NA Deputy Chairman Uông Chu Lưu delivers speech at the  fourth plenum of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee in Hà Nội yesterday. — Photo quochoi.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s legislators were told yesterday that provincial and district leaders are not meeting with citizens as often as they should.

Speaking at the fourth plenum of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee in Hà Nội yesterday, Nguyễn Thanh Hải, chairwoman of the NA’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth and Children, said: “Our inspection in some provinces showed that when the leader of the province or district met with the people themselves, the number of citizens coming to file complaints and denunciations increased dramatically. So did the number of immediately resolved complaints.”

“From this, we can infer that the role of the leaders goes hand in hand with the authority to resolve complaints,” she said.

However, results from the committee’s inspection showed that the chairpersons of provincial and district’s people committees did not meet with citizens as regularly as the regulations require. Some provincial chairpersons only meet with citizens once a month, district chairpersons – twice a month.

According to Phan Văn Sáu, Inspector General of the Government Inspectorate, the number of citizens filing complaints and denunciations this year declined 5.4 per cent compared to the same period last year. The number of complaints filed by large groups  declined 9.6 per cent and the total number of petitions dropped 10.6 per cent.

By the end of August, the State administrative agencies received some 230,000 petitions of all kinds, of which more than 80,700 were complaints and denunciations. Among the targets of the complaints and denunciations, some 37,000 are under the jurisdiction of Government agencies.

When top leaders refuse to see the people and send other officials to fill in for them, it complicated the process of resolving complaints, Đỗ Bá Tỵ, vice chairman of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee, said.

‘This subordinate, who possesses little authority, can only listen, record and report it to his superior,” he said. “It will take forever to give people the answers they need.”

Even though the number of complaints and denunciations has decreased in comparison with last year, the NA’s Committee said the legal departments should assess more critically the effectiveness of the complaint resolving process, as well as the responsibilities of the top leaders. They should point out the names and positions of leaders who refuse to meet citizens, and take strict measures against them.

At the plenum, Phùng Quốc Hiển, deputy chairman of the NA, pointed out that the complexity and scale of the complaints and denunciations had increased. 

The increasingly complicated socio-economic relationships and irresponsible officials who do not fulfill their duties are some of the reasons behind the current complaint and denunciation situation, he said.

State administrative agencies have resolved some 80 per cent of the complaints and denunciations so far.

Included in the settlements were a return of some VNĐ490 billion (US$22 million) and 40ha of land recovered for the State or returned to organisations and individuals. Some 2,000 people had their interests protected, while more than 300 others were found to be involved in administrative violations, Sáu reported, adding that eight cases involving five suspects had been handed over to investigation agencies. — VNS