Merging villages, hamlets and residential groups: Opportunity to increase income for officials

At this time, the arrangement and merger of villages and residential groups is attracting the attention of a large number of public opinion. This merger is an important step to streamline the political system from the grassroots, reduce the number of non-professional cadres in villages, hamlets and residential groups, and improve management activities in villages, hamlets and residential groups in the form of self-management. Former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Tien Dinh on this issue.

Former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs Nguyen Tien Dinh.

PV: Currently, the country has more than 135,000 villages and residential groups with nearly 838,000 part-time workers, which is an average of 6.2 people in a village or residential group. The total pensions of commune-level civil servants and the implementation of the allowance fund for part-time workers at the commune, village and residential group levels, including social insurance, is more than 32,000 billion VND/year.... What is your comment on these numbers?

Mr. Nguyen Tien Dinh:Through these figures, it can be seen that the political structure is extremely cumbersome, with many levels and intermediate layers, leading to a very large number of civil servants and public employees but the effectiveness and efficiency in management is somewhat limited, especially accounting for a very large amount of expenditure. If this system is calculated in the whole country, regular expenditure (including salaries) for this civil servant team accounts for nearly 70% of the total expenditure of the whole country.

PV:In fact, with the amount of work at the grassroots level of villages, hamlets, and residential groups, is there a need for that much staff, sir?

Mr. Nguyen Tien DinhIn reality, there are many overlapping tasks, one task is blamed on another, and no one takes final responsibility. Therefore, moving forward, we need to define and clearly divide responsibilities, one task must be done by one person and must take primary responsibility.

Therefore, it is necessary to reorganize the political system in a compact and streamlined direction to ensure effectiveness and efficiency, and the accompanying team must also be reduced to ensure increased responsibility and clearer work. As for now, there is one job but many people do it and in the end no one takes responsibility.

PVIn such a context, how do you evaluate the policy of merging villages, hamlets and residential groups?

Mr. Nguyen Tien Dinh: Not only villages and hamlets, but also communes, wards and the whole system will be reorganized and rearranged. Resolutions 18 and 19 have also made it very clear that in the near future we will have to do very strongly.

PV:Looking back at the past, how do you see the merger?

Mr. Nguyen Tien Dinh:Implementing the Party and State's policies, in recent times we have reorganized ministries, branches, and localities. In particular, localities have reorganized villages, hamlets, residential groups, and soon communes, wards, districts, and provinces.

PVAccording to statistics, in one province alone, the cost of paying salaries to non-professional officials at the commune, hamlet, and residential group levels is up to about 250 billion VND/year. If we reduce 850 hamlets and residential groups that do not meet the requirements, we will save about 70-80 billion VND in the budget each year?

Mr. Nguyen Tien Dinh: This is in one locality, but in all localities in the country, there will certainly be a lot of savings and in the end the goal is still effectiveness and efficiency.

A job must be assigned to one person and someone must be ultimately responsible. If many people are not clear about the job and no one is ultimately responsible, the job will not run smoothly.

PV: In addition to the effectivenessnIn terms of budgeting and reducing the cumbersome staff, do you think that when we concentrate resources or focus on people, it will also create momentum for socio-economic development?

Mr. Nguyen Tien Dinh: That's right. Streamlining the system to be effective and efficient will give those who work directly the system a chance to increase their income.

For example, implementing salary budgeting in some units, the number of employees can be set at 10 but the unit can work up to 5 but still be paid 10, clearly increasing income, motivating the workers' positivity.

For example, in Thanh Hoa, this is a large province with many communes, villages, and residential groups, and the results achieved after the merger process are quite good. This is the initial result and the merger will continue in the coming period.

The policy of merging villages and residential groups is a big and correct policy, so it must be thoroughly understood and implemented resolutely. From resolute direction, it is necessary to develop a thorough plan. When implementing, it is necessary to propagate and mobilize people to understand the benefits of merging to create consensus. In the process, if there are difficulties and problems, there must be timely solutions.

PVThank you!