Hanoi seeks comments for urban local government model

The Hanoi People’s Committee is seeking ideas for a draft decree on the pilot of the urban administration, that is scheduled to begin in early 2021 following the National Assembly’s Resolution 97/2019/QH14 dated November 27, 2019.

Chairman Chu Ngoc Anh of the Hanoi People’s Committee at the meeting on January 4. Photo: Kinhtedothi

The municipal authorities will continue collecting comments from different agencies, especially leaders of wards and districts to get their experience in governance, according to Chairman Chu Ngoc Anh of the Hanoi People’s Committee.

The local government has collected opinions on working principles of the People’s Committee at ward level, the supervision mechanism at district level, the supplement of personnel for districts, social security at grassroots level, finance and budget, management of civil servant and obligations, the mayor said at a meeting on January 4.

Participants at the meeting, which was co-chaired by the Ministry of Home Affairs, discussed a number of issues with a focus on quota of civil servants, local government, democracy at grassroots level, decentralization, the difference between urban and rural administration.

Deputy Permanent Chairperson of the Hanoi People’s Committee Le Hong Son said it requires flexibility in governance and decentralization in Hanoi to ensure effectiveness for the city that is economically diverse.

Speaking at the meeting, Tran Anh Tuan, deputy minister of Home Affairs, said the ministry will collect the ideas and submit to the prime minister for decision on the operations of the urban local government model.

Under the National Assembly’s Resolution, the pilot model will help streamline the government apparatus, handle urgent issues faster, clearly define the leaders’ responsibilities, reduce the payroll, and save budget.

The pilot scheme also looks to strengthen rural administration in towns, communes and districts while renew task delegation and activities of the Party, Vietnam Fatherland Front and mass organizations at communal and district levels.

Earlier, former deputy minister of Home Affairs Thang Van Phuc emphasized the importance of a streamlined apparatus, saying that it makes the decentralization clearer and more effective. He highlighted the role of the People’s Committee in the governance and running the system in a more accountable manner instead of working under problematic and opaque “xin-cho” nature (request-and-give mechanism) before.

Meanwhile, Mr. Phuc paid the special attention to the qualification of cadres, noting that the new governance will require civil servants who are competent at their jobs and have high sense of responsibility.