Drawing lots is not a creative idea!

Drawing lots has some hilarious and tear-inducing stories: During the subsidy era, once, every four people were allowed to buy one piece of imitation leather fabric to make trousers. It was very precious and rare back then, everyone wanted to buy it. They appointed someone outside the group to draw lots for objectivity. In one group, a cunning man conspired with the person drawing lots, secretly getting one slip of paper with "yes" and keeping it in his hand, while the other four slips were "no." The other three were all nervous and anxious, eagerly opening their slips. The "cunning man" pretended to watch, questioning each person. In the end, the "most indifferent" person got the fabric! In another production team, there was a greedy woman who was always eager to draw lots. That day, she also pretended to be very objective, eagerly drawing lots and distributing them. When she opened her lot, she was delighted to get the biggest pile of straw. Everyone was delighted, because under the pile of straw were two axles that some mischievous men had secretly placed!

Raffle advertisements are used to encourage customers to buy products. (Image for illustration purposes only - Internet)

Recently, there was a situation in Hanoi where people had to draw lots to get their children into public kindergartens – a rare and unavoidable measure, but one that was met with public understanding due to overcrowding in public schools; the remaining children still have private schools to attend. And then there was the recent lottery to verify the accuracy of asset declarations by officials, which caused quite a stir among the public!

I recall that in the National Assembly forum, a representative used a very convincing "elimination method" to identify corrupt individuals: First, they must be Party members; second, they must be Party members holding positions of power, authority, or in charge of "sensitive" areas... Of course, not everyone with positions of power, authority, or in "sensitive" areas is corrupt. To know who is corrupt, we need to rely on inspection, auditing, and supervision...

Non-corrupt individuals are decent and honest people. They work according to their assigned functions and duties, with dedication, talent, and a sense of responsibility to serve the country and the people. They are not only willing but also voluntarily want to disclose their income and assets. They possess high self-respect and do not want the people to misunderstand that officials in positions of power are corrupt. How wonderful it would be if everyone upheld the spirit of honesty of a true official and Party member, accurately declaring their assets, and willingly agreeing to be audited as a confirmation of their integrity, instead of passively relying on luck through a lottery system!

Conversely, some officials and Party members abuse their power and areas of work for greed and personal gain. Some declare their assets without problems, but when caught in corruption cases, they are found to possess enormous wealth. What is concerning is that they employ countless schemes to "disguise" this wealth: They might claim it came from raising pigs, selling broomsticks, or working as motorbike taxi drivers, etc. They legalize houses and land under the names of their spouses, children, or other family members, with values ​​reaching tens or hundreds of billions of dong, not to mention other land, houses, and assets. Some of them are elderly parents in their 80s who still own luxurious mansions. Some of their children are studying abroad while also possessing stock holdings that even businesses struggle to match... These realities are not unknown to anyone. When leaders offer suggestions, they label it as "causing internal disunity"; when subordinates raise concerns, they retaliate; and when ordinary citizens are "far away," their pleas go unheard, and they are also subjected to harsh criticism...

If all officials, Party members, and civil servants lived decent and respectable lives, there would be no need for a lottery to verify their assets. If it can't be done all at once, it could be done sequentially by position, with leaders first, subordinates later, and different sectors doing it first. Surely everyone would comply, and the people would be very pleased.

Internet illustration.

It is known that in developed countries, the management of income and assets of public officials, including high-ranking leaders, is very clear, open, and transparent. Many high-ranking leaders still possess modest assets. British Prime Minister Cameron still lives in rented accommodation, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe still queues like ordinary citizens in public places, and retired US President Obama still writes books and gives speeches to supplement his income... But they are sociable and respected by the people.

The general level of education is constantly improving. As the living standards of each citizen have improved, so too have the living standards of officials. They no longer have the mindset of equal pay, where income and assets must be roughly the same for everyone. Many dynamic, creative, and capable officials not only earn their salaries but also have other legitimate sources of income.

The fight against corruption and negative practices in recent years has yielded very encouraging results, and the people have shown strong support. The declaration and verification of income and assets of officials and Party members is essential. This should be considered a regular, normal process and should be carried out voluntarily, democratically, openly, and seriously.

Mr. Dang