Implement Directive 17: Tighten discipline to enhance public service responsibility

Quickly put into practice, spread widely

PV:At the time of issuing Directive 17, the Provincial Party Standing Committee assessed that there were still a number of cadres, party members, civil servants and public employees who had not strictly complied with internal rules and regulations, violated working hours, abused alcohol and beer consumption and did personal work during working hours... All of these had affected the work efficiency, style and prestige of cadres, civil servants and public employees, agencies and units. So, after 5 years of implementation, how have these limitations been overcome, comrade?

Comrade Tran Quoc Khanh:The issuance of Directive 17 is a correct and timely policy that has quickly been put into practice and has had a widespread impact on cadres, party members and the people. The basic contents have been seriously, regularly and continuously implemented and have become a routine in agencies and units.

Administrative reform and civil service reform have received real attention, improving efficiency and quality of service to people and businesses. Photo: Thanh Le

In particular, the most obvious change is the awareness and responsibility of cadres, party members, civil servants and public employees, which have positively impacted the strengthening of discipline and administrative order; promoted administrative procedure reform; improved service quality, improved people's satisfaction,...

Administrative reform and public service reform have received real attention. Many agencies and units have reviewed and published administrative procedures, applied information technology, shortened work processing time, implemented one-stop shop and inter-connected one-stop shop mechanisms and publicly posted administrative procedures at one-stop shop departments, offices and on portals and websites; enhanced sense of responsibility when handling records, following the correct procedures and time limits.

Drinking alcohol before and during working hours, lunch breaks, and smoking at work and in public places has been significantly reduced. The efficiency of working hours of state officials and civil servants has been improved. The situation of coming late and leaving early, and sitting in coffee shops during working hours has been basically overcome.

Agencies and units in the province have reviewed and supplemented their working regulations; built and concretized the ethical standards and Ho Chi Minh style associated with the public ethics standards of cadres, party members, civil servants, public employees and things that party members are not allowed to do.

The exemplary role of leaders is promoted, associated with the implementation of Central regulations on exemplary responsibility of cadres and party members.

PV:As you mentioned, Directive 17 has quickly been put into practice. So, what outstanding measures have agencies, units and localities taken?

Comrade Tran Quoc Khanh:To effectively implement Directive 17, units and localities have launched and built many good models with many creative ways to improve the quality of public service performance.

For example: Tan Ky district organized competitions on "Beauty of office culture" and "School culture"; Anh Son district established a "On-duty team" to monitor the implementation of discipline and order of officials and civil servants. Nghe An Civil Servants' Union organized a writing contest to propose initiatives and solutions on administrative procedure reform.

Nghe An Police organized a test of awareness of the People's Police regulations, integrating questions on implementing Directive 17 in the form of multiple choice tests (2015, 2016); organized a contest "Youth of People's Police with behavioral culture"; the movement "Saturday, Sunday for the people"...

From good models and creative ways of doing things of agencies and units, many exemplary cadres and party members who are dedicated to their work have emerged; their sense of serving the people has been honored and recognized by cadres, party members, local residents and the community, contributing to strengthening people's trust in the Party and State.

The province's interdisciplinary inspection team inspected compliance with discipline and administrative order. Photo: Thanh Le

In addition, attention has been paid to the inspection and supervision work. Up to now, the whole province has carried out more than 1,000 inspections at 754 agencies and units, in which the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department has established teams to organize inspections and supervisions at 11 agencies and units and nearly 30 grassroots units.

The Provincial People's Committee established interdisciplinary teams to organize inspections and supervisions at 8 departments, branches, 21 districts, cities, towns and more than 50 wards, communes and towns; the Department of Home Affairs established interdisciplinary teams to organize inspections and supervisions at 15 agencies, units and 30 grassroots units.

Many agencies and units are inspected and supervised by all levels, sectors and localities many times a year, focusing on inspecting and supervising the role of leaders and key officials; the responsibilities of officials, civil servants and public employees; and the joint responsibility of the heads of agencies and units when officials, party members, civil servants and public employees under their management commit violations.

In the past 5 years, the whole province has had 2 groups and 247 individuals disciplined by dismissal, warning, reprimand, demotion, review, and reminder. Through inspection and supervision, the results achieved in the implementation of Directive 17 have been affirmed, promptly correcting discipline and order in agencies and units in the province.

Strictly handle violations of discipline and administrative discipline

PV:It can be said that compared to the requirements, especially in administrative reform, the results have not been as expected. What is the solution in the coming time, comrade?

Comrade Tran Quoc Khanh:Although important results have been achieved in the implementation of Directive 17, compared to requirements, discipline and administrative order in the province are still poor due to the situation of leniency in criticism, self-criticism and handling of violations.

In 2019, the Provincial Party Standing Committee identified it as a breakthrough year for administrative procedure reform, so it is necessary to continue implementing Directive 17 in conjunction with Regulation No. 08-QD/TW dated October 25, 2018 of the Party Central Committee on the exemplary responsibility of cadres and party members; at the same time, it is necessary to strengthen solutions and promote administrative reform.

Comrade Tran Quoc Khanh - Deputy Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department

The Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, as the lead agency, will coordinate with relevant agencies to organize propaganda, dissemination, monitoring, urging, inspection and supervision, and will continue to direct and orient the propaganda of the content of Directive 17 in conjunction with the Party and State's regulations on discipline, administrative discipline; public ethics, exemplary responsibility; and strengthen Party building and rectification from the province to the grassroots level.

Units and localities in the province continue to review, revise and supplement regulations and rules on criteria for administrative procedure reform, professional ethics standards, public service ethics, exemplary roles of leaders and key leaders, and have timely incentive and motivation mechanisms, appropriate to the expertise, profession and actual conditions of the agencies and units.

Units and localities must continue to synchronously implement administrative reform solutions in the direction of simplicity, convenience and shortening the time to handle work.

Every year, units and localities include the criteria for implementing Directive 17 in the assessment and classification of collectives and individuals; incorporate the content of inspection and supervision of Directive 17 into the regular inspection and supervision program of Party committees and inspection committees at the same level; at the same time, coordinate to establish interdisciplinary teams to organize periodic and unscheduled inspections and supervisions; have sanctions and strictly handle cases of violations of discipline and administrative discipline.

PV:Thank you, comrade!