Must stop using state money to travel abroad under the guise of research

National Assembly Delegate Tran Du Lich: "We should not turn overseas research trips into personal travel paid for by the state."

Traveling abroad too much

Faced with many budget difficulties and the inability to balance the resources to increase salaries, Delegate Tran Du Lich said that the Government must drastically cut down on expenses for receiving guests, meetings, and traveling abroad, because the apparatus is still bloated and spending too much.

Mr. Lich noted that for decades, revenue has only been enough for regular expenses, and investments have had to be borrowed. Until now, although the situation is very difficult, it is absolutely impossible to borrow to increase salaries.

Mr. Lich said bluntly: “We should not turn overseas research trips into personal travel paid for by the state. As long as the administrative apparatus does not have budgets to spend on entertaining guests and meetings like foreign countries do, then we can only increase salaries.”

National Assembly Delegate Tran Du Lich. Photo: Ngoc Quang.

On this issue, National Assembly Deputies have repeatedly asked for rectification to avoid loss and waste of the state budget, because after all, when the state budget is in deficit, the burden will be placed more on the people.

The Government has also repeatedly requested ministries, sectors and localities to limit overseas trips in order to save budget for practical activities for people's lives. Even in November 2012, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued an urgent dispatch requesting ministries, sectors and localities to strictly manage overseas trips in a cost-effective and efficient manner, without affecting the time to carry out domestic tasks.

Remember, in a Government meeting on the afternoon of December 24, 2013, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh said that too many delegations from ministries, branches and localities continuously going on business trips abroad led to unnecessary duplication and waste.

"Many friendly countries responded, there were many issues that one delegation just answered, a short time later another delegation came to ask similar questions," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

In 2012, a total of 3,780 delegations from ministries and sectors went abroad. Thus, on average, there were 6 delegations going on business trips abroad every day. In 2013, although there was a decrease, the number was still large, up to 3,200 delegations.

The Deputy Prime Minister commented: “The problem is that the delegations basically promote and strengthen effective relations, but there are delegations that do not bring about results, and have overlapping visit and research content. These delegations are mainly delegations that go on research missions. Many friendly countries respond, and there are many issues that one delegation just answered, and a short time later another delegation comes to ask similar questions. This causes a waste of the country's money.”

Through the above report, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung once again requested ministries, branches and localities to pay close attention and strengthen strict management of this issue: "I heard reports that some friendly countries are afraid when Vietnamese delegations arrive. You comrades must review this, going too far like this, even if it has been reduced, but still 3,200 delegations like this is very large."

Need to reform wage policy

Sharing the same concern for the national budget, Delegate Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam pointed out that reforming salary policy is related to cumbersome apparatus, unclear functions and tasks, and limited capacity of each official. Innovative solutions are not strong enough, so the desired results have not been achieved.

According to Ms. Tam: "If we want to increase salaries, we have to reform the apparatus, but the current apparatus is such that no one can support it."

Meanwhile, Delegate Nguyen Van Minh said that when meeting voters in 2014, he said that he would try to wait until 2015 to increase salaries, but 2016 is approaching and the Government still has not balanced the resources to increase salaries, so he does not know how to answer voters?

“The prices of many essential goods that are implementing the market economy mechanism will increase, if salaries do not increase, where will people look to? Therefore, despite economic difficulties, we must try to increase salaries to a reasonable level in 2016,” Delegate Minh suggested.

Workers at Namsung Vina Garment Factory - Thap - Hong - Ky Industrial Park (Dien Chau). Photo: Huu Nghia

Two sessions ago, Delegate Dang Ngoc Tung - President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor also warned: "In the area receiving salaries from the state budget, we believe that the Government has approved the roadmap and the Central Committee's resolution has now been passed.

But now we are facing the problem of economic difficulties. If we do not follow this roadmap, how will low-paid workers and civil servants be able to make ends meet? If they cannot make ends meet, civil servants will make it difficult for businesses and happily accept bribes, making it difficult for the people. This risk is even greater."

Meanwhile, Mr. Do Van Duong - Standing Member of the Judiciary Committee suggested that the Government should have a specialized resolution on tightening discipline, financial discipline and budget revenue and expenditure discipline, both at the central and local levels. Resolutely recover expenditures for the wrong purposes, organize reviews and prosecute those who commit violations more strongly than before. Implement the "belt-tightening" policy, minimize conferences, meetings, festivals, and minimize delegations going abroad.

We must publicize the identities of which projects and constructions are wasteful and unfinished to assign responsibility for handling them. If we leave it like this, whatever we say will just be a vibration in the air.

According to GDVN