'Nothing controls power better than information transparency'

Minister and Head of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung said that the Prime Minister's directive spirit is to be transparent, because nothing controls power better than providing transparent information to the press and people for supervision.

Sharing about the interactive information channel between the Government, businesses and people after nearly 1 year of operation, Minister and Head of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung recounted the context in which this idea was born, originating from an investment promotion conference in Ha Nam province in mid-2016.

At that time, the Prime Minister reiterated the people and businesses' requests and wishes that transparent information was needed. Therefore, the Prime Minister's guiding spirit was transparency, because "nothing controls power better than providing transparent information for the press and people to monitor."

“On the same day, the Prime Minister said he would establish a website, directly assigning the Chief of the Government Office to be the website’s owner to connect the Government with businesses and people. This is a very creative and decisive idea, if you don’t have the courage, you won’t dare to do it,” the Minister shared.

If you only listen to the local people, everything is correct.

During the process of directing the handling and receiving of people's feedback, are there any opinions from people and businesses that make you worried and thoughtful?

There are many cases, especially those of families with policies, where some people participated in the war, lost a part of their blood and bones, some people could not return, or there are cases where they suffered from Agent Orange but did not receive any policies. The mechanism has dozens of conditions, but when considered, none of them are enough, and they are very distressed.

Those reflections were sent to the Prime Minister, who always directed that the problem needed to be reviewed and evaluated in its essence so that their legitimate concerns could be resolved immediately.

It can be said that the frustration of the people at the “edge of the forest and the corner of the sea” can also be reflected to the Government. When receiving such matters, I also have many emotions, many worries and concerns.

There are things that if the agency or locality did well, people would not have to report to the Government.

How do you handle the feedback from people and businesses related to conflicts of interest?

There are many opinions related to conflicts of interest, the Government Office must handle and resolve them to the satisfaction of all.

There are things that the Government Office must send its staff to the site to discuss directly with the people to see if the reality is correct. Sitting in the office, they cannot grasp everything because sometimes the documents and files sent cannot fully reflect everything. If you listen to the local authorities, everything is correct.

The government has shifted from command-based administrative management to a creative government, serving the people, and achieving people's satisfaction. If we are not determined but keep avoiding and being afraid, we cannot do it.

The Prime Minister directed that everything be transparent, not creating barriers of sub-licenses, not creating other barriers, ensuring the harmony of interests of enterprises and people. Ensure that principle, do not let interests be drawn to groups of people of any Ministry, if it is not your function, you are not allowed to do it.

The scary thing is to keep covering up and hiding the wrongs.

According to the report of the Government Office, from the feedback of the people and businesses, there are a number of cases where officials were dismissed or transferred due to their unprofessional behavior towards the people. For a long time, the "beheading" of officials has been considered very difficult and sensitive, but this time the Government has taken strong and decisive actions?

That's right. Cases of officials behaving inappropriately have a negative impact on the image of administrative agencies, but it also has the good of helping to expose and clarify reality.

If there is no reflection, no one speaks up, then everything will be swept under the rug, and violations will continue to happen, not in one place but in many places.

Building trust among the people is very important, but that trust must be done openly, transparently, and honestly, without hiding shortcomings.

Regrettable incidents of unethical behavior by civil servants may affect initial trust, but create lasting trust.

When the Government and the Prime Minister pay attention to everything, trust will be built better. The initial impact on trust is not a concern, more frightening than the constant covering up and concealment of mistakes.

The public handling of officials in some units has created a very good effect, and is very welcomed by the people, showing a clear change from the lower levels.

What do you think when there are still many opinions from businesses and people complaining about the situation of "hot above, cold below", many things are pushed to the Prime Minister and the Government because of fear of responsibility by ministries and localities?

If only one locomotive pulls the whole train, it will not be able to move, so the propulsion force must also be used, and the train cars must also have engines to pull. That means the movement of the whole system is required.

Thereby, the awareness of performing public duties of civil servants in the state agency system must truly move, and there must be a real sense of responsibility towards businesses and people.

Now people are raising the issue of "hot above, cold below", "the above changes but the below does not change", so it is necessary to strengthen inspection at the lower levels, especially at the district, commune and ward levels, to see how things are moving.

However, inspection is only a solution, not a fundamental solution. The fundamental solution is to review, build institutions, have regulations on the responsibilities of leaders, and create clear decentralization.

In addition, serious and objective handling, if good is praised, if bad is warned, if violations are serious enough to require disciplinary action, then disciplinary action must be taken. The policy must be transparent, with no forbidden areas.

This must be a process because it involves institutions that must be perfected step by step. Especially the issue of decentralization, delegation of authority, and the functions and tasks you can and cannot do.

The 6th Central Conference will pay more attention to reforming the political system step by step, because it is closely related to leadership, Party regulations, and laws.

According to Vietnamnet.vn