The noise before the conferment of the titles of People's Artist and Meritorious Artist

In early November 2015, the list of artists awarded the title of People's Artist and Meritorious Artist will be officially announced. However, after the previous controversies, the awarding process still has many issues to discuss. Reporter of Nguoi Tieu Dung newspaper had an interview with Mr. Phung Huy Can - Head of the Department of Emulation and Commendation - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, to learn more about this issue.

- Hello. In recent days, when the list of candidates for the People's Artist and Meritorious Artist titles was revealed, there were many conflicting opinions in public opinion. In particular, in this 8th consideration, in addition to many big names being eliminated from the list, the issue of falsified documents also caused a stir.

So, is there any "running" of records to get a title?

Regarding this issue, I would like to answer briefly as follows. Firstly, the awarding of the title must go through 4 councils: the grassroots council has 5-7 members; the provincial, municipal and ministerial council has about 15-20 members and the final council includes the state council and the specialized council has 20-25 members. Therefore, a proposal for awarding will have to go through more than 40 members of the Selection Council from all regions. Because of that strictness, it is difficult to run a profile for each person to be awarded the title.

Second, many people think that if the council cannot “run”, then “run” at the secretariat – the people who submit documents to the council. In fact, the secretariat cannot falsify documents because the members of the council can request the secretary to submit the original documents of any case for reference. In the past, the secretariat has never been caught making mistakes, and there has been no error that has caused any disadvantage to the artists.

Mr. Phung Huy Can - Director of Emulation and Commendation Department - Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

- So, can you tell us more about the implementation of the process of awarding the titles of People's Artist and Meritorious Artist in recent times?

In the past time, the Department of Emulation and Commendation has seriously and strictly implemented the process of considering and awarding the titles of People's Artist and Meritorious Artist. Up to now, the State Council has submitted to the Central Emulation and Commendation Committee and the Prime Minister for consideration and recognition of titles for 617 Meritorious Artists, 102 People's Artists, and 385 Meritorious Artists. At the same time, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has completed the plan for the Awarding Ceremony in early November 2015.

- It is known that during the review process, the State Council for awarding the titles of People's Artist and Meritorious Artist received many petitions denouncing artists for false declarations or falsified achievements. So, has the Ministry imposed sanctions on these cases?

Currently, the State has 3 forms of conferment, which are People's Artist (NSND), People's Teacher (NGND) and People's Doctor (TTND). The problem of falsifying documents and lawsuits is inevitable, not only exists in the review of NSND, NSUT but also the review of NGND or TTND has its own problems, but their professions are more secretive.

At the bottom of each declaration form, there is a commitment to truthful declaration, but artists still make mistakes. Through this review, we will learn from experience and have requested in writing to direct the Councils at the grassroots and provincial levels to work more seriously. However, lawsuits only occur at the State level because those who want to denounce only wait for the case of the person they need to denounce to reach a higher level before they file a complaint.

In terms of law, there are sanctions to deal with cases where artists falsify their records, but no matter how much they are fined, it is not as much as the damage to their honor. If artists make false statements, they will not get the title they desire. As for how to punish artists, it must be based on the law. In my opinion, the highest sentence that causes artists the most headaches is the "conscience sentence".

Up to this point, we are still holding the profile of artist Le Nguyen Kieu Anh - lecturer of the Faculty of Traditional Musical Instruments at Hanoi College of Arts, after a series of petitions for the responsible agency to clarify. This takes a lot of time, but even in the following rounds of review, those who work after us certainly cannot avoid this trouble because of the nature of the job.

- In addition to artist Le Nguyen Kieu Anh, the case of artist Thanh Thanh Hien was "rejected" when it reached the State Council because it involved private matters. Is that too unfair for an artist who has devoted his whole life to art, sir?

The State Council's review of the application is fair, transparent and in accordance with regulations. Artist Thanh Thanh Hien's application has encountered complaints and petitions. The Ministry has discussed with the relevant authorities and found that the complaints about the artist are correct. To ensure the selection criteria, the Council decided to keep Thanh Thanh Hien's application and not put it to the vote, which means the application will not be considered.

Illustration photo

According to Decree 89 on the criteria for awarding the title of "People's Artist", four criteria are stipulated, of which the second criterion requires artists to have "good moral qualities, be exemplary in life, be dedicated to their profession, and be admired by colleagues and the people". In addition to being talented, artists must also have other qualities. Art is only one of the four criteria stipulated in Decree 89 on awarding the title of People's Artist. Failing to receive the title because they do not meet the other criteria is also a disadvantage for artists, but it forces them to try harder and strive. If they wish to do so in the following years and submit an application, they will still be considered normally.

- So, in your opinion, should the Law on Emulation and Rewards be changed to limit lawsuits that damage the image of artists?

This awarding ceremony is the first time the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been assigned by the Prime Minister to develop and implement according to the Decree instead of previously following the Ministry's Circular. When at a higher level, the regulation is better. But I think it is difficult to avoid unexpected cases. Because it is diverse and everyone's wishes are many. And the ability to respond is also not able to meet all of them. However, in this period, the litigation and noise are less.

Thank you!

According to Consumers