Get down to business and "do it for real"!

(Baonghean) - Recently, at a press conference on the implementation of the Social Insurance Law, the Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs spoke very frankly: Everyone can tell how they've done it; I can tell too! But telling is easy, actually doing it and seeing the results is the difficult part. Civil servants just sit there with their feet under the table, and nothing will change. It's easy for us to sit here and talk, but how to actually achieve real results is the difficult part!

This is a common reality, not unique to any particular ministry, department, locality, agency, or unit. Some places have more, some have fewer, but almost everywhere there's a group of officials who "sit under the table," working in a "come to work in the morning, leave in the evening" manner. They appear diligent but are ineffective, failing to address real-life situations and therefore failing to resolve, or resolving ineffectively, the difficulties, obstacles, and emerging problems. As a result, many issues have been discussed and debated repeatedly; year after year, even enthusiastically from all angles, followed by promises, commitments, and resolutions… But then, everything remains the same! Typical examples include traffic accidents, widespread violence in society, and the "inflation" of festivals… these issues have been ongoing for decades, and for decades, solutions have been discussed and debated. Yet, things remain exactly the same as they have been for the past decade. There has been no significant positive change or improvement. Everything remains the same, just like before.

So what are the fundamental reasons behind this situation? Through practical observation, we find three cases that cause (or perhaps force) people to "keep their feet under the desk." Firstly, a lack of dedication; a preference for enjoying a comfortable, clean life in the air-conditioned office. They walk softly, speak quietly, smile sweetly, and focus on their work; they don't like going out, interacting with the outside world, or learning about real-world situations because they see no benefit for themselves. Even if they enthusiastically jump into things, their salary remains the same, or even decreases due to travel expenses. They only go when there are conferences, along with envelopes of money, gifts, and transportation. Being too active and enthusiastic can lead to mistakes and errors. Because the more you work, the more mistakes you make. If you don't work, you don't make mistakes, so they just take it easy, which is both comfortable and... safe.

Secondly, there's a lack of vision. These are people who may have high academic qualifications, but their practical abilities are limited, thus reducing their exposure to real-world situations. If they encounter a problem within their assigned field and lack the capacity or skills to handle it, they risk damaging their reputation. It's better to stay at the office, seeking advice from others to avoid mistakes or passing the buck. These types of people are very reluctant to go to the field or engage in practical work. Real-life situations often present problems and issues that are outside the scope of textbooks and curriculum, and without intelligence and resourcefulness, they are difficult to handle.

Thirdly, they lack authority. These people may have both the right mindset and the ability, but they lack the function and power to handle and resolve issues. Therefore, even if they know about the problems, they can only remain silent and do nothing, sometimes even becoming frustrated, forcing them to "keep their feet under the table" (referring to the situation).

There are other reasons as well, but perhaps the three mentioned above are the main ones. Therefore, no matter how much discussion, negotiation, contact, or promises are made, if the "public servants" continue to "keep their feet under the table," then, as the Deputy Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs said: Nothing will change! Therefore, to change the situation and effectively resolve all issues to promote the socio-economic development of the entire country or a locality, it is necessary to get out from under the table and get involved in practice – that is what truly works and is effective!

Duy Huong