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National Assembly Deputy Nguyễn Minh Sơn from the southern province of Tiền Giang talks to Hải Quan (Customs) newspaper about the importance of sound legislation to help the country successfully fight corruption.

What is your assessment of the fight against corruption in Việt Nam in recent years?

According to statistics provided by Transparency International, Việt Nam’s corruption perception index reached 37/100 points in 2019 – ranking 96th out of 180 countries and territories worldwide, an increase of 21 places compared to 2018. This is the highest ranking Transparency International has ever given to Việt Nam (The higher the ranking, the less corruption is perceived).

I think corruption has been curbed successfully – an important factor that has helped the country maintain its political stability and improve the business investment environment. Adding to that the country’s mission to fight corruption and manage the socio-economy is gradually being achieved. Many big corruption cases have been brought to court.

What are the limitations in the fight against corruption and embezzlement?

The weak points in our fight against corruption and embezzlement are failure to raise public awareness about corrupt acts and a lack of sound legislation to tackle these issues. Last but not least, law enforcement in this field has not been strictly upheld in some localities.

What solutions do you think are needed to ensure the fight against corruption and embezzlement is more effective in the future?

I think there are four important solutions Việt Nam should adopt to win the fight against corruption and embezzlement.

First, we need to open more training courses at grassroots levels on how to conduct mass communication campaigns to raise people’s awareness of the fight against corruption and embezzlement. In addition, we should regularly revise our communications strategies to help the general public understand the laws and join in the fight against corruption.

Second, we should regularly review and make changes to our legislation to ensure it keeps up with the times and deters corrupt acts right from the stage of developing policies and laws.

Third, office heads should be responsible for upholding the law and ensuring all staff behave as good citizens in the fight against corruption in their offices.

And finally, it is important for all government officials to be law-abiding citizens and uphold the rights and responsibilities assigned to thẹm. — VNS

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