We cannot propose that the Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman have bodyguards because of the Yen Bai incident.

According to the lawyer, the case in Yen Bai cannot be the reason for the creation of a large security force for 63 provinces and cities for the two positions of Secretary and Chairman of the province.

Discussing the Draft Law on Guards, Chairman of the National Assembly's Defense and Security Committee Vo Trong Viet gave information that surprised many people, that is, many provinces and cities proposed that the Secretary and Chairman of the province be the subjects of guarding. From the perspective of acceptance and explanation, Mr. Vo Trong Viet frankly rejected this proposal and said that the provision of 18 subjects of guarding as in the Draft Law is suitable for the practical situation.

On this issue, the reporter interviewed lawyer Pham Thanh Binh, Hanoi Bar Association.

Illustration photo (ANTV)

PV:Many people think that it is unnecessary and even offensive to have the Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman guarded. What is your comment on this proposal by some local leaders?

Lawyer Pham Thanh Binh:The current draft Law on Security stipulates 18 groups of subjects to be protected. Each group of subjects to be protected is usually accompanied by 1 driver, 2 secretaries and at least 1 guard. With such a staffing, each subject to be protected has at least 4 people and 18 such groups of subjects can have up to 1000 assistants, including drivers, secretaries and guards. Obviously, this is a very large number.

Now, with the requirement to add 63 more Chairmen and 63 Secretaries of provinces and cities across the country, there will be a very large and wasteful security force, especially in the context of the current limited budget. In reality, wherever local leaders go, they are escorted by police, and have internal and external security. If this group is included in the security force, the distance between leaders and the people will become wider and wider.

We believe that, in the context of the current limited budget, adding the group of Chairmen and Secretaries of provinces and cities to the group of security subjects is unnecessary, not only wasting the budget, "giving birth" to a very cumbersome staffing but also creating a very large gap between local leaders and the people.

PV: What about foreign affairs, sir? How will it affect the image and security environment of our country, which is considered peaceful and gentle?

Lawyer Pham Thanh Binh:From a foreign perspective, it also creates a bad image of the country, that is, wherever it goes, it is "front and rear", inside and outside, creating a picture that is not only offensive but also creates insecurity and social instability. This will go against the cultural traditions of the Vietnamese people, and is not suitable for our current political and social reality - which is a very stable society.

PV:Many local leaders are also National Assembly deputies, which means they represent the will and aspirations of the people. When making this proposal, do many local leaders still have the mindset of demanding privileges and benefits for themselves, forgetting their "role" as National Assembly deputies of the people, sir?

Attorney Pham Thanh Binh: Yes, many current National Assembly deputies are Secretaries and Chairmen in localities. When they made this proposal, we also saw that they had forgotten their “role” as National Assembly deputies of the people, they had put themselves in the position of those who enjoy privileges and benefits. Therefore, this proposal is not suitable in both legal and ethical terms.

We agree with the opinion of the Chairman of the National Assembly's Defense and Security Committee Vo Trong Viet when he rejected the proposal to include the Secretary and Chairman of the province and city in the security category.

PV:We also need to clearly define that security and guard are completely different, sir?

Attorney Pham Thanh Binh: Currently, it is necessary to issue a law on security. Some opinions suggesting adding the Chairman and Secretary of the provinces do not distinguish between the concepts of security and protection. It is clear that security focuses on especially important subjects, that is, protecting important people. The Provincial Party Secretary and the Provincial Chairman are "big officials" in the locality, but they are not important people of the country.

We cannot create a large bodyguard team for 63 provinces and cities for these two positions because of the Yen Bai incident. Doing so creates an image of Vietnam as unstable.

The important thing is not to "give birth" to many security guards but to create a peaceful and healthy social environment; in the eyes of foreigners, Vietnam is a stable country, only then can we attract investment and also make friends around the world feel more secure coming to us.

Uncle Ho once said that no guard can protect as well as the people. Therefore, if we can promote the consensus, trust and affection of the people towards the guarded subjects, we will build a very good guard fence, against all acts of encroachment. It is not true that sending more guards means better protection for the guarded subjects in particular and the provincial leaders in general.

PV: Thank you./.