On the morning of May 14, at the 9th Session, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra gave a speech explaining and clarifying a number of issues raised by National Assembly deputies regarding the draft Law on Organization of Local Government (amended).
According to the Minister, the amendment of the law is considered a historic milestone of the Vietnamese legislative system because for the first time in nearly 80 years since the country's founding, the model of local government organization will be changed from 3 levels to 2 levels.
This is a comprehensive institutional and administrative reform of profound creativity, reflecting the strategic vision and determination to innovate of the Politburo and the Central Committee.
This helps shift from a cumbersome, layered administrative apparatus of local governments to a streamlined local administrative system with the goal of being close to the people, close to the people and serving the people better.
The Minister said that the principle and consistent elements of this draft law focus on establishing a structure of local government at both levels on the basis of compliance with a number of relevant articles in the amended Constitution.
The Minister also emphasized the need to determine the decentralization, delegation of authority and delegation of authority between the Central Government and localities, between local government levels. Thereby creating a legal basis for the entire specialized legal system to amend, supplement, and build new, promoting the proactiveness, dynamism, and creativity of local governments according to the motto of local decision-making, local doing, and local responsibility.
Another important content mentioned by the Minister is to clarify the authority and powers of each level of local government to suit the requirements of governance in the new situation and period.
The Minister also emphasized the need to establish a full and comprehensive legal basis to remove all difficulties, barriers and obstacles for the conversion of local government from 3 levels to 2 levels.
"Department and delegation of power are not lax but are also tools to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of the people and the interests of the State," the Minister emphasized.
Through the review, the Minister said that there are currently 474 tasks out of 104 laws and 249 decrees and circulars that will decentralize 140 tasks to local authorities. Thereby, the authority of the commune-level government is being re-defined for 300 tasks and 90/99 tasks in the current Law on Organization of Local Government.
The Minister said that the draft law will be adopted to enhance the role and activities of the People's Council, People's Committee, and Chairman of the People's Committee at both levels, especially at the commune level.
According to the Minister, the Government will soon have to issue 25 decrees to implement in a timely manner when the draft law is approved by the National Assembly. This is to promptly implement the operation of local government at 2 levels, decentralize, delegate authority, and authorize local government.
