Correcting working style, improving public ethics: Movement from the grassroots

(Baonghean) -One of the solutions to build an honest and constructive government is to constantly improve working methods, rectify discipline, administrative discipline, and professional ethics in public service activities; taking dedicated service to the people and the people's interests as a measure of operational efficiency in agencies and units.

In order to promote the improvement of working style and enhance public ethics among cadres and civil servants in agencies, units and localities, in recent times, the Provincial Party Committee and People's Committee of Nghe An province have focused on directing the implementation of discipline and administrative discipline through the issuance of specific documents, typically Directive 17 of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee on strengthening discipline and administrative discipline in agencies and units in the province;

Project 07 of the Provincial Party Committee on enhancing exemplary behavior, combating conservatism, waiting, and dependence among cadres and party members in conjunction with the implementation of Directive 26 dated September 5, 2016 of the Prime Minister on strengthening discipline and order in state agencies; Resolution 4 of the Central Committee (term XII) on preventing and repelling manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" within the Party; Directive 05 of the Politburo on "Promoting the study and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality, and lifestyle". Thereby creating positive changes in the awareness and actions of cadres, party members, civil servants and public employees in performing their duties...

The People's Inspectorate of Ha Huy Tap Ward (Vinh City) evaluates community investment supervision. Photo: Khanh Ly

Tighten administrative discipline

To raise awareness and responsibility of cadres and civil servants, every year, the Provincial People's Committee has established an interdisciplinary inspection team to conduct surprise inspections at units and localities and re-inspections at units. Through inspection activities to implement Directive 17 and Directive 26, the awareness of cadres and civil servants has been raised, the activities of many localities and agencies have become orderly, overcoming the situation of coming early, returning late, and doing private work during office hours. In particular, many localities have had specific solutions to improve the quality of administrative management for cadres, civil servants and public employees.

For example, in the mountainous commune of Chau Tien (Quy Chau), due to the fact that officials and civil servants violate working hours, the commune invested funds to install a camera system to monitor the activities of officials and civil servants. The software is connected to the mobile phone of the Chairman of the Commune People's Committee for monitoring and management.

Over the period of implementation, all activities in the local political system have become routine; the sense of responsibility, exemplary working style, manners, and attitude of serving the people of cadres and party members, especially key leaders, have been improved.

Similarly, in Quynh Tho commune (Quynh Luu), through calling and mobilizing children working far away to support 50 million VND, the local government installed a camera system to monitor officials and civil servants working in the hall, meeting room, one-stop duty department, stairs and entrance gate of the headquarters.

With 2 servers arranged and installed in the office of the Secretary and Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, leaders can promptly grasp whether cadres and civil servants go to work on time or not? Are they often absent from meetings or flag-raising ceremonies on Mondays? Attitude and responsibility in serving the people?... Thereby, aiming to promptly correct violations, improve the professional work efficiency of each department to build the locality to develop more and more in all aspects.

In Tao Son commune (Anh Son), through the management of civil servant cards, the locality has scientifically monitored the compliance with working hours of cadres and civil servants. Accordingly, the commune divides 3 types of cards, including: cadre cards, civil servant cards and part-time cards, which are hung in the office. Every day, when working hours come, cadres and civil servants come to receive the cards and when working hours end, they leave the cards in the office. When cadres and civil servants go to the base or go on business trips, they are responsible for reporting to the commune leaders and the office.

With this method, it is possible to know which cadres and civil servants are slow or absent without the office staff having to go to each room to check the numbers. The specific daily work schedules of the Party Committee Secretaries and Commune People's Committee Chairmen are also made public for civil servants and people to monitor and supervise... "This method not only monitors the compliance with working hours of cadres, civil servants and part-timers in a public and democratic manner, but also contributes to improving discipline, awareness and responsibility in performing the tasks of the team of cadres and civil servants of the commune, which is highly appreciated by the people" - said comrade Hoang Dinh Son - Secretary of the Party Committee of Tao Son commune.

Nghi Hoa ward officials discuss with block officials to grasp the situation at the grassroots level. Photo: Thanh Le

Many agencies and units have also focused on improving the quality of administrative management and work efficiency for cadres, civil servants and public employees by applying modern technology such as: Department of Planning and Investment applying electronic swipe card technology; Department of Information and Communications using fingerprint scanning technology, Nghe An Tax Department applying information technology at level 3, level 4 in receiving and handling administrative procedures, becoming the leading unit in the country in implementing online public services - electronic tax payment.

The Department of Planning and Investment publishes the hotline number and mailbox, and a satisfaction assessment form for organizations and individuals when coming to transact at the unit. In case of returning results to enterprises after the deadline, the head of the business registration office must issue a written apology and call the enterprise to apologize. The Department of Finance effectively implements the work of receiving and returning results of budget-related code files through the Ministry of Finance's level 4 online public service, while reducing the processing time from 5 working days to 2 working days...

Strictly handle violations

In addition to tightening administrative discipline, local Party committees and authorities also focus on resolving long-standing issues at the grassroots level and strictly handling violations related to cadres and party members. Chi Khe commune (Con Cuong) is an area with many long-standing violations in land management, including cadres, party members, and key leaders.

The violations and shortcomings of the Chi Khe Commune Party Committee are shown in the following: failure to direct and organize the correct implementation of regulations on land management and use; failure to promptly and thoroughly handle violations; lack of responsibility in leadership, direction, urging, supervision and inspection to allow violations to occur; no measures or solutions to advise on land management and use in the area, grasp the situation, thoughts and needs of people for residential land to have solutions. The above violations and shortcomings have affected the security, political and social order and safety situation in the area, affected the role and prestige of the leadership and direction of the Party organization, affected internal solidarity, and caused negative public opinion among Party members and the masses.

Faced with the above situation, the Standing Committee of Con Cuong District Party Committee directed the District Party Committee's Inspection Committee to take action and after reporting the inspection results, issued a decision to discipline the Chi Khe Commune Party Committee, in the form of a reprimand for violating Clause 1, Point b, Article 21 of Regulation No. 263-QD/TW dated October 8, 2014 of the Central Committee on Disciplinary Actions against Party Organizations for "lack of responsibility in leadership, direction, urging, inspection, and supervision leading to violations".

For related individuals, the District Party Committee's Inspection Committee shall execute disciplinary decisions according to its authority; the District People's Committee shall strengthen state management of land in the district in general and Chi Khe commune in particular; work with provincial-level agencies, based on the Notice of Conclusion of the District Party Committee's Standing Committee, to handle and resolve land issues for violating families in Chi Khe commune in accordance with State regulations and the Land Law; direct the review, consideration, and serious handling, in accordance with the violations of the Chi Khe commune People's Committee and individuals related to land violations concluded by the District Party Committee's Standing Committee.

Officials of Nam Cat commune, Nam Dan discuss with people about the situation at the grassroots level. Photo: Khanh Ly

According to Comrade Nguyen Dinh Hung - Secretary of Con Cuong District Party Committee: The reason for prolonged complaints, going beyond the level, or the emergence of hot spots is due to the inconclusive handling of long-standing violations at the grassroots level. Therefore, the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee resolutely handles violations related to ethics and responsibility in performing public duties of cadres and civil servants that have been and are causing negative impacts on public opinion, causing loss of trust among the people.

In 2016, Con Cuong District Party Committee disciplined 16 comrades for violations related to lack of responsibility, lax leadership and management, violation of the principle of democratic centralism; violation of financial and budget management, violation of Regulation No. 47QD-TW on things that party members are not allowed to do. The District People's Committee also directed the disciplinary action of forcing Ms. Duong Thi Hong Lan, a land and construction official of Bong Khe commune, to resign for violations related to the implementation of administrative procedures in land management.

For Vinh city, with the motto "to develop, one must be peaceful and peaceful to develop", the city's Party Committee and government have had many solutions to amend working methods, tighten discipline and state administrative discipline. Especially at the citizen reception office and one-stop shop, in addition to arranging competent and responsible staff, cameras have also been installed so that city leaders can monitor the settlement of work for the people.

For officials and civil servants who violate public ethics will be strictly handled, such as in 2016, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Son (born in 1962) - Deputy Head of the Urban Rules Team of Nghi Phu Commune (Vinh City) was caught red-handed by the police while receiving bribes from 7 people who had street vendors in front of Nghe An General Hospital, and was forced to quit his job. Or in the case related to violations in compensation for land acquisition in Cua Nam Ward, the collapse of a crane of Truong Thinh Company that caused the death of a student, the violations of the relevant collectives and individuals were all directed to be strictly handled.

Comrade Vo Viet Thanh - Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, Secretary of Vinh City Party Committee said: In addition to issuing Resolution 02 (term XVIII) focusing on improving the quality of ward and commune cadres, ready to "replace" cadres and civil servants who do not meet requirements and tasks, the City Party Committee has assigned comrades in the Standing Committee in charge of wards and communes to be responsible for inspecting and supervising the performance of duties of cadres, civil servants and heads of wards and communes.

All complaints must be resolved with specific decisions. Officials must build credibility with the people, when making promises to the people, they must resolve them thoroughly. Issues related to people's interests, especially in land acquisition, project settlement, social policies... are all raised at meetings of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, administrative meetings of the City People's Committee to control, handle, promote the role of the People's Council, the Fatherland Front and organizations in supervising and resolving people's petitions.

Thanks to that, consensus was created among the people. With this approach, in recent times, many prominent cases that have lasted for years related to land complaints have been resolved with the motto "wherever there are violations, handle them, where there are problems, resolve them". For comrades in the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee, there will be no case where an incident occurs in the area under his responsibility that he does not know about or is not aware of.

Officials of Nam Loc commune, Nam Dan inspect the hill garden economic model. Photo: Thanh Le.

In addition to the above methods, the province's promotion of responsibility inspection activities associated with public service inspection to promptly detect and correct violations is also a solution to force units to constantly improve working methods and manners, raise the sense of responsibility and public ethics for cadres, party members, civil servants and public employees in order to build a smooth operating apparatus, effective and efficient operations, in which the satisfaction of people and businesses is taken as a measure...

Khanh Ly - Thanh Le