Ward-level officials and petty power

Do you think you will become a ward official? If you ask that question to candidates taking the high school graduation exam, becoming a ward official will be the last choice.

Children dream of becoming politicians, engineers, doctors, soldiers, police officers, drivers… but ward officials never appear in those dreams. Because the job of a ward official is seen as simple, not worth dreaming about.

Being an administrative officer at the ward level is an anonymous job, and in reality, not many people remember the name of the ward chairman where they live. It is very rare to have a ward officer as famous as Mr. Hieu and Ms. Ha in Van Mieu, Hanoi. Ironically, it is a fame that no one wants.

In the government organization system, ward officials like Mr. Hieu and Ms. Ha are the people closest to the public. They are both the arms and the face of the government to carry out the task of communicating with citizens.

A child is born, an old person dies, couples live together… all the most basic procedures in our lives go through the hands of ward-level officials. In other words, ward-level officials interfere in all of our lives. However, we only pay attention to them in situations like Mr. Hieu and Ms. Ha, when we have negative feelings about being harassed and abused.

People's Committee of Van Mieu Ward, Hanoi, where the scandal of "delay in issuing death certificates" just happened

No one wants to see ward officials the way we see Mr. Hieu and Ms. Ha. But no one strives to study and train to become a ward official, no child dreams of making a living with such a job. Even the state's regulations on standards for ward officials are extremely modest.

The standards for ward-level officials are stipulated in Article 3 of Decree No. 112/2011/ND-CP dated December 5, 2011 of the Government as follows:

About age: 18 years or older.

About cultural level: High school graduate;

Regarding professional qualifications: Graduated from intermediate vocational school or higher in a field of training appropriate to the job requirements of the civil servant position held;

About IT level: Have office IT certificate level A or higher;

With a job that is not worth dreaming about, not worth choosing to make a living, not requiring high standards (which means the level of recognition from the state is not high), that means ward officials are in a very modest position in the social ladder.

Ward officials are the arms and faces of the government in communicating with the people, just like tellers are the faces of banks when communicating with customers, just like cashiers are the faces of supermarkets. So what makes them forget their responsibilities as public servants and civil servants?

Ward officials sit behind the glass of the committee house and certify the lives of tens of thousands of people. Without the seals from their hands, civil transactions cannot be successful, children will not have names, couples cannot be married, and deceased elderly people may not be buried…

If they look at all of that, look at the seal that they are entrusted to keep and use as a working tool to serve customers, they will take care to make customers most satisfied.

But if they see those things as their power, they will become Mr. Hieu and Ms. Ha.

They often choose the second view, because unlike customer service staff, they are civil servants, officials, and that means they have a future of advancement on the path of power. That choice is shaped by the state's identity.

If they are identified as employees of a public administrative unit with the task of serving customers who are citizens coming to do procedures, they will have to be friendly to the "gods" if they do not want to be fired because of their service attitude.

If they are identified as state officials with administrative titles, they will identify themselves as holders of state power to bestow upon the people, they will only see their petty powers.

According to Vietnamnet.vn