Government Message: Take decisive action from the very first day of the year.

On the very first day of the new year 2018, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed Resolution 01, clearly demonstrating a decisive spirit and immediate action from the very first day and month.

Key tasks and solutions for implementing the Plan... Reducing and simplifying 50% of business conditions; Vietnam confidently moves into 2018; Solving a series of major problems, breaking down barriers... Positive signals and a spirit of integrity.

The Prime Minister demanded that the situation of "relaxing at the beginning of the year and struggling at the end of the year" should not be allowed to continue. - Photo: VGP

Resolution 01 on the main tasks and solutions for implementing the socio-economic development plan and the state budget estimate for 2018 was developed starting from the end of 2017 under the close guidance of the Prime Minister.

The guiding principle for drafting the Resolution is to make it concise, clear, focused, and prioritized; it does not include routine work within the functions of ministries and agencies. Content already included in other resolutions should not be included in this Resolution.

During the drafting process of the Resolution, ministries and agencies must focus on reviewing all relevant mechanisms, policies, and laws, clearly analyzing and evaluating existing shortcomings, limitations, difficulties, and challenges to address them immediately, and proposing specific tasks and solutions for each sector and field from the beginning of the year, with medium- and long-term solutions with specific timelines and reasonable priorities to effectively implement the Resolutions of the Central Committee and the National Assembly.

At the Government-Local Authorities Conference at the end of 2017, the Prime Minister requested that by the afternoon of December 29, 2017, or at the latest by the beginning of January 2018, the Government Office must submit Resolution 01, along with Appendix 242, outlining specific tasks for immediate implementation by local authorities. He emphasized the importance of "one policy, ten measures," avoiding a situation where "the beginning of the year is relaxed, the end of the year is hectic."

"Most importantly, implementation is a weak point, a bottleneck currently, and it must be addressed. From words to actions, from committee meetings and provincial Party committees to the people and the grassroots, the gap must be narrowed even further, so that Resolution 01 can be implemented effectively in our localities," the Prime Minister stated.

Following the Prime Minister's directives, Resolution 01 has clearly outlined 9 major groups of tasks and solutions and 242 specific tasks. For each specific task, the Resolution also specifies the lead agency, coordinating agencies, and completion time.

The resolution also requires that within 10 days of its issuance, ministries, agencies, and localities must develop and issue specific action programs, plans, and directives; and submit them to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for compilation and reporting to the Government at the first regular Government meeting of 2018. At the same time, ministries, agencies, and localities must develop a system of specific indicators to serve their management and operational activities according to their assigned functions, tasks, scope, and areas of work.

Speaking to the press about the action motto outlined by the Government in Resolution 01: "Discipline, integrity, action, creativity, and efficiency," Minister and Head of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung said that in 2018, the Government continued to prioritize discipline and order, addressing the situation of "hot at the top, cold at the bottom," where top-down actions are not followed, or where there is still a percentage of civil servants failing to complete their tasks, and where some ministries, sectors, and localities still have a percentage of officials and civil servants with limited capacity.

"The Prime Minister has called for tightening administrative discipline, emphasizing individual responsibility, building a dedicated and clean public service, and resolutely eliminating corruption and harassment in the performance of official duties. Any officials who are negligent in their duties, incompetent, or lacking in enthusiasm and responsibility will be replaced," Minister Mai Tien Dung stated.

The government also requires seizing opportunities and challenges to create rapid and sustainable development, generating momentum throughout the entire system, and using efficiency as the measure of performance.

“There must be synchronization between words and actions; when doing something, we must be creative and decisive, aiming for the highest possible effectiveness, not rigidity. The Prime Minister requested that the entire system be creative and even more creative in performing its duties, always finding optimal solutions to meet the requirements in the new context with constantly changing technology; we must strive to use the least amount of resources while delivering the best possible service to the people,” Minister Mai Tien Dung stated.

Minister Mai Tien Dung stated that if we act decisively from the very beginning, under the guidance of the Government and the Prime Minister, creating momentum, building on achievements, and overcoming shortcomings, we will fulfill the 2018 task of achieving a GDP growth target of 6.5-6.7% as set by the National Assembly. And importantly, this growth will be sustainable and of high quality.

According to Dr. Vu Viet Ngoan, Head of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Group, 2018 must be a pivotal year for changing the quality of growth. For many years, Vietnam's economic growth has mainly relied on capital and labor, and the productivity growth rate has tended to decline over the past 10 years. Although there was a change in 2017 with labor productivity increasing by 5.87%, according to Dr. Ngoan, "that is not enough, and in the coming years, according to our calculations, labor productivity growth must reach 6.2-6.3% each year."

Therefore, Dr. Vu Viet Ngoan suggested that in 2018, the entire political system, from the central to local levels, and all businesses must clearly understand the importance of improving labor productivity. Each business must have a strategy for change to increase productivity, especially in light of the opportunities presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

“World economic history shows that many latecomers have been able to catch up. Can Vietnam take advantage of the opportunities and advantages of being a latecomer in the field of technology? This is a big question, and if we can do this, we will have a lot of room to create new growth drivers for 2018 based on increased labor productivity. 2018 will be a pivotal year to realize that aspiration,” emphasized Dr. Vu Viet Ngoan.

Expressing confidence that GDP will reach 6.7% this year, Dr. Vu Viet Ngoan also believes that 2018 must be a pivotal year for changing the quality of growth. While the quality of growth in 2017 has already improved, 2018 must create a trend, a turning point to meet the expectations set by the Party Congress: changing the growth model, increasing labor productivity, and enhancing the competitiveness of the economy.

According to Chinhphu.vn