VietNamNet Bridge – Prime Minister Dung proves to be a person who turns up timely before the public, and on whom people put high expectations, Le Dang Doanh, the former Head of the Central Institute for Economic Management, comments.
Initial impressions left by him
Every very important person has his time, and his name is always attached to a definite moment with advantages and disadvantages. How do you comment about the current situation? What are the favourable conditions and difficulties for the PM?
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| PM Dung (right) and WTO's Director General Pascal Lamy |
He takes office at the time when there are many favourable conditions. 2006 was a good year as Vietnam gained big achievements after many years of making efforts. Vietnam’s position in the international political forum and the domestic situation are both in good condition. The fact that Vietnam has successfully joined the WTO and organised the APEC Summit helped Vietnam to popularise its image. Regarding the difficulties, PM Dung has to face problems like his predecessor, including the problems of the Government apparatus under him.
How do you comment about the first 200 days of Mr Dung in the post of Prime Minister?
Right in the first month of his power, PM Dung expressed his determination to deal with the national evil, about which people always complain – corruption. Within 30 days, PM Dung made more than 10 conclusions about the detailed cases, instructed and asked for reports about the scandals and investigation results, including the PMU 18 scandal, and the cases in the banking and post and telecommunications sectors. Regarding the personnel issues, the PM has changed many staff and retired several high-ranking officials.
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| Mr Le Dang Doanh |
He is determined to deal with the cases, and defused the public’s ire when dismissing Deputy Chairman of the Government’s Office Nguyen Van Lam, and suspended Deputy Chief Government Inspector Tran Quoc Vuong, (who were believed to be involved in several cases of misconduct – reporter). The PM was very determined in pensioning off many high-ranking officials, who are old enough to be retired. His determination has helped create public confidence.
In terms of diplomacy, PM Dung is the first guest to be invited by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to visit Japan and PM Dung has successfully created a political relationship at a higher level with the economic power country. Japan and Vietnam both have stated that the two countries have a strategic partnership.
When a new leader appears, people always expect to see something innovative. What can you see from PM Dung?
Only in a short time, he has created a new style of working. Brisk in working manners, diligent to move, PM Dung can appear in many locations in a day. He can speak without prepared documents, even when he is in working sessions in foreign countries. PM Dung has made strong impressions when talking before the National Assembly and foreign donors.
Being young and having experienced many challenges, PM Dung can quickly get in the swing of things. His good knowledge about people and the legal system have helped him do a lot of works just in a short time, including the establishment of the Steering Committee on fighting corruption, and the organisation of the urgent implementation of the Investment law.
With WTO membership, the world’s changes will have impacts on Vietnam more directly and quickly. The new circumstances will require the quick reactions of the Government, and it will be an opportunity for the PM to show his capabilities.
First challenges
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Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung acceded to office on June 27, 2006. |
On August 2, PM Dung stated that the Government apparatus had to work with all its might to get high efficiency. Do you think that the PM and his staff work as hard as he stated they would when many problems still exist: ministries have made promises, but the problems remain unsettled?
I think that the PM has sweated blood, but his assistants remain dim. I’m sure that many ministries cannot settle the problems of public concern. A good conductor of an orchestra could not be excellent himself alone; it is necessary that the members of the orchestra play well.
But the orchestra has just been operating for 200 days: is this long enough to realise the first challenges?
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| PM Nguyen Tan Dung |
Works always create challenges. I can see that in the last time, the PM used administrative tools many times. He has decided to set up the front steering committee to prevent and deal with typhoons, and sent many urgent telegraphs.
In economics, he has many times encouraged state owned reform and equitisation, pushed up the establishment of economic groups and given the groups power, capital and resources. The PM has also taken actions on the problems relating to the fight against corruption.
However, a question is: What are the conclusions of the scandals? The results remain unclear. The Government uses the administrative tools, but he later meets the bad capability of the system operation. He strongly instructed the prevention against typhoons, but many locations did not follow the instructions thoroughly, and he cannot dismiss the local authorities’ leaders. It is clear that the PM must push up the reform of the apparatus, if he wants his orders to be followed thoroughly by the apparatus under him.
The PM has many times mentioned the shortcomings in the Government apparatus, but the measures he has taken prove to be not strong enough to settle the problems to their roots. Do you think that the Government has a long-term strategy or plan for this?
It is a principle that if people have made all their exertions but cannot gain good results, the error would be in the apparatus’ operation, and it is necessary to reform the apparatus. For example, if you want to reduce the number of cases where transport policemen extort money from motorbike and car drivers you would have to reduce the power the policemen have.
What are the expectations?
What do you think people expect from the Government headed by PM Nguyen Tan Dung?
People hope to see the head of the government have daring ideas, which can wake up people. In order to do that, it is necessary to have suitable strategies based on research and discussions among branches. In the process of world integration, there will be ones who can benefit and ones who lose out. It is necessary to think of the social security programmes which will give support to those who lose out during the integration process.
It is quite impressive to hear that the PM will have direct dialogues with citizens when answering questions before the National Assembly. Should the principle of attentively listening to people and understanding them thoroughly be implemented immediately?
One of the key issues of integration is transparency. One of the principles Vietnam has to follow as a WTO member is that the Government has to declare its decisions 60 days in advance. I think that big ideas should welcome dialogues. When people are informed about new policies and have the right to discuss, they will have a higher sense of civic responsibility, and they will implement the policies better.
Will the PM speak regularly on television as in other countries and accept the peoples’ supervision over his works?
I think we should advocate the PM to use the Internet to exchange view with people or speak on television, discussing the socio-economic situation of the country. He needs to say what things have been done, and what are going to be done, like other heads of states do. This will benefit the image of the Government and improve the relations between people and the Government.
What expectations can people put on the Government headed by PM Nguyen Tan Dung?
We can hope for a personality that can appeal for the power of the whole nation. It would be very good if we have a government of national unity as we once had with the President Ho Chi Minh in 1946, which could mobilise the intelligence of the whole country, of the non-Party intellectuals as well.
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* What do you think Vietnam should to in adjusting the management mechanism in order to help the PM to promote his full management ability?
- It is necessary to have renovation in the Communist Party’s leadership method. The things that PM Dung does must be considered as representing the actions of the Communist Party. It is also necessary to make clear about the right of the PM in staff accreditation. There should be a clear assignment of the Communist Party’s leadership and the management of the Government, like what things can Communist Party’s executive committees do, and what things can Peoples’ Committees do. Vietnam should give the PM enough rights so that he can bring into full play the power of the apparatus, while setting up an effective supervision system next to him and his government. |
(Source: Tuoi tre)
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