Apparatus streamlining: urgency in Party chief’s directions

December 10, 2024 - 06:16
At a legislature discussion session on October 31, the General Secretary described the streamlining of the apparatus as a "revolution" that must be implemented by the entire political system from the central to grassroots levels, and by each party cell and member.
Party General Secretary Tô Lâm chairs the first meeting of the Central Steering Committee for reviewing the implementation of Resolution No 18-NQ/TW on November 19. VNA/VNS Photo

Vũ Thị Kim Anh

HÀ NỘI The Central Steering Committee responsible for reviewing a 2017 resolution on reorganising the political system to increase innovation and efficiency has asked all agencies to finish their proposals on restructuring and streamlining their operations by the end of December.

The committee made the request on December 5 in preparation for extraordinary meetings of the Party Central Committee and the National Assembly scheduled to take place in February 2025.

The streamlining process under Resolution No 18-NQ/TW, issued by the 12th Party Central Committee in 2017, is taking place rapidly. After implementation, the overhaul is expected to be finalised within two months.

This accelerated timeline is due to the leadership of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Việt Nam Central Committee Tô Lâm, who has adopted the guiding principles of "running while queuing", "time does not wait", "acting immediately, the sooner the work is done, the better it benefits the people and the country", and "the Party Central Committee and its commissions, the National Assembly and the government must all set examples".

Key phrases from the Party chief's recent speeches include "revolution", "decisiveness", "urgency", "high determination", "critical importance", "strong", "act rapidly", "extraordinary effort", and "outstanding endeavour".

At a legislature discussion session on October 31, the General Secretary described the streamlining of the apparatus as a "revolution" that must be implemented by the entire political system from the central to grassroots levels, and by each party cell and member.

He emphasised that since the 12th National Party Congress, the Party Central Committee’s Resolution has recognised that the state apparatus is cumbersome, inefficient and ineffective, and must be reorganised and streamlined.

“Without streamlining the apparatus, we cannot achieve development,” he noted.

According to the leader, around 70 per cent of the budget is currently spent on salaries and regular expenditures to support ongoing operations. If the budget continues to be managed in this way, there will be no funds left for development investments, national defence, security, poverty reduction and social welfare. At least 50 per cent of the budget should be allocated to these critical tasks. If salaries are raised without changing the system, spending on wages will rise to 80 to 90 per cent of the budget, leaving no funds for other activities, Lâm stated, stressing that a cumbersome apparatus hinders development.

On November 5, the Party General Secretary penned an article on building an elite, efficient and effective political system.

In this article, he emphasised that with the 100th founding anniversary of the Party and the 100th founding anniversary of the nation approaching, achieving strategic goals not only requires extraordinary efforts and exceptional commitment but also does not allow any delay, lack of precision or inconsistency in each step. To accomplish this, it is imperative to initiate a revolution in streamlining the organisational apparatus of the political system.

This requires a focus on perfecting institutions in a spirit of "running while queuing" so as to promptly translate the Party's policies into reality. Relevant legal regulations should be reviewed for amendments ensuring that the Party's policies are implemented as soon as they are approved by the Party Central Committee.

The Party chief also stressed the need to complete laws on the organisation and operations of agencies within the political system in association with the spirit of boosting the decentralisation and delegation of power, following the motto of “localities deciding, localities implementing, and localities bearing the responsibilities”.

This means the Party, Government and National Assembly must help complete the institutional framework, enhancing inspection and supervision, as well as maximising administrative reforms, including reducing costs and creating the most favourable conditions for citizens and businesses.

Streamlining the organisational structure should also be combined with ensuring officials possess the necessary skills, capacity and qualifications for their tasks, with reasonable payroll and standardised job titles, he added.

Six days later, at a November 11 meeting with the sub-committees in charge of documents and Party rules for the upcoming 14th National Party Congress, Lâm called for the swift implementation of Resolution No 18-NQ/TW on several issues regarding the reform of the political system for greater efficiency.

He stressed the need for high political resolve, decisive action and ideological consensus across the entire political system. The effort will require solidarity, courage and self-sacrifice from every official and Party member to serve the country’s development.

On November 25, addressing the opening ceremony of the 13th Party Central Committee meeting, the Party chief confirmed that the continued innovation and restructuring of the political system's organisational apparatus is an urgent requirement.

Many tasks remain unaccomplished, and the organisational structure of the political system is still cumbersome, with multiple layers and overlapping functions, responsibilities and authorities. Its decentralisation and delegation of power are inconsistent, and operational effectiveness and efficiency remain low, he noted.

The Politburo has agreed to review Resolution No 18-NQ/TW and report to the Party Central Committee for approval of decisive measures to continue reorganising the political system, starting with central agencies. This has been identified as a task that must be carried out swiftly and completed before the 14th National Party Congress.

Lâm said that under the Politburo's policy, the work has been actively implemented with the spirit of “running while queuing”.

The Politburo established a steering committee to review Resolution No 18-NQ/TW, issuing operational regulations, assigning responsibilities and creating an implementation plan to guide ministries, sectors and localities in conducting the review in accordance with specific directions.

On December 1, the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee convened a national conference for the review of Resolution No 18, during which the Party leader said that the question now is whether this is the right time, and if it is an urgent and objective requirement for the revolution to streamline the organisational structure of the political system to ensure effective and efficient operations.

The answer is that the nation can no longer afford any delays, as this is an urgent issue that must be addressed immediately. The sooner the work is done, the greater benefits it will bring to the people and the nation.

“To ensure a healthy body, sometimes we must take bitter medicine or endure pain to surgically remove the tumor,” stressed the Party leader. VNA/VNS

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