Vũ Quốc Hùng, former deputy director-general of the Party Inspection Commission talks to the Government news site chinhphu.vn on the Party's resolve to push back corruption to win society's confidence in the bright future of the Vietnamese nation

Can you share with us some of the successes in the fight against embezzlement and corruption?

In recent years, the phrase “safe landing” has been used to describe any senior Government officials who have been accused of committing certain embezzlement acts when they were in power. Yet right now, things are quite different. Anyone who is found to have misused public money will be brought to light and they will have to return such illegally acquired money to the State even if they have retired years ago.

More recently the Communist Party of Việt Nam has vowed to sanction any Government official who has violated the Party's rules on transparency and accountability. It is hoped that when this rule is strictly implemented, the Party and Government will gain more confidence from the people while raising the alarm to anyone who abuses taxpayers’ money at their own will. Vietnamese Party General Secretary, State President Nguyễn Phú Trọng once said: “We discipline somebody in order to save many other people."

Do you have any comments on Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and his cabinet’s resolve in the fight against corruption and embezzlement?

PM Phúc and his cabinet have many times vowed to fight against corruption and embezzlement. The Government has also set a target that in the second half of 2020, all Government agencies nationwide are to step up their fight against corruption and embezzlement.

In this fight, people who are invested with power should hold high their responsibility and set an example for others to follow.

The Government has also vowed to sanction any Government official who detected taking bribes.

Quite a few corruption cases have been exposed in public agencies which are assigned to fight corruption and embezzlement. How do you respond to this?

I agree, corruption and embezzlement have been detected in a few Government offices or agencies and their acts have strongly eroded the people’s confidence in the goodness of our society.

In many meetings of the Central Steering Committee against Corruption, Party Secretary and President Nguyễn Phú Trọng has talked about this issue and called on everyone to stand firm in their position in the fight against corruption and embezzlement. He has urged all Party members to hold high their discipline and uphold the Party rules in the fight against corruption and embezzlement.

He has also asked all public agencies and people to give a helping hand to law enforcement agencies in carrying out their duties.

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng has also vowed to sanction any public agency or official who fails to perform their duties in the fight against corruption and embezzlement. VNS