What additional tasks need to be done at the provincial and commune levels if the district, provincial, and commune levels are abolished?
By eliminating the district level, the provincial and commune levels will have to take on more tasks related to licensing, resolving land disputes, etc. We are ready with solutions so that people do not have to travel further, and the commune level has the capacity to address the needs of the people.
Recently, the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Central Committee assigned the Party Committee of the Government to preside over and coordinate with the Central Organization Committee, the Party Committee of the National Assembly, the Party Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, central mass organizations and relevant agencies to direct the research and development of a proposal and submission to the Politburo on the merger of some provincial-level administrative units, the elimination of district-level organizations, and the continued merger of commune-level administrative units.
This document must be finalized and submitted to the Central Committee of the Party (through the Central Organization Department) before April 7th.
Improving the skills of commune-level officials.
Speaking with VietNamNet, Dr. Pham Trong Nghia, a member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society, said that to ensure the streamlining of the administrative apparatus is feasible and effective when abolishing the district level, several issues need to be considered.
First, it is necessary to define the authority of the provincial and commune levels. According to Mr. Nghia, the district level currently plays an intermediary role in land management, civil registration, security and order, local budgets, and the implementation of socio-economic development policies.
"When abolishing the district level, it is necessary to clearly define whether these functions will be transferred to the provincial level or down to the commune level," Dr. Pham Trong Nghia noted.
Next, regarding the issue of resources for performing functions and tasks, Mr. Nghia argued that, after abolishing the district level, the provincial and commune levels would have to take on many more tasks (planning, licensing, resolving land disputes, etc.). Therefore, it is necessary to increase personnel, budget, and infrastructure for the provincial and commune levels.
"It is necessary to improve the qualifications of commune-level officials to meet new requirements, while reducing dependence on intermediate levels," Mr. Nghia suggested.
Thirdly, regarding the seamlessness of public services, delegate Pham Trong Nghia analyzed that by eliminating the district level, we are ready with solutions so that people do not have to travel further, and the commune level has sufficient capacity to address the needs of the people.
The issue of synchronizing the political system is also a matter that needs to be considered when thinking about abolishing the district level.
"Currently, Party and mass organizations are organized in parallel with the government at all three levels. Therefore, abolishing the district level will require adjusting the entire system," Mr. Nghia said. In addition, it is necessary to review all legal documents related to the district level for amendment.
Revise the law quickly.
According to delegate Pham Trong Nghia, the merger of provinces and the abolition of district levels to streamline the administrative apparatus, making it more efficient, effective, and effective, requires comprehensive and synchronized amendments to the legal system.
In addition to amending the Constitution to serve as the highest legal basis, specialized laws will then be revised to redefine the functions and responsibilities between provincial and commune levels; especially legal regulations related to organizational structure, litigation, budget, natural resources, business conditions, population management, etc.
Mr. Nghia argued that the Law on Organization of Local Government needs further amendment. This includes revising the provisions related to the functions, duties, and powers of the district level, and readjusting the relationship between the provincial and commune levels.
In addition, the judicial sector needs to amend the Law on the Organization of People's Courts and the Law on the Organization of People's Procuracies.
Many other important laws, such as the Land Law and the Environmental Protection Law, will also be adjusted to ensure smooth implementation.
Furthermore, the 2015 State Budget Law also needs to be amended because abolishing the district level will require revisions to regulations on budget allocation, transferring financial resources directly from the provincial level to the commune level, or readjusting the public finance management mechanism at the provincial level to suit the new model.
Laws related to civil registration, population, and administration will be reviewed and amended accordingly. For example, the Law on Civil Registration and the Law on Residence stipulate the responsibilities of district-level authorities in managing civil registration and residence. Removing the district level is necessary; instead, amendments are needed to redefine responsibilities between provincial and commune levels in these areas.
The amendment of these laws will be carried out quickly, decisively, and smoothly with the determination of the entire political system, in order to build a "lean, efficient, effective, and effective" apparatus as General Secretary To Lam and the Central Committee have determined.
In Conclusion 127, the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Central Committee requested a review, amendment, and supplementation of Party regulations, the Constitution, and State laws.
In addition to requiring proactive review and proposals for amendments and additions to the Party Charter and Regulations on the Implementation of the Party Charter, the Politburo also requested research into amending and supplementing several articles of the Constitution, specifically those concerning the organizational structure of the political system.
The Politburo assigned this task to the Party Committee of the National Assembly, which, in coordination with the Party Committee of the Government, directed the Party Committee of the Committee on Law and Justice, the Party Committee of the Ministry of Justice, and other relevant agencies to implement and complete it no later than June 30th. This means the constitutional amendment must be completed within four months.
The Politburo also assigned the Party Committee of the Government and the Party Committee of the National Assembly (according to their respective scopes and fields) to preside over and direct the Party Committee of the Ministry of Justice, the Party Committee of the Committee on Law and Justice, and related agencies to research and propose amendments and additions to a number of related laws within a period of 4 months.
These include the Law on Organization of Local Government, the Law on Cadres and Civil Servants, the Law on Inspection, the Law on Planning, the Law on Election of National Assembly Deputies and People's Council Deputies, the Law on Promulgation of Legal Normative Documents, the Law on Organization of People's Courts, the Law on Organization of People's Procuracies, and other related laws and documents.
