There are some civil servants who are just going through the motions.

The reality is that there are civil servants and public employees who are merely "going through the motions," making little contribution to their agencies or units.

Recently, during a meeting with the Government's Department of Administrative Procedure Control, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed that in the work of administrative procedure reform, if there is no progress, sanctions must be enforced, especially, any official who refuses to reform must be removed from the system.

How to remove irresponsible officials and civil servants who fail to perform their duties properly or refuse to reform themselves is the topic of an interview between a VOV reporter and Mr. Luu Binh Nhuong, Standing Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Social Affairs.

PVRecently, during a meeting with the Government's Administrative Procedure Control Department, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirmed that in the work of administrative procedure reform, if there is no progress, sanctions must be enforced, especially, any official who refuses to reform must be removed from the system.

How to remove irresponsible officials and civil servants who fail to perform their duties properly or refuse to reform themselves is the topic of an interview between a VOV reporter and Mr. Luu Binh Nhuong, Standing Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Social Affairs.

Standing Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Social Affairs, Luu Binh Nhuong.

PVWorking with the Government's Administrative Procedure Control Department, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has consistently emphasized the shortcomings in administrative procedure reform, which have been discussed extensively but remain weak points in practice. What are your comments on this situation?

Mr. Luu Binh NhuongThe Prime Minister's declaration and directives have been highly praised by the public and are awaiting implementation. They reflect the head of government's concern about the alarming state of civil servants and officials in various sectors, localities, and agencies of the Party and State.

Currently, the Party and State are vigorously implementing reforms; however, a segment of officials and civil servants not only fail to adapt but also exhibit excessive inertia. The tendency towards dependence is growing stronger, shifting tasks to each other and to superiors; they talk a lot but don't act, even lying, submitting false reports, or acting half-heartedly, or acting ineffectively. This situation even affects officials at the departmental and bureau levels. This is a very alarming outcome.

PVThe media has recently reflected on the shortcomings and weaknesses in administrative procedure reform. We may cut many cumbersome procedures, but these results are all for nothing if civil servants themselves have not truly reformed and continue to perform their duties with outdated mindsets.

Mr. Luu Binh NhuongIn my opinion, the greatest reform is self-reform; overcoming one's ego is the most important thing. Without reform, there will be a lack of knowledge, a lack of determination, and many officials may even become indifferent to public duty and the interests of the State and the people.

The reality is that there are civil servants and public employees who are merely "going through the motions," making little contribution to their agencies or units, let alone to the locality, the industry, or the State.

During the subsidy period, people often said, "Holding gold, you fear it might fall; holding a government appointment guarantees lifelong prosperity," meaning that once you held a government appointment, you could just sit back and enjoy the benefits without worry. If we don't reform quickly, returning to the era of that saying would be very alarming.

PVSo, in your opinion, what consequences will this situation have for the people?

Mr. Luu Binh NhuongThe first consequence is that people fail to perform their duties, and work doesn't get done. They are unable to handle the work of the State – the work that the Party, the State, and the people have entrusted to them.

Therefore, it erodes the people's trust in the Party, the State, and the cadres appointed, promoted, trained, and entrusted with the people's power by the Party and the State; some have not only failed to fulfill their duties but have also betrayed the people's interests, which is extremely dangerous.

PVSo, in your opinion, where should we begin, and with what mindset, to reform people?

Mr. Luu Binh NhuongThere are many opinions regarding the need for human resource reform. In my opinion, first and foremost, civil servants themselves must constantly update and improve their theoretical knowledge and professional skills; they must perform their work diligently and devotedly; and they must cultivate a professional work style, attitude, and spirit of serving the people.

From the State's perspective, state managers need to implement "two tightenings, one removal," meaning tightening the quality of input and tightening the management process of civil servants and public employees; being ready and resolute in removing weak and violating civil servants and public employees; simultaneously implementing comprehensive solutions, perfecting the management system, ensuring operating conditions, improving the quality of training, development, placement, appointment, rotation, and promotion to leadership and management positions; reforming the salary system, and strictly implementing the reward and disciplinary system for civil servants and public employees.

Therefore, reforms must come from both sides: the State and civil servants must both strive for self-improvement to create a high-quality workforce of civil servants and public officials.

PVHow do you assess the current implementation of the "two tightening measures and one loosening" policy, as you just analyzed?

Mr. Luu Binh NhuongWe talk a lot, but we haven't achieved much. Specifically, in recent times, many officials have been recruited into state agencies in an opaque manner; the quality of recruited officials is poor, not meeting standards; appointments are made rapidly; when violations occur, they are not dealt with, leading to the "dispersal of personnel," and even now, officials responsible for these violations have not been punished. The cases just "sink into oblivion," how can the people possibly agree?

Therefore, violations must be dealt with fairly and thoroughly; otherwise, it will lead to a situation where the problem is not addressed effectively, and it is very dangerous because the people will lose trust, and the violators and officials will not be afraid, continuing to commit wrongdoings, even more serious ones than before.

PVMany argue that administrative reform should be viewed and implemented from a business perspective, meaning that civil servants who perform poorly should be transferred or even dismissed. Do you agree with this viewpoint?

Mr. Luu Binh NhuongI believe that businesses and state agencies differ in nature; one is involved in state management, the other in production and business. One needs profit, while the other must fulfill numerous tasks assigned by the state, contributing to socio-economic development, national security, and defense. One similarity is that both aim for effective management. Therefore, to achieve effective management, attention must be paid to personnel management and staff management.

PVIf we cannot cultivate a culture of resignation, if we lack the courage to make the decision to resign, what legal sanctions do you think are strong enough to enforce it?

Mr. Luu Binh NhuongHere, the role of advisory and leadership bodies in personnel organization is crucial. Research is needed to advise Party and State leaders at all levels on issuing specific regulations for handling cases involving heads of departments. Looking at our country's system of sanctions, there are quite a few, including administrative, civil, and criminal sanctions, as well as sanctions related to responsibility, moral, and material, which can be applied appropriately depending on the severity of the offense. The important thing is to detect and handle these cases strictly and effectively; we are currently lacking in this area.

Therefore, very serious and comprehensive research is needed to formulate truly strict policies, so that both current and former officials understand these sanctions and perform their duties well, avoiding being punished according to those sanctions.

Besides strict management and severe punishment, it is also necessary to strengthen propaganda and education, and set good examples so that good becomes dominant, spreading and fostering integrity, becoming a moral principle to overcome the darkness, wickedness, indifference, and dependence that have become a "disease" ingrained in the human body. Antibiotics are needed to purify the ranks of Party and State officials and civil servants.

PVThank you, sir.

According to VOV