General Cuong: Perfecting institutions, enhancing the role and responsibility of leaders in preventing and fighting corruption

PV:On June 30, 2022, the Politburo held a national conference to review 10 years of anti-corruption and anti-negativity work in the 2012-2022 period. As a researcher, can Major General give a general assessment of the achievements of 10 years of anti-corruption of our Party and State?

Major General Le Van Cuong:As a researcher, I would like to summarize the achievements of 10 years of anti-corruption in the following 4 aspects:

- The first achievement is that in the past 10 years we have handled many major corruption cases, initially pushed back corruption, and cleaned up the government apparatus. Specifically shown by the following figures: Central Committee, Politburo, Secretariat, Central Inspection CommitteeDisciplined more than 170 senior officials under the Central management; including 33 members and former members of the Party Central Committee (3 members of the Politburo, 1 former member of the Politburo), more than 50 general-level officers in the armed forces. Party committees and Inspection Committees at all levels have disciplined more than 2,700 Party organizations and nearly 168,000 Party members, of which more than 7,390 Party members were disciplined for corruption. Particularly since the beginning of the 13th Party Congress term until now, in less than 1.5 years, 50 senior officials under the Central Committee's management have been disciplined, including 8 members and former members of the Party Central Committee, and 20 general-level officers in the armed forces.

National conference to review 10 years of anti-corruption and anti-negativity work in the 2012-2022 period. Photo: Nhat Bac - Pham Cuong

The prosecution agencies nationwide have prosecuted and investigated 19,546 cases/33,868 defendants, prosecuted 16,699 cases/33,037 defendants, and tried 15,857 cases/30,355 defendants for corruption, job-related and economic crimes. Recently, they have focused on investigating and strictly handling many particularly serious corruption and negative cases, causing great damage, occurring in the fields of health, land management and use, securities, and corporate bonds. Civil enforcement agencies at all levels have recovered 61,000 billion VND. Particularly, the cases under the supervision and direction of the Steering Committee have recovered nearly 50,000 billion VND...

In short, over the past 10 years, we have pushed back corruption, created deterrence, promoted the fight against corruption; created a turning point in the fight against corruption. It can be said that since the implementation of the renovation process, the Central Executive Committee from the 6th to the 10th term has had more than 10 resolutions discussinganti-corruption, offering hundreds of solutions to prevent and combat corruption. Initially, there have been important results. But objectively speaking, in the past 10 years, since the Central Executive Committee decided to establish the Anti-Corruption Committee, the fight against corruption has created a new turning point. This is a bright spot, a breakthrough development in the process of Party building in the past 10 years.

- The second achievement is that it has helped the Party and State complete an important step in the political system. Specifically, it has innovated the leadership methods of the Party and State; clarified the theoretical and practical awareness of the ruling party; and made important progress in personnel work. This is reflected in the fact that many agencies and units have held elections with surplus numbers, piloted examinations for key leaders; proposed amendments to the Constitution and amended and supplemented more than 2,000 legal documents related to the responsibilities and powers of officials and party members in public agencies, clarified the responsibilities of individuals and collectives in the performance of public duties; and the activities of public agencies have become increasingly public and transparent.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong chairs the 20th meeting of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption. Photo: Tri Dung/VNA

Continue to perfect, concretize, and well implement the mechanism of Party leadership, State management, and People mastery, with the motto "People know, people discuss, people do, people inspect, people supervise, and people benefit". Effectively and substantially organize people's participation in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of organizations' operations in the political system, the qualities and capacities of cadres and Party members, taking work results, satisfaction, and people's trust as important criteria to evaluate the quality of organizations, apparatus, and the quality of cadres and Party members.

Through the fight against corruption, our Party and State have overcome loopholes and weaknesses in the leadership and management process that some corrupt officials could take advantage of to commit acts of personal gain and corruption. Thereby, gradually perfecting the leadership and management institutions of the Party and State.

- The third achievement is to contribute to improving the capacity and quality of key officials at all levels. Creating a healthy and safe environment to attract foreign investment (FDI). Over the past 10 years, foreign direct investment in Vietnam has continuously increased, contributing to promoting the continuous development of Vietnam's economy, enhancing the competitiveness of Vietnamese goods, and creating conditions for expanding foreign economic relations.

Vietnam has created a healthy and safe environment to attract foreign direct investment (FDI). Photo courtesy

- The fourth achievement is that 10 years of preventing and fighting corruption and negativity have directly contributed to enhancing the Party's strength and combativeness, the State's management effectiveness; the trust of cadres, party members and people in the Party's leadership and the State's management has been consolidated. Contributing to enhancing the role, position and prestige of Vietnam in the international arena, creating conditions to combine national strength with the strength of the times, serving the task of building and defending the Fatherland in the context of complex and unpredictable changes in the world.

With these 4 results, it can be summarized that: The fight against corruption over the past 10 years has created an important turning point, creating a solid foundation, continuing to promote the fight against corruption in the coming time.

PV:The fight against corruption and negativity over the past 10 years has achieved many important results. According to you, what are the reasons for this success?

Major General Le Van Cuong:In essence, corruption is the degeneration of power. People give civil servants and officials power to serve citizens and the country. A group has abused public power, turning it into private power, this is the degeneration of power. Corruption is an inherent disease of every state. As long as there is a state, there will still be corruption! The only difference is the level, prevalence and severity. Multi-party states such as France, South Korea, Malaysia... also have huge corruption cases, many key figures in the government also profited, abused power to commit corruption, and had to go to jail. For example, in South Korea, three consecutive presidents had to go to jail for corruption.

On social networks, hostile forces often use distorted, slanderous, and unscientific arguments, saying that only one party has corruption. Claiming that to fight corruption, there must be a multi-party system is a distorted, provocative, and defamatory argument because corruption also occurs in multi-party countries. Therefore, we need to be alert to distinguish hostile arguments.

In Vietnam, since the development of a socialist-oriented market economy (from 1986 to present), there are many subjective and objective reasons for the complicated development of corruption. The Communist Party of Vietnam has issued many resolutions, with many measures to prevent and combat corruption and has achieved some important results. But objectively, we must see that since the 5th Central Conference, 11th term (February 2013) decided to establish the Central Steering Committee on preventing and combating corruption,anti-corruption and anti-negativity workThe past 10 years have seen strong progress, achieving many comprehensive, positive and clear results, leaving a good impression, creating a positive effect, spreading strongly throughout society, as General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed: "The work of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity has become a movement and trend" that has been agreed upon and highly appreciated by the people, and recognized by international organizations.

The second reason is that when there is high political determination and the right goal, the implementation method is very important. Marx said that when the right goal is determined, the solution accounts for 60% of success. Over the past 10 years, our Party has innovated the method of fighting against corruption. The first is the establishment of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption, headed by the General Secretary.

Next is the establishment of the Steering Committee at the provincial and municipal levels, which is a very important measure. It is from the organization and establishment of the Steering Committee that decisions have been made, investigations have been promoted, and many cases have been handled. Close coordination has been directed between Party organizations and State agencies in the anti-corruption front.

Over the past 10 years, the close coordination between Party and State agencies on the anti-corruption front has created successes and turning points in the fight against corruption. We have maximized the role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, political and social organizations, and the entire population participating in the fight against corruption.

It is also the quick, timely, and effective participation of the press system. Many cases have been brought to light by the press, creating public opinion and pressure for the authorities to intervene. I think the press is also a shock force on this front.

Comrade Vo Van Thuong - Standing member of the Secretariat and Comrade Phan Dinh Trac - Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission presented the Special Prize to the group of authors who won the 3rd "Press Award for the fight against corruption, waste and negativity" in 2020 - 2021. Photo: VOV

An important thing in the method of fighting is to determine the focus and key points. In each period, the Steering Committee has determined key cases to focus on directing and handling them thoroughly.

I think that over the past 10 years, anti-corruption methods have had many new points and achieved many successes and great effectiveness.

The third reason is the role of the leader and commander in the fight against corruption. In fact, in Vietnam and in other countries around the world, both in history and today, when the person holding the highest power is clean, transparent, and determined to build a clean and strong state, then the fight against corruption will be successful. In the past 10 years, in his position as Head of the Anti-Corruption Committee under the Politburo, the General Secretary has shown determination and high spirit in fighting corruption. This is a particularly important reason, making the fight against corruption - "the fight against internal invaders" in the past 10 years achieve important results.

On June 7, the Investigation Police Agency, Ministry of Public Security issued a decision to supplement the Decision to prosecute the case, temporarily detaining Mr. Chu Ngoc Anh, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Long and Mr. Pham Cong Tac, all related to the Viet A case. Photo: Document

PV:In order for the fight against corruption and negativity to continue to gain many victories in the coming time, according to the Major General, what issues need to be resolved?

Major General Le Van Cuong:The Resolution of the 13th National Congress identified the fight against corruption as a particularly important task of the key task, with the viewpoint: "The work of preventing and combating corruption and waste is a particularly important task in the work of building and rectifying the Party, building and consolidating a clean and strong political system, and consolidating the great national unity bloc".

Thus, in previous terms, the Party identified the work of Party building and rectification as a key task. At the 13th Congress, the work of fighting corruption and waste was identified as a particularly important task of the key task or a special task of the key task. This work is not only in building and rectifying the Party but also especially in building and consolidating a clean and strong political system, consolidating the great national unity bloc in our country today. To affirm the Party's political determination in the work of fighting corruption and waste, the 13th Congress emphasized: "Resolutely and persistently fight to prevent and repel corruption and waste, with higher political determination, stronger, more thorough and more effective actions".

Defendants in the trial of violations at the Thai Nguyen Iron and Steel Project Phase 2. Photo: VTC

To put the Resolution of the 13th National Congress into practice, in my opinion, Party and State agencies need to resolutely implement the following important tasks:

- Party and State agencies have done a better job of inspecting and supervising the performance of public duties by their subordinates. The late Prime Minister Pham Van Dong once said, "Leaders who do not inspect are considered not leaders." Many major cases that have occurred in recent times have shown that the inspection and supervision work of functional agencies is still inadequate, deficient, and lax. Many senior officials of large cities, ministries, branches, etc. have committed violations over a long period of time, many years, not that they are good today and bad tomorrow. So, where are the functional, inspection and supervision agencies of the Party and State, and what are they doing during that time?

Therefore, I propose a general review of Party regulations and the State's legal system related to the power inspection and supervision system. Better organize the work of power inspection and supervision of cadres and Party members.

- Define more clearly the responsibilities of individuals and collectives; the responsibilities of leaders from the central to local levels; what needs to be adjusted and supplemented in the current legal system. If individual responsibilities are not clarified, people will still rely on loopholes and laxity to take advantage.

- It is necessary to expand the election of surplus votes and carry out examinations for leadership positions and key officials at district and provincial levels to limit the running for positions and power.

- It is necessary to be open, transparent, and seek the opinions of the people and scientists when implementing and deploying local socio-economic development projects. When projects are open and transparent, there is no room for embezzlement or corruption.

- Proposing that heads of provincial, district and commune authorities must receive citizens monthly.

Provincial Party Secretary Thai Thanh Quy and Provincial People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Duc Trung received citizens. Photo: TD - PB

To promote the fight against corruption, clean up the Party and State apparatus, and strengthen people's trust, key officials must set an example, definitely must set an example.

- The last and most important issue is to properly implement Regulation No. 08-QDi/TW, dated October 25, 2018 of the Central Executive Committee on the responsibility of setting an example for cadres and party members, first of all Politburo members, Secretariat members, Central Executive Committee members... If this team sets an example, it will certainly lead to 5 million party members doing well and nearly 3 million cadres doing well. More than ever, to promote the fight against corruption, clean up the Party and State apparatus, and strengthen people's trust, key cadres must set an example, definitely must set an example. If this cannot be done, all solutions are meaningless. Reality proves that if the leader is dedicated and sets an example, the apparatus will be clean and strong. In my opinion, the responsibility of setting an example is very important and decisive.

I am completely confident that in the coming time, the Party and State's fight against corruption and negativity, under the leadership and direction of the General Secretary, will continue to achieve many new victories, purify the Party and State apparatus, and strengthen the people's trust. It will create strength for the country to overcome all difficulties and challenges in the context of many changes in the world.

PV:Thank you, General!