Prime Minister requests restructuring of cumbersome apparatus at Ministry of Industry and Trade

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that the personnel work at this agency still has many shortcomings, creating negative public opinion and affecting the reputation of the industry.

Without directly mentioning the recent scandals in personnel appointments in the industry and trade sector, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, at the Ministry's 6-month review conference in 2016 on July 12, said that personnel work at this agency still has many shortcomings, creating negative public opinion and affecting the reputation of the sector.

Currently, the Ministry of Industry and Trade holds 30 departments and offices, not to mention institutes and associations, then 10 universities, 22 colleges, 11 corporations, general companies... with a staff of up to tens of thousands of people. Naming each Deputy Minister, the head of the Government requested that each leader of the ministry immediately restructure the department under his/her charge.

“There are many people, coming in and then leaving, working ineffectively, how can we develop? We keep talking about restructuring the whole industry, but even within the Ministry of Industry and Trade, we need to restructure thoroughly and publicly. Each person must do their own job to be effective and authentic,” the Prime Minister requested Minister Tran Tuan Anh.

He also said that the industry and trade sector must fundamentally change its management methods to build a real and effective market economy with the participation of the private business sector.

"Let the market do things better on its own. The State only focuses on things that the market does not do well. Organize and manage the market to ensure healthy, fair, transparent competition and anti-monopoly," the Prime Minister said firmly.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade to restructure its cumbersome apparatus.

At the same time, the Government leader said that it is necessary to make domestic industry and trade move faster and higher in the global value chain. Without innovation and creativity, it will become a purely processing economy. He also noted that along with economic development, it is necessary to resolutely protect the environment, including the natural and social environment, the competitive environment, especially the living environment of the people.

“Multinational corporations are important, play a role in designing the rules of the game and mastering the global value chain. But they cannot develop at any cost,” he added.

From the incident of Formosa Ha Tinh discharging waste into the environment causing mass fish deaths in 4 central provinces, leaving serious consequences for the marine environment... the Prime Minister once again reminded. "What lessons does the incident leave us in attracting investment and growth? We request that ministries and local branches seriously learn from experience and take responsibility before the Prime Minister and the people if another environmental disaster occurs."

Previously, the Prime Minister praised the efforts of the industry and trade sector in maintaining the growth rate of industrial production, export activities, and ensuring domestic supply and demand of goods. He said that although the growth rate in the first 6 months of this year did not meet expectations, it showed that the industry and trade sector had made great efforts in the context of falling crude oil prices and global export difficulties.

Recognizing that the Ministry of Industry and Trade is the agency holding many important production fields, especially coordinating the domestic consumer market, the head of the Government also pointed out some limitations and shortcomings such as: market management is still inadequate, some retail chains are dominated by foreign countries, the situation of trade fraud, counterfeit goods, and poor quality goods continues. The management of multi-level sales is not strict, causing frustration in society...

Considering that the above issues cannot be resolved in the last 6 months of the year, the Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade to have a long-term plan for implementation and innovation. Officials in the industry must think together and act together to build policy mechanisms in the coming time, especially in organizing the implementation of new generation free trade agreements.

“The industry and trade sector, together with the whole country, must resolutely implement, focus on restructuring, and strive to achieve the highest level, equal to or higher than the GDP target of 6.7%. This year's exports must be equal to or higher than 10% compared to 2015,” the Prime Minister affirmed.

To achieve this goal, he asked officials to work with an entrepreneurial spirit, serving businesses, and to propose what works better. “The State’s support mechanism must also change, it is necessary to end the mechanism of asking for and giving, not subsidizing and supporting weaknesses. If we continue to follow the planning mindset, we will fail,” Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc concluded.

According to VNE