"Abusive officials gain many benefits so they try to do more"

In the final days of 2018, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 1847 promulgating the Project on Public Service Culture to promote the formation of standard behavioral style and working manners of civil servants and public employees, ensuring professionalism, responsibility, dynamism, transparency and efficiency in performing public duties.

Remember, in 2007, the Prime Minister issued regulations on office culture at State administrative agencies, which included regulations on communication and behavior of civil servants when performing their duties.

Is there a cure for the disease that mainly torments the people?

Whether this new Project can overcome the long-standing indifference, apathy, and "people-centered" attitude among civil servants and public employees is a matter of special concern to public opinion.

Illustration photo: Tuyengiao.vn

So why is the issue of public service ethics being emphasized at this time? Mr. Nguyen Viet Chuc, former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children, said that the issuance of the Public Service Project at this time is completely reasonable and necessary.

Because culture is not only about communication and behavior but also reflects the nature of our State, especially the responsibility of civil servants to citizens and their duties.

On the other hand, in reality, there is a phenomenon where many officials at different levels do not behave in accordance with their roles and responsibilities to the people, and not in accordance with the nature of a State of the people, by the people, and for the people.

Reviewing the 2007 Regulations on Grassroots Culture, Mr. Nguyen Tuc, Member of the Presidium of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, found that, compared with the 2007 Regulations, the Project on Public Service Culture is complete and suitable to the current situation occurring in State agencies between the relationship between civil servants, public employees and the people.

It can be said that the issuance of the new Project is suitable for the current situation when a large number of Party members and officials are in a state of degeneration, including cultural and behavioral degeneration.

The project has seriously shown the reality of the behavior of civil servants and public employees towards the people, including the relationship between leaders and subordinates in the agency.

"I think this is a measure to resolve internal conflicts within state agencies and internal conflicts among civil servants," Mr. Tuc emphasized.

Not only that, according to Mr. Nguyen Tuc, this public service project is a step to better realize the goal of making culture the foundation and spirit of the whole society, one of the three major focuses of the country: economic development is the focus, Party building is the key and building an advanced Vietnamese culture, imbued with national identity, as the spiritual foundation of society.

The civil service project was issued to overcome the urgent problems currently arising related to civil service ethics and the attitude of civil servants and public employees towards the people when performing their duties. But will this project overcome the current situation?

Sharing this concern, Mr. Nguyen Viet Chuc said that nothing can be solved immediately but it will definitely have a big effect. In particular, civil servants now must understand that the level of education of the people is very different from the past. Moreover, after many years of building a socialist rule-of-law state, the people have understood what democracy is. Only those who are insensitive, irresponsible, and deliberately violate the regulations of the Party and the State will deliberately not understand.

“With the current situation, not only this Project but also a series of policies of the Party and State that are consistent with the increasingly high level of people's knowledge, combined with the transparency, publicity and strong activities of organizations in the political system, and the direct supervision of the people, I believe it will have a direct effect, overcoming the shortcomings that still exist in a part of civil servants and public employees,” Mr. Chuc stated his opinion.

The more difficult it is for people, the faster you make profit.

President Ho Chi Minh once said that civil servants are the servants of the people, and the people and businesses are the ones who support civil servants. Thus, the people and businesses should be treated with respect and served wholeheartedly and responsibly. But in reality, a large number of civil servants lack responsibility to the people.

Learning from reality, Mr. Nguyen Tuc believes that the current distance from the people, indifference, and inferiority complex of civil servants is due to the fact that they feel that the assigned responsibility is their privilege, so it is up to them to give it to whomever they want.

“It can be understood that this reality comes from the fact that those public servants have spent money to get their positions, and now they have to take it back. Therefore, he keeps making things difficult for the people, and the people are angry and want to hurry, so they have to pay them to get their jobs done. It is worth mentioning that the more difficult they make things for the people, the more money they collect,” Mr. Tuc affirmed, and at the same time said that before participating in this interview, he met 3 ward front chairmen and was startled by the information from those 3 people: “You have to speak for me, now most of them are children of the boss, I am the Chairman but I cannot speak for them. They rely on their fathers and mothers so they can do whatever they want.”

Illustration: Tuyengiao.vn

According to Mr. Tuc, the biggest cause is the general degradation of the whole society. Since the 7th Congress, the Party has discovered that some officials with positions and power have degenerated; by the 8th Congress, it has developed into a part, and by the 9th Congress, it has become a large part. Thus, negativity in society has crept into every corner of life. This is a very big problem, with big officials "eating big", while small ones "eating small".

Mr. Nguyen Viet Chuc said that the reason is because the control of power is still very weak, so General Secretary-President Nguyen Phu Trong declared that it is necessary to use a "cage" to "lock" power. Because the big guys abuse the big power, the small guys abuse the small power, this fact is unacceptable.

“I agree with Mr. Nguyen Tuc’s point of view, officials who abuse their power gain many benefits, so they deliberately do it. Therefore, as long as there is a mechanism of asking for and giving, there will be giving. Those who ask must be submissive and groveling to get things done; those who give and give are arrogant, demanding money and benefits,” Mr. Chuc affirmed.

Raising another aspect of petty corruption, Mr. Nguyen Tuc raised the issue that the reason people know that dozens of public servants "eat junk food" and can still exist year after year is because of their own people.

Our ancestors taught us that the reason there are corrupt officials is because of the people. Therefore, the Central Committee of the Fatherland Front is carrying out a campaign to gradually reduce those bad habits among officials and people, combined with stepping up supervision and denunciation, the situation will certainly improve.

In addition, the law on public service needs to be fully implemented, monitored thoroughly, monitored in every residential area to avoid the situation of "fighting somewhere", how to create a movement, not just a day or two. Once it becomes a movement, it will be like the current anti-corruption campaign.

Thus, to stop petty corruption, strong solutions are needed. Are the regulations in the Public Service Culture Project strong enough to cut off petty corruption? Citing President Ho Chi Minh's teaching that "one policy, ten measures, twenty determinations", Mr. Tuc clearly stated that the Government's policy is already in place, but there must be measures to mobilize the entire political system and the entire population to participate.

Once there are measures, there must be determination. For example, the issue of anti-corruption, for many years we have had many difficulties, but after the 12th Congress, when there was determination from the leader, and that determination was transformed into determination of the entire Party and the entire people, we have initially had encouraging results. "In my opinion, the fight against petty corruption also requires the strength of the entire people," Mr. Tuc emphasized./.

Dinh Hieu