VietNam Society: government

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Monday, January 10, 2011

Innovators encouraged to combat corruption

The Government Inspectorate and the World Bank on Nov. 29 introduced the Vietnam Anti-Corruption Initiative (VACI) for 2011 aiming to foster innovative ideas to raise public awareness on the enforcement of laws to prevent and combat corruption.

VACI 2011 will include a competition for selecting the best initiatives to enhance public uprightness and law enforcement to make the fight against corruption effective. These ideas must have a high degree of creativity and feasibility.

There will also be a section for sharing knowledge on anti-corruption laws and experiences drawn from the enforcement of laws against the scourge.

Undertaken by the Government’s Inspectorate, VACI 2011 is sponsored by the World Bank, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), the UK International Development Agency, the embassies of Sweden , Finland and Belgium , and others.

The same day, the Government Inspectorate and the WB jointly held a seminar reviewing Vietnam Innovation Day 2009 (VID 2009) which had the topic, “More accountability and transparency, less corruption”.

Twenty-five projects won VID 2009 prizes for 330,000 USD in total. As many as 152 projects were submitted.

Projects on raising ethnic minority students’ awareness on accountability and transparency in Vo Nhai, the northern province of Thai Nguyen and improving the quality and participation of the community in building, implementing and monitoring plans to reduce poor households in the central province of Ha Tinh were presented to the participants.

Deputy Inspector General Tran Duc Luong said VID 2009 reflected the community’s enthusiastic participation in preventing and combating corruption and it worked as an information channel to help people understand more about the fight against the menace and the Government’s policies in the field.

A WB representative noted that selected projects have figured out specific activities to coordinate the mass media and other partners in implementing and advertising the projects.

The representative said almost all VID 2009 projects showed high commitment and expectations of being maintained and then expanded so that they could seek particular evidence on their impacts on the community and foster bigger ideas for the sake of the community’s development./.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Push for admin reforms to stop crises

Source: Office of National Assembly from www.luatvietnam.vn

HA NOI — The simplification of administrative procedures was important to overcoming crisis and turning challenges into opportunities, Government Office Minister and Chairman Nguyen Xuan Phuc said while opening an ASEAN-OECD workshop in Ha Noi yesterday.

Poor and unwieldy procedures burdened society, hindered enterprise growth and limited people's contributions to their communities, he said.

Building an intelligent regulatory system was the best way to prevent crisis and maintain sustainable growth.

Viet Nam was doing so through the Government's master plan to simplify administrative procedures known as "Project 30," he said.

The gathering, to discuss regulatory reform, emphasised the need to involve enterprises, social organisations and the public in simplifying administrative regulations to make Viet Nam's economy more competitive.

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) deputy secretary-general Mario Amano said Viet Nam was on track to meet its target of a 30-per cent reduction in compliance costs stemming from administrative procedures.

But the Government now faced the challenge of ensuring the changes benefited businesses and citizens.

Much remained to be done to implement the simplified procedures, he said.

Viet Nam should now take advantage of the momentum and broad political support to complete the implementation of the programme, strengthen its links with related government programmes and engage in a medium-term programme of regulatory reform.

OECD Regulatory Policy Division Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development administrator and policy analyst Daniel Trnka proposed the Government give the private sector an active and genuine voice.

It should also enhance dialogue with citizens and businesses to make Project 30 more efficient, he said.

The opinions of stakeholders must be taken into account in the formulation of legal instruments and not after their drafting had started, he advised.

New draft regulations were often published separately on ministry web sites and people were not always aware of them.

The analyst suggested the creation of a central web site where all new draft regulations could be posted.

Momentum

A communication plan for all relevant agencies, businesses and organisations to provide regular updates would also create reform momentum.

Policy makers needed to be more attuned to the needs of the "end-users" of regulations – those who were going to have to comply with new rules, he said.

USAID Viet Nam Competitiveness Initiative chief regulatory advisor Faisal Naru said consultation would help the Government minimise the risk of unexpected consequences and encourage public ownership of policies and commitment to them.

Uncertainty

An uncertain regulatory environment sapped investor confidence and entrepreneurial initiative, said Central Institute for Economic Management deputy director Nguyen Dinh Cung.

The result was a negative impact on the country's competitiveness,

Viet Nam did not have a single agency responsible to oversee the overall economic, social and environmental impacts of regulation and, as a result, policy makers did not have the information needed to ensure objectives were met after policies were issued.

Cung and advisor Naru provided figures showing the number of regulations governing businesses has increased dramatically since 2005.

These had caused many difficulties and unnecessary costs for citizens and businesses, they said in a jointly written paper dealing with the challenges of a better regulatory system for Viet Nam.

The Global Competitiveness Index 2010-11 ranks Viet Nam 120th of 133 countries in terms of the burden of government regulation, a drop of 14 places from 2009.

Viet Nam is also 20 places behind last year's ranking for transparency of policy making.

The OECD representatives suggested the Viet Nam Government build its capacity for impact assessment and move toward evidence-based policy making.

It should also provide the Government Office's Administrative Procedure Control Agency with the capacity necessary to lead and implement the regulatory reform agenda. — VNS

Friday, December 31, 2010

Gov't bids to speed up administrative reforms

HCM CITY — The Government has pledged to complete its administrative reform programme for the 2001 – 2010 period in an aim to reduce cumbersome procedures for both individuals and businesses.

The Government has urged several ministries involved in pressing issues like land and taxation to complete their tasks by the end of the year.

Of the 194 administrative procedures of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, 117 will be changed, nine replaced and 38 abolished, according to minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, director of the Government Office.

The ministry said it would modify 43 procedures involved in land issues by the end of the year, including simplifying land transfer and inheritance, land-right use and property-on-land use rights.

It also plans to simplify the issuance and reissuance of land and house-ownership certificates.

Because many fees will be abolished, reforms related to land procedures could help save around VND10 billion (US$500,000) per year, according to Phuc.

The Ministry of Construction has asked the Government to abolish three and modify 13 procedures related to housing and house construction.

Construction fees will no longer be collected, and construction licenses will be valid permanently and will not need to be renewed.

In addition, the Ministry of Finance will ask the Government for permission to simplify 271 out of 330 procedures.

These reforms would help individuals and organisations save about VND1,921 billion ($96 million) per year.

The ministry has also asked the Government to modify 35 priority procedures, which would help save VND1,582 billion ($79.1 million) per year.

As for customs procedures, the Government wants to simplify 138 out of 168 procedures, which would help save about VND705 billion ($35.25 million) per year, according to Phuc. — VNS

Monday, December 20, 2010

Hanoian arrested for anti-state propaganda

Hanoian arrested for anti-state propaganda A man who recently sued the PM over the bauxite mines in the Central Highlands was arrested for "spreading propaganda against the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam," police told a press briefing Saturday.

The 53-year-old Cu Huy Ha Vu wrote many documents whose content defamed the Vietnamese state and was contrary to the people's benefits to propagandize them, said lieutenant-general Hoang Kong Tu, head of the Investigation Agency under the Ministry of Public Security.

The documents showed that Vu wanted to overthrow the government, implement a multi-party government, and called for foreign intervention, Tu said.

Vu had relations with anti-government individuals and forces in Vietnam and abroad, said the lieutenant-general.

In addition, He has granted more than 20 interviews to anti-Vietnam overseas reactionary elements’ radios and newspapers and transferred his own documents to them to use in oppose the Vietnamese state, Tu said.

Besides, Vu spread false information about the government and officials, confusing people and provoking them to slander the Party and state officials, Tu added.

Vu alledgely violated Article 88 of the Criminal Code. He could face up to 12 years in prison if convicted.

Vu’s documents were found on his laptop computer and house after Ho Chi Minh City police detained him for his extra-marital affair. He was caught at a hotel room in the city with a woman on Thursday.

The Hanoi-based man, who obtained a doctorate in law in France and now runs a law firm with his wife in the capital city, is the son of well-known poet Cu Huy Can and a nephew of Xuan Dieu, also one of the country's most famous poets. However, Vu is not a practicing lawyer.

Last year, Vu filed petition with the Hanoi People’s Court against Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s approval of a plan to exploit bauxite mines in the Central Highlands, but the suit was dismissed.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Concerns growing over bauxite mining projects

Opinions still differ on the issues of Vietnam’s two bauxite mining projects in the Central Highlands in the wake of a massive red mud spill in Hungary this month.

The catastrophe in western Hungary, which forced hundreds of local dwellers out of their homes, contaminated the soil and decimated wildlife, has raised the concerns about two underway projects in Vietnam.

But when it comes to deciding whether the government should put an end to the projects, there are different opinions from National Assembly deputies, scientists and project developers.

Ho Uy Liem, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Science and Technology Associations on Monday told Tuoi Tre the association last year reported to the Politburo why the projects should be reviewed given environmental risks but the proposal was turned down.

He said the scientists are now ready to hold a dialogue with the government and project developers to discuss the issues once again.

He reiterated the risks of a red mud spill in the Central Highlands similar to that in Hungary due to huge rainfall of the region.

Meanwhile, Le Duong Quang, deputy minister of Industry and Trade, who doubles as board chairman of the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group, the partner of China's state-owned aluminum company Chalco on the mines, said he was quite assured of the safety of the red mud disposal lakes in the Central Highlands.

However, Quang said the group will be willing to close the projects if the government orders them to.

Last Saturday Nguyen Xuan Phuc, chairman of the Government Office, told the press the government will continue to gather opinions before deciding whether to halt the projects.

“It’s necessary to listen to concerns of the public and intellectuals, but we need time to analyze them before reaching a final decision,” he said.

National Assembly deputies have different opinions about whether to halt the bauxite mining projects, with the majority of lawmakers asking the government to hold further discussions on the issues.

Deputy Nguyen Lan Dung of the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak said he was confused about the projects’ economic benefits, but added that it was “pretty hard to close the projects.”

Nguyen Van Ban, who formerly headed Vinacomin’s aluminum project, said in an interview with Tuoi Tre on Sunday that when there are fears that the projects are not safe, it’s a right move to halt them.

“The catastrophe in Hungary was serious,” Ban said. “It’s a painful lesson because Hungary is among countries with leading technologies in bauxite mining,” he said.

A group of scientists and intellectuals have signed a petition asking the government to halt the projects to conduct further research and gather public opinion on the matter, Thanh Nien newspaper reported.

Former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh and former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dang Hung Vo are among the petitioners.

The six-page petition was sent to top officials in the Party and government.

The petitioners said canceling the mines would represent a 'painful decision such as has never been taken in our economic history' but that it is better to 'suffer now than to leave the consequences to the future.'

According to Reuters, hundreds of villagers were evacuated in the Oct. 4 spill of industrial waste at an alumina plant in western Hungary that was owned by MAL Zrt. Nine people were killed and 150 injured, mainly by chemical burns, in the disaster.

A million cubic meters of lethal red mud surged out of the reservoir, flooding three villages and farmland and fouling rivers including a tributary of the Danube.

A six-page petition calling for an end to the two bauxite mining projects in the Central Highlands was signed by 15 former senior officials and intellectuals and sent to top officials in the Party and government.

Signatories include former Vice President Nguyen Thi Binh, and Dang Hung Vo, former Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment.

The petition calls on the government to close the underway projects and cancel any future ones, quoting earlier research saying the mines would produce minimal economic benefits and pose severe environmental risks.

Concerns growing over bauxite mining projects