political system to be lean, efficient, effective, and efficient is completely correct, necessary, and strategically significant for the country's development. This is a reform with a very broad scope, very difficult, and very drastic, affecting most agencies, cadres, civil servants, and employees in the political system, from the Central to the grassroots levels. After a year, we have passed the initial organizational arrangement stage. The next task is to shift the focus to improving the quality of operation, service capacity, and development capacity of the new apparatus.
The outstanding results have been shown in the fairly complete and detailed report. I outline 5 major results as follows:
First, the apparatus of the political system from the Central to local levels has been arranged and consolidated in a more streamlined and synchronized direction. Many focal points and intermediate levels have been reduced, and the functions and tasks of agencies have been gradually reviewed, adjusted and clarified. The reorganization of Party agencies, executive agencies, elected agencies, the Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, and public non-business units has been implemented with high political determination, basically ensuring progress and requirements set out.
Second, the improvement of legal institutions, decentralization, delegation of power, decentralization of authority, administrative procedure reform and business environment, digital transformation and database building have been promoted. Many new mechanisms, new processes, methods of assigning tasks, evaluating results and new supervision are being formed.
Third, the operation of the 2-level local government model is initially stable. State management activities, public service provision, administrative procedure settlement, ensuring social security, national defense, security, activities of judicial agencies, and social order and safety are basically maintained continuously, without leaving gaps in management. Provincial and commune levels gradually adapt to new functions, tasks and operating methods.
Fourth, leadership, direction and organization of implementation have many innovations. Party committees, authorities, agencies, and units have proactively issued working regulations, coordination procedures, meetings, assignment of responsibilities, support for grassroots levels, and resolved arising issues. The work of arranging, assigning, and evaluating cadres has many innovations, focusing on capacity and qualifications associated with job positions; management associated with data, progress and work results.
Fifth, the work of propaganda, dissemination, political and ideological education and mobilization to create social consensus has been implemented quite methodically. The contingent of civil servants, public employees, and workers affected by the arrangement of the apparatus, in general, the ideology is stable, cadres comply with the assignment of the organization, and the people agree and support the Party's major policy.
On behalf of the Party and State leaders, I acknowledge, commend and highly appreciate the efforts of Party agencies, state agencies, the Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, ministries, branches, localities, armed forces and the contingent of cadres, civil servants, public employees, and laborers throughout the country. In the context of very large workload, very tight time, and very high requirements, the comrades have shown a spirit of responsibility, dedication, organizational discipline and determination to overcome difficulties, which is very commendable.
However, we must not be subjective or complacent. The results achieved are just the beginning. This reform still has much to be done with higher determination, a more scientific approach and a stronger spirit of innovation.
The conference agreed to identify some limitations and major obstacles that need to be focused on overcoming. Here I will summarize 07 major issues:
First, institutions related to organizational structure, functions, tasks, decentralization, delegation of power, delimitation of authority, new operating mechanisms in some fields are not truly synchronized. In some places, tasks have been assigned but guidance is not timely, in some places, authority has been decentralized but resources, human resources, and management tools have not been accompanied.
Second, the current legal system is still not synchronized and unified, many regulations are still unclear, especially laws related to the activities of local authorities in some fields such as science and technology, innovation; laws on land, resources, minerals, forest resources, laws on finance, budget,... Functions, tasks, and coordination mechanisms between some agencies in the political system are not really clear and synchronized; in many cases, authority is not commensurate with assigned resources and implementation conditions; some organizational and operational models after arrangement are still in the process of completion.
Third, the implementation capacity at the grassroots level, especially at the commune level, has not kept up with new requirements. The volume of work transferred to the grassroots level is very large, while officials specializing in land, planning, construction, finance, investment, information technology, inspection, urban management, and other complex fields are still lacking. Many officials have to concurrently take on many tasks, bear great pressure and face public service risks. (according to assessments, only 53% of provincial-level officials and 30% of commune-level officials meet task requirements).
Fourth, staff quotas, organizational structure and resource allocation mechanisms in some places are still average, not fully reflecting the very large differences in population size, area, urban nature, mountainous conditions, borders, islands, development level and actual workload.
Fifth, telecommunications infrastructure, information technology, and digital infrastructure are still limited; digital transformation is still slow and not truly synchronized. Specialized data is still scattered; some software systems are not interconnected and unstable (the national data center has only connected 5/12 strategic databases and 60/104 specialized databases, or the whole country has 106 million land plots but only 23.5 million plots meet the criteria of "right, sufficient, clean, live", land data has not been standardized, so data-based management will be very difficult); grassroots officials have to use many systems, many different software, reducing operating efficiency and increasing work processing pressure.
Sixth, the handling of surplus public assets, arranging workplaces, revising and digitizing archived records and documents is still slow in many places. This is both a short-term issue to be resolved and a very large resource that needs to be effectively exploited for development.
Seventh, after the district level is no longer there, the requirement to innovate leadership, direction, inspection, and supervision methods between the provincial level and the grassroots level raises many new issues. If the direction method is not strongly innovated, it easily leads to two risks: either the superiors do not firmly grasp the grassroots level, or subordinates have to ask for too many opinions, reducing proactiveness, creativity and responsibility.
From the results, limitations and practical requirements set out, I propose that in the coming period, the focus is on improving the operational quality of the new model, and it is necessary to focus on performing well 10 key tasks.
First, continue to synchronously improve the legal institution and organizational structure of the political system. It is necessary to continue to review and synchronously complete laws in all fields, and guiding documents for implementation, ensuring uniformity, clarity, transparency, and convenience for organization and implementation at all 3 levels of government (not allowing the situation where this law is clear but that law is blocked). The amendment of the law must originate from the actual bottleneck. Central agencies, the Government, ministries, branches and localities must continue to comprehensively review regulations, rules, and procedures related to organization, functions, tasks, authority and coordination relations between agencies in the political system. Do not allow overlap, duplication, gaps or the situation where many agencies participate but it is unclear which agency is ultimately responsible.
Second, continue to innovate the Party's leadership method towards the political and social system. Party committees must lead by strategic orientation, by institutions, by cadre work, by inspection, supervision, and evaluation of results. It is necessary to ensure the comprehensive leadership of the Party, but not to replace, not to relax, or to intervene administratively unnecessarily in the functions and tasks of state agencies, the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations. Continue to innovate the content and methods of Party organization activities at the grassroots level, improve the quality of Party cell activities, and build grassroots Party organizations that are truly the political nucleus, the center of unity, convergence, and promotion of the strength of cadres, party members and the People.
Third, complete the organizational model and operating mechanism of the local government at 2 levels. Provincial level focuses on strategic role, planning, coordination, resource allocation, organization of development space, inspection, supervision and regional linkage. Commune level must be organized as the front line of public governance: receiving, processing and responding promptly to the needs of people and businesses; and at the same time early detecting issues of social security, order, land, construction, environment, public services and risks arising in the area. Continue to review the organizational structure, staffing, resource allocation mechanism suitable to population size, area, urbanization level, regional characteristics and workload, not applying egalitarianism. Research the model of core urban administrative units in provinces and cities, with competent authority and appropriate tools to coordinate infrastructure, public services, key economic space, regional linkage and form new growth poles.
Fourth, promote decentralization and delegation of power associated with ensuring resources and controlling power. This is a very important requirement. Decentralization and delegation of power must be substantive, ensuring that the assigned level has sufficient authority, human resources, funds, and management tools to implement. Overcome the situation of assigning tasks to lower levels but not assigning sufficient necessary conditions. Decentralization is not about transferring burdens to lower levels but transferring authority, resources, data, implementing tools and responsibilities in a clear, transparent, and controlled manner. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen inspection, supervision, examination, audit, publicity, transparency, and accountability.
Fifth, build a contingent of cadres to meet the requirements of the new model. This is the key task of the key. Consider the implementation capacity of the commune level as a measure of the success of the new model. Promptly complete job positions, assess the capacity, strengths, and experiences of cadres to arrange the right people for the right jobs. Strengthen cadres with capacity and in-depth expertise at the grassroots level, especially in the fields of land, construction, planning, investment, finance, information technology, inspection, justice, education, health, urban management, etc. Develop training and fostering programs for commune-level cadres, rotation, professional support working groups, direct guidance at the grassroots level. At the same time, there should be policies on salaries, allowances, working conditions and appropriate incentive mechanisms for cadres to feel secure in their work, especially in difficult areas, mountainous areas, border areas, and islands.
Sixth, improve the quality of telecommunications infrastructure, information technology, digital infrastructure; promote digital transformation throughout the political system. Data must be considered assets, resources, and the foundation of modern governance. Urgently standardize, integrate, share, and exploit data, overcome the situation of localized software, scattered data, and officials having to operate on too many systems. Digital transformation in the new model is to redesign operating methods, from original data and work records to interconnected processes, real-time operating tables and responsibility monitoring mechanisms. Digital transformation must improve work efficiency, solve procedures faster, more accurately, at lower costs, and more practical for people and businesses. It is necessary to minimize the requirement for people and businesses to repeat the information that the State already has.
Seventh, strongly promote the role of the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations. After arrangement, the Fatherland Front and mass organizations must truly innovate the content and methods of operation, focus on the grassroots level, and need to have a mechanism to receive, summarize and regularly respond to opinions from people and businesses about the service quality of the new apparatus, considering this as an important social monitoring channel for the operational efficiency of grassroots governments, strengthening social consensus and the great national unity bloc.
Eighth, effectively handle public assets, headquarters and dossiers, documents after arrangement. This must be considered a task that is both urgent and long-term. Urgently complete the plan to handle each facility of houses, land, and surplus public assets. Assets that can still be used must be effectively utilized. Assets that are no longer suitable need to be converted, transferred or handled transparently and in accordance with regulations; prioritize serving education, health, culture, sports, social security and practical needs of the community. For dossiers and documents, there must be a plan for preservation, digitization and appropriate exploitation; absolutely do not let them be lost, damaged, wasted or affect the legitimate rights of organizations, people and businesses.
Ninth, strongly innovate inspection and supervision work and methods of direction and administration. It is necessary to strengthen grasping the situation from the grassroots level, combining direct inspection with data-based supervision, early detection and early handling of problems, not allowing small difficulties to accumulate into big problems. It is necessary to build a set of indicators to monitor the operation of the new model, including the processing time of administrative procedures, the rate of timely dossiers, the level of satisfaction of people and businesses, the rate of commune-level tasks that must ask for opinions from superiors, the number of cases that are detected early and handled early. There should be a mechanism to protect officials who dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility for the common good when they have done it according to their authority, procedures, publicity, transparency, professional basis and not for personal gain. At the same time, strictly handle acts of taking advantage of innovation to violate the law, profiteering or evading responsibility.
Tenth, for inter-sectoral fields that are still intersecting, it is necessary to urgently review and adjust functions and tasks according to the principle: one task must have a presiding agency, one focal point responsible; a common data source; an inter-connected coordination process; and at the same time have a mechanism for inspection, supervision and clear responsibility assignment. In the immediate future, it is necessary to focus on completing the plan to delineate responsibilities, thoroughly handle overlapping, contradictory or unsynchronized regulations, ensuring inheritance, stability, continuity, and not leaving gaps in state management, especially in areas directly related to national security, social order and safety and people's lives.
We continue to innovate and improve the work of evaluating cadres, discovering, training, fostering, and valuing people with outstanding capacity; based on the evaluation results, implement the principle of cadres coming in, coming out, rising, and falling; build a contingent of cadres to meet new management requirements, promote the responsibility of heads, strengthen cadres for difficult areas and key areas, and be determined to achieve the set goals.
Dear comrades,
The organizational reform of the political system is a very large and difficult task and must be carried out persistently, methodically, and scientifically. We cannot be hasty or subjective, but we cannot stop or hesitate before the inadequacies pointed out in practice.
I propose that relevant agencies urgently fully absorb the opinions of the Conference, complete reports, draft conclusions and action programs. Each task must be clear in content, clear in the presiding agency, clear in the coordinating agency, clear in time, clear in resources, clear in responsibilities. At the same time, it must be clear in the indicators for evaluating results, clear in the mechanism for monitoring progress and clear in the periodic reporting regime to promptly remove arising obstacles. Things under the authority of the Central Government must be studied and decided promptly. Things under the responsibility of the Government, ministries, branches and localities must be implemented immediately, not to cause congestion, not to be prolonged, not to cause grassroots levels to wait. Works that have been decentralized to the commune level must be guided promptly and specifically, not to cause grassroots levels to wait and be confused in organizing implementation.
The consistent spirit is: The new organization must create new capacity, the new decentralization-devolution mechanism must go hand in hand with new responsibilities, new data must create new management methods, and the new apparatus must bring new service quality to the people and businesses. I believe that the overall organizational model of the political system, the 3-level government model will continue to be improved, operate effectively, contributing to building a modern, incorruptible, constructive and serving people national governance.
Wishing you comrades good health, continue to promote the spirit of responsibility, solidarity, innovation, and determination to bring the policy of reforming the organizational apparatus of the political system into depth, substance and more effectiveness.
Thank you very much, comrades!
* Title set by Lao Dong Newspaper.
