What to do to make people believe in the success of the fight against corruption?

Chairing the 16th meeting of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption recently, General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong, Head of the Steering Committee, affirmed that "an exciting atmosphere is spreading throughout society". Every time the Inspection Committee or the court announces something, public opinion is very interested. People always look forward to it, even worry: "Can it be maintained, can it continue to be strong or will it slow down?". That is a real and legitimate psychology, it is also what makes us happy, it is our support, and we hope that we will do it even stronger.

The comments of the General Secretary and President are very accurate. The people are very excited and confident in the fight against corruption, the "furnace" campaign. Every time more corrupt officials are "put in the furnace", the people of the whole country become more excited and confident. That psychological state is inevitable, because:

The country’s assets, which ultimately belong to the people, are being plundered, exploited, and divided. While the people are struggling with countless difficulties to make a living, “a large number” of officials live lavishly, from one mansion to another; competing to send their children to study abroad in rich capitalist countries…

When those who are entrusted with power and paid by the people to work with the political system to lead the country to the goal of a rich people, a strong country, a democratic, fair, and civilized society, this "not small part" finds every way to exploit the people and the country, contributing to making the country fall behind and society deeply unjust.

And these corrupt officials, before being unmasked, preach morality everywhere, opposing tyranny, bureaucracy, being distant from the people, being indifferent and insensitive to the difficulties and grievances of the people; resolutely fighting against corruption and waste; fighting against degradation and decline in moral qualities.

I sympathize with the people's psychological state, but if you think about it, one generation of cadres after another being imprisoned is also a common pain because of the loss of cadres and the erosion of trust.

People are very excited and confident in the fight against corruption and the "furnace burning" campaign. Photo: Le Anh Dung

Since the beginning of the term, more than 70 cadres and party members under the management of the Politburo and the Secretariat have been subject to party discipline and criminal proceedings. The inspection and audit agencies have recommended the recovery and handling of VND61,392 billion and 142 hectares of land; recommended administrative disciplinary action against 692 groups and many individuals; and transferred 46 cases and 73 subjects to the investigation agency for consideration and handling. The Government Inspectorate has focused on inspecting and issuing inspection conclusions on projects and cases according to the plan of the Steering Committee.

Among the thousands of officials who were “put in the oven”, there were nearly hundreds of high-ranking officials. Among them were Politburo members, Deputy Prime Ministers, many Central Committee members, Ministers, nearly 30 military and police generals…

Why is it that the “furnace” has been hot for years, but when one layer of “wood” is put into the “furnace”, another layer of “wood” appears? Could it be due to the following basic reasons:

The first:The process of selecting officials is said to be very elaborate and strict, but it seems that there are still too many loopholes, so many opportunists still sneak into the state apparatus and political system to make profits. Even many officials who violate discipline and seriously violate the law still climb high.

Monday:Few countries in the world have a system of political and administrative schools as large as in Vietnam, where cadres must undergo training programs in politics and state management before being appointed to higher positions. Is it possible that the motivation and awareness of many cadres to study in specialized fields is not appropriate, not for the purpose of honing knowledge, political qualities, state management capacity, and moral qualities?

Tuesday:Is it true that the supervisory role of the National Assembly, the judiciary, the People's Councils, and the Fatherland Front over the executive branch and the political system at all levels is still inadequate? Is that why the role in detecting and preventing violations by officials in the executive branch and the political system is still limited?

For example, a series of serious violations in land transfers in Da Nang, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City... led to serious economic, political and social consequences; people have been complaining and crying for more than 20 years.

Wednesday:Is it true that the inspection, examination and audit work at all levels is not yet resolute, still ignoring violations, and rarely detecting corruption? Meanwhile, most corruption cases are discovered by the people or by internal denunciations, and exposed by the press?

Thursday:The role of state management in state management agencies related to the economy and state-owned enterprises is still inadequate and loose. This is the fertile ground for corruption to develop. Therefore, in state management agencies in the economic sector and state-owned enterprises, there are so many corrupt leaders.

In 2014, Mr. Phan Dang Tuat, when he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (Sabeco), warned: "Conflicts in state-owned enterprises will never end. If Vinashin and Vinalines are equitized early, state management will be less difficult. But if equitization is not accelerated, I am afraid that in the next few years, many of you here (attending the Conference) will have to "go" again."

As Mr. Phan Dang Tuat predicted, since then many people, in serious cases, have become defendants, accused, and prisoners; in light cases, they have been disciplined and lost their jobs.

Sixth: According to the Political Report of the 12th Party Congress, “political innovation is not yet synchronized with economic innovation”. Will this lead to inadequacies in economic management institutions and mechanisms; an unsynchronized, overlapping, and loophole-filled legal system, causing one generation of cadres after another to “fall into the trap”?

On the other hand, when the economy is still being interfered with and does not operate according to its own laws, the situation of asking and giving is still common, creating fertile ground for officials to collude and embezzle assets?

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has outlined the reasons why corruption has not been prevented: “Institutions, policies and laws in some areas are still inadequate and not highly feasible; there is no strong enough mechanism to strictly control power; the work of inspecting and supervising the exercise of power by people with positions and powers has not been given due attention, so it is easy to lead to abuse of power for personal gain…”

Therefore, in order for people to have confidence in the success of the fight against corruption, and for this fight to be victorious and effective in the long term, economic reform must be linked with institutional reform, national governance reform; economic development must be linked with building a rule-of-law state.

These are the most effective solutions to pave the way for a smooth market economy and are also the most effective solutions to promote the role of mutual control and supervision of the legislative, judicial and executive agencies in the state apparatus.

Vietnam is a transitional economy, still lagging behind in many aspects, so it needs to consult and absorb the quintessence of developed countries in managing a market economy and building a rule-of-law state.