Opinion
Hardworking civil servants can prove illusive
  • By Bui Hoang Tam | dtinews.vn | July 11, 2016 12:41 PM

Many civil servants seem to be deliberately evasive when it comes to meeting the public, preferring to avoid people and pass the buck so they don’t have to deal with complaints.

Both Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Phong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc have demanded a better attitude and more transparent governance from the country’s civil servants.

However a recent article in VOV News revealed that many agencies and local authorities continue to show scant respect for the laws on complaints and denunciations. Civil servants continue to shirk their duties and avoid the public so they don't have to do difficult work. As a result, many people file their complaints at a higher level or in some situations the cases remain in limbo for decades.

Nguyen Van Pha, vice chairman of Vietnam Fatherland Front's Central Committee said, "Last year, I led a team of lawyers, representatives of the Ministry of Justice and government inspectorates to investigate a case in Tay Ninh Province that remained unresolved for 15 years. The party secretary of Tay Ninh promised that he'd give directives to end this case after party congress yet nothing has been done. People will lose trust in the government if this carries on."

 

Nguyen Van Pha, vice chairman of Vietnam Fatherland Front's Central Committee

Lawyer Nguyen Van Xuong said that it was extremely difficult to meet with the provincial leaders. "We then submitted a written complaint but they didn't respond," he said.

As authorities in the provinces avoid their work, people flock to the capital to file cases, putting even more pressure on the central agencies.

There are a number of reasons why the provincial chairmen, vice chairmen and party secretaries void people, but the main ones are probably simple.

First, they are incompetent and can't deal with the cases. Secondly, they hope that the cases will turn cold if they just ignore them for long enough. Thirdly, they think that dealing with those complaints are a waste time and don't bring them any benefits. And lastly, they have become distant and indifferent toward the public and they’re out of touch with public opinion.

Lawyer Nguyen Manh Ha proposed to have sanctions to prevent officials from avoiding duties.

"We suggested that the Vietnam Fatherland Front and advisory bodies to create sanctions for officials who refuse to deal with problems in their localities because there are many submitted complaints that have never been dealt with," he said.

They are paid to serve the public and solve issues in their localities. If they are so distant from the public that they almost do nothing in such cases, then it's about time to replace them with someone better.

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