Prime Minister: The working group must not be infatuated with achievements, but must act more decisively.

On the morning of March 16, the Government Office held an online conference to review the 5-year operation of the Prime Minister's Working Group. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired the conference.

At Nghe An bridge, comrades: Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Le Hong Vinh - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee co-chaired.

The Prime Minister chaired an online conference to review the 5-year history of the Working Group. Photo: VGP/Quang Hieu

REDUCE PROCEDURES, REMOVE DIFFICULTIES FOR BUSINESSES AND PEOPLE

With the determination to build an honest, creative, active and serving Government, on August 19, 2016, the Prime Minister signed Decision 1642/QD-TTg to establish the Prime Minister's Working Group. The Working Group is responsible for inspecting, monitoring and urging the implementation of tasks assigned by the Government and the Prime Minister to ministries, agencies and localities. This is an initiative of the Prime Minister, a new and unprecedented model and institution under the Prime Minister's decision-making authority.

Over the past 5 years, the Working Group has conducted 104 inspections with hundreds of meetings with 80 ministries, agencies and localities, and organized 16 working sessions with Associations to listen to policy feedback, difficulties and obstacles in production and business activities. Each year, the Working Group's activities have specific, focused and key messages.

Through the inspections, the spirit, viewpoints and directions of the Prime Minister have been thoroughly grasped and urged to be implemented, contributing to turning the solutions and directions of the Government and the Prime Minister into concrete results and into life. Many difficulties and obstacles in mechanisms and policies and many legal gaps, many existing problems, shortcomings, public concerns and concerns related to the direction and management of ministries and local agencies; many shortcomings and weaknesses in administrative reform, improving the investment and business environment, have been discovered, rectified, overcome and handled promptly.

Minister, Head of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung - Head of the Working Group spoke at the conference. Photo: VGP/Quang Hieu

The working group promptly proposed to the Government and the Prime Minister to direct and request ministries and agencies to review, amend and abolish many regulations in 87 legal documents on specialized inspections and unnecessary and unreasonable business conditions that hinder and cause difficulties for investment and business activities. This reduction has helped save society, people and businesses about more than 18 million working days/year, equivalent to more than 6,300 billion VND/year.

The work of drafting and promulgating detailed regulations has seen many clear changes, the number of detailed regulations with outstanding or delayed issuance has decreased to the lowest level ever, with only 3 detailed regulations remaining in arrears in 2020. During the entire 2016 - 2021 term (up to the end of February 2021), 2,504 projects were assigned, 2,492/2,504 projects were completed, reaching 99.5%, only 12 projects (accounting for 0.5%) have not been submitted - a decrease of 47 projects and only 1/4 compared to the end of the previous term.

At Nghe An bridge, comrades: Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Le Hong Vinh - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee co-chaired. Photo: Pham Bang

Administrative procedure reform and e-Government development have been strongly promoted. The operation of four basic e-Government information systems has brought practical benefits to people and businesses; helping to cut 16,200 billion VND/year in social costs (according to OECD's calculation). The activities of the Working Group have contributed to realizing the determination and goal of building an honest Government, a creative Government, an action-oriented Government, and a serving Government towards people and businesses.

In Nghe An, over the past 5 years, administrative reform has received much attention from all levels and sectors with many practical solutions. Administrative procedures have been reviewed, publicly announced, and processing time has been shortened. The investment and business environment has been improved and increasingly open; Focusing on building and effectively operating e-Government. The online public service system has more than 5,800 public services, including more than 1,000 level 3 online public services; 48 level 4 online public services.

At the conference, representatives of central and local ministries, branches, associations and business associations highly appreciated the sense of responsibility, determination and fearlessness of the Working Group as well as the results that the Working Group has achieved in 5 years of operation. At the same time, they requested the Prime Minister to maintain the activities of the Working Group in the coming time.

DON'T BE INCREDIBLE WITH ACHIEVEMENT

Concluding the conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc assessed that the activities of the Working Group have left an important mark, contributing positively to the success of the Government in this term, creating a strong spread and positive effects throughout the entire State administrative system. Thereby, ending the situation of "shooting into the sky", "the superiors do not listen to the subordinates", meeting the requirements and guiding viewpoints of the Government and the Prime Minister to shift from administrative orders to actions and implementation.

The Prime Minister also highly appreciated the great efforts, responsible working spirit, frankness, and fearlessness of the members of the Working Group. Thereby, contributing to bringing the direction of the Government and the Prime Minister into life, contributing to perfecting institutions and policies, contributing to creating trust in agencies, organizations, businesses, and people. "Trust is important, without trust it is difficult to succeed", the Prime Minister said and gave the Working Group 8 words: Resolute - Timely - Effective - Substantive.

The Prime Minister noted that the most important task of the Government Office is to develop, urge, inspect, and implement the action program and work program of the Government and the Prime Minister. The working group must focus on this important and primary task. The working group is a mechanism set up by the Prime Minister of this term. It is not a superior of ministries, branches, and localities, so it does not replace the state management function of ministries, branches, and localities.

Regarding the direction and tasks in the coming time, the Prime Minister requested all levels, sectors and localities to concentrate their efforts to overcome difficulties. For example: e-Government is not just technology, not entirely technology, but legal institutions, how to create conditions for development, not hinder development. Strengthening leadership methods, strengthening inspection and supervision with the spirit: 1 policy, 10 measures, 20 inspections and supervisions will be successful.

Overview of the online bridge in Nghe An province. Photo: Pham Bang

Emphasizing that the achievements of the Working Group in the past time are only an important first step, the Prime Minister requested that we should not be infatuated with achievements. Because the stagnation in work still exists; the backwardness in some institutions and policies is still severe... Therefore, the work of continuing to remove mechanisms and policies for people and businesses must be done more vigorously, in order to free up resources for development, striving to achieve the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045.

The Prime Minister also requested ministries, branches and localities not to be subjective and not to be satisfied with the results achieved, but to continue to direct and promote the implementation of assigned tasks with a resolute spirit, not to let tasks be overdue. Promote the responsibility of leaders, and have solutions to completely resolve the situation of slow and overdue issuance of legal documents.

The Working Group must also perfect its methods, modes of operation, and organizational model in accordance with the direction and administration of the Government and the Prime Minister at each time and stage, serving political tasks in the spirit of strengthening administrative discipline and improving the quality of public service performance. Ministries, branches, and localities must create conditions for the Working Group to operate effectively and for the right purpose.