Building a solid foundation for a new development phase - Part 3: Determined to 'Pull out the nails from under the carpet'
Previously, the investment environment in Nghe An was likened by public opinion to “spreading carpets above, and nails below” to indicate the inconsistency between policy and practice. Fully aware of these obstacles, entering the 2020-2025 term, Nghe An is determined to promote administrative reform, create a transparent and favorable investment environment, and attract domestic and foreign investors.
Duc Chuyen - Thanh Duy • October 4, 2024
Previously, the investment environment in Nghe An was likened by public opinion to “spreading carpets above, and nails below” to indicate the inconsistency between policy and practice. Fully aware of these obstacles, entering the 2020-2025 term, Nghe An is determined to promote administrative reform, create a transparent and favorable investment environment, and attract domestic and foreign investors.
Speaking at the 19th Provincial Party Congress, the Prime Minister "took the pulse" of Nghe An's civil service: "The communes are gentle, the districts have no power, the province is open but the departments are tight", so the investment and business environment and opportunities for investors are often missed.
Realizing that investing in administrative reform (AR) is investing in development, "what is said must be done", in substance, not in form, taking products, efficiency in serving people and businesses, improving the efficiency and effectiveness of agencies' operations as a measure, so entering the 2020 - 2025 term, Nghe An is determined to change the image of the province's public service apparatus, considering this an important task of the entire political system. The Resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress identifies 1 of the 3 development breakthroughs as: "Strongly improving the investment and business environment associated with AR, enhancing the application of information technology in management and operations".
On that basis, the Provincial Party Committee issued two resolutions related to administrative reform, including Resolution No. 05, dated December 14, 2021 on promoting administrative reform in Nghe An province in the period of 2021 - 2030 and Resolution No. 09, dated August 5, 2022 on digital transformation in Nghe An province by 2025, with a view to 2030.
In particular, for the first time, the province established the Steering Committee for Administrative Reform from the provincial level to the department, branch and district levels, headed by the head of the Party Committee, instead of the Chairman of the People's Committee at all levels like other provinces and cities. This move demonstrates the strong stance of the provincial leadership on administrative reform, involving the entire political system, not just the task of the People's Committee at all levels. The Ministry of Home Affairs assessed: Nghe An is the only locality in the country implementing the model of the Party Committee Secretary as the head of the Steering Committee for Administrative Reform.
At the provincial level, the Provincial Party Secretary directly serves as the Head of the Committee, the Deputy Secretaries of the Provincial Party Committee serve as Deputy Heads of the Committee, and the members are members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, leaders of the Provincial People's Council, the Provincial People's Committee and a number of departments and branches. The Provincial Steering Committee for Administrative Reform meets regularly twice a year (first 6 months and last 6 months of the year) and meets suddenly when necessary. Each member of the Steering Committee is assigned to be in charge of a specific sector, field, or locality and must report on activities and results of direction to the Standing Committee of the Steering Committee. Right in the first meeting, Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy - Head of the Provincial Steering Committee for Administrative Reform pointed out: The Steering Committee must take action resolutely and strongly; "not determination on paper" but through specific actions and work. The members of the Steering Committee need to set an example, considering this an important task, associated with the responsibility of the leader.
Since the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee issued the decision to establish it in March 2023, the Provincial Steering Committee for Administrative Reform has given its opinions on the theme each year. The theme for 2023 is "Implementing public duties and tasks of cadres, civil servants and public employees - Discipline, discipline, responsibility and efficiency"; for 2024 it is "Promoting digital transformation, focusing on improving the rate of implementing online public services throughout the process, the rate of digitizing records, and the rate of online payments". Each year, the province selects 7 pilot steering units (4 districts, 3 departments and branches). On that basis, the Provincial People's Committee has issued 3 directives on promoting administrative reform and, starting from 2023, announced the results of the Department, Branch, Sector and District People's Committee Competitiveness Index (DDCI).
The core of administrative reform is reforming the sense of responsibility and public service awareness of cadres, civil servants and public employees; therefore, since its establishment, in addition to directing the implementation of general contents, the top priority of the Provincial Steering Committee is to resolutely implement solutions to improve service quality and public service ethics of cadres and civil servants; resolutely not compromising with harassment and negativity.
On the one hand, Nghe An strengthens the supervision, inspection and examination of the implementation of administrative reform tasks, the observance of discipline, administrative discipline and public ethics at units and localities. Thereby, detecting and strictly handling cadres, civil servants and public employees at all levels who violate discipline, administrative discipline and public ethics not only through administrative sanctions by the State and the Party, but also by initiating cases and prosecuting defendants. In 2023, 3 leaders of departments, branches and district-level People's Committees; 5 leaders of divisions of departments, branches and People's Committees and 67 people working on salaries from the State budget at public service units were disciplined. In the first 6 months of 2024, 27 people were disciplined, including 9 cadres and 18 civil servants.
On the other hand, the Provincial Steering Committee for Administrative Reform has a very new way of doing things, which is to strengthen the grasp of information and public opinion from many sides, especially from people and businesses. If there is negative public opinion, they will transfer work positions if the reflection is verified to be correct.
In many forums, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Head of the Provincial Steering Committee for Administrative Reform acknowledged that the province's administrative reform work since the establishment of the Steering Committee headed by the Provincial Party Secretary has had clear changes, especially in implementing the task of "Where administrative reform has not changed, change people".
Consecutively in 2023 and 2024, through information channels, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Steering Committee for Administrative Reform has grasped some negative public opinions about leaders and department-level officials of some departments and branches and directly "named and shamed" them in meetings of the Steering Committee; thereby requesting verification and transfer of work positions.
For example, at the second meeting on July 27, 2023, the Provincial Steering Committee for Administrative Reform pointed out: "Some officials of the specialized departments of the Department of Construction and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment have been reported by public opinion to have caused trouble and harassment in the performance of their official duties." On that basis, relevant agencies have verified and transferred the positions of relevant officials such as at the Department of Natural Resources and Environment...
At the 4th meeting on August 2, 2024, the Provincial Steering Committee for Administrative Reform continued to name "a number of officials and civil servants of the Provincial People's Committee Office, Department of Home Affairs, Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Southeast Economic Zone Management Board, Nghe An Tax Department, who also reflected that in the performance of official duties, there were some manifestations such as harassment, causing trouble, rigid working methods, unscientific, and unconvincing"; thereby, requesting the Standing Office of the Provincial Steering Committee (Department of Home Affairs) to monitor, grasp the handling situation, and report to the Provincial Steering Committee at the end-of-year meeting in 2024.
With the motto "top first, bottom last", "inside first, outside last", the activities of the Provincial Steering Committee for Administrative Reform have spread to all levels and sectors. At the end of 2023, reporting at the Provincial Party Committee Conference, Tan Ky District Party Secretary Bui Thanh Bao said: Implementing the policy of the District Party Committee Standing Committee, from the beginning of 2024, the Chairman of the District People's Committee signed a commitment with the heads of departments, sectors and the Chairmen of the Commune People's Committees to implement the administrative reform indicators. "If by the end of the year, these indicators do not meet the requirements, they must voluntarily write a request to transfer to another job," said Tan Ky District Party Secretary.
With 62 grassroots Party organizations and more than 5,200 Party members working in the province's key agencies, the Party Committee of the Bloc issued Directive No. 03-CT/ĐUK dated July 2, 2024 emphasizing the standards of "4 musts, 4 don'ts". These are 4 things to do: "Dare to think, dare to speak, dare to do; say what you do; do it creatively and effectively; do all your responsibilities for the common good" and 4 things not to do: "Do not do wrong, do wrong, or for personal gain; do not push or avoid work; do not work carelessly or roughly; do not abuse your position and power when performing your duties".
Comrade Pham Tuan Vinh - Secretary of the Party Committee of the Bloc said: The Party Committee continues to improve the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of inspection, supervision and discipline enforcement work in the Party, especially strengthening regular supervision work to contribute to preventing and repelling violations by cadres and party members and maintaining discipline and order in the Party.
Currently, Nghe An is focusing on implementing "5 clarifications" in administrative reform: "Clear work content; clear staff department; clear leadership and direction individuals; clear completion time; clear work products" when developing and issuing programs, projects, and administrative reform plans; at the same time, synchronously and effectively implementing administrative reform work with the slogan of action "3 increases": "Increase publicity, transparency, and responsibility in performing public duties; strengthen administrative procedure settlement via the online environment; increase satisfaction of people and businesses" and "2 reductions": "Reduce time to perform administrative procedures; reduce costs of complying with administrative procedures"; and "2 nos": "No trouble, harassment; no delays".
The Provincial People's Committee requires cadres, civil servants and public employees in the process of performing public duties to shift from "explaining and justifying" to "solving and resolving" according to the standard of "5 yes, 3 no": "Be highly responsible for assigned work; have knowledge and skills in performing tasks; be creative, work scientifically, dare to think, dare to do, dare to take responsibility; have a good sense of organization and discipline; have clear thoughts and professional ethics; no bureaucracy; no negative behavior or attitude in performing public duties; no individualism or pragmatism".
With those efforts, Director of the Department of Home Affairs Nguyen Viet Hung said: The Administrative Reform Index (PAR INDEX) and the Satisfaction Index of People and Organizations with the Services of State Administrative Agencies (SIPAS) of Nghe An increase annually; in 2023 (announced in 2024), it is in the top 15 of the country. Specifically, the PAR INDEX ranked 15th out of 63 provinces and centrally run cities (up 1 rank compared to 2022, ranking first among 6 provinces in the North Central region). The SIPAS index ranked 12th out of 63 provinces and centrally run cities (up 2 ranks compared to 2022, ranking second among 6 provinces in the North Central region.
From the drastic, focused and key direction of the province, together with the determination, efforts and responsibility of provincial and local departments, branches and sectors, compared to the beginning of the term, the picture of Nghe An's public service has had many brighter shades, more comprehensive changes, directly affecting work efficiency.
In the field of investment attraction, there are record-breaking investment projects licensed in just a few days, demonstrating the changes. Mr. Jiang Hong Zhai - Senior Vice President of Goertek Group, General Director of Goertek Vina Company once explained the reason why the group decided to increase its investment capital by 400 million USD in Nghe An after previously investing 100 million USD due to its special impression of the efficiency, time to handle administrative procedures, as well as the investment environment. "We completed the procedures to apply for the Investment Registration Certificate in just 10 working days. This gives us confidence to continue expanding our investment in Nghe An province", said the Senior Vice President of Goertek Group.
Or like the 165 million USD project of Shandong Innovation Metal Technology Group, from the time the group submitted the project investment proposal to the time it was granted the Investment Registration Certificate in just 5 working days. Through this project, Chairman of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Duc Trung conveyed the message: "This is also the guiding spirit of Nghe An province in innovating and improving the investment environment, accompanying and creating the most favorable conditions for investors from the beginning of the survey until the project comes into operation".
Administrative reform is a difficult task, involving many levels, many sectors, many fields; especially directly related to the human factor, so there is still much to do, it takes time and must be implemented persistently to create overall change. However, the results achieved are the basis for believing that in the coming time, Nghe An's civil service will continue to have positive and more effective changes, truly meeting the requirements of the people and businesses.
After more than 2.5 years of implementing the Government's Project 06 on digital transformation, many utilities from population data, citizen identification, and electronic identification in the province have been provided, and people and society have enjoyed increasingly better benefits. Nghe An is one of the leading provinces in implementing Project 06/CP, commended by the Prime Minister. To date, 25 essential public services of Project 06 have been provided on the National Public Service Portal, and people can perform online operations at home, saving the State and society billions of VND.
(To be continued)
