Tuong Duong district debt collection: Transparency, responsibility and supervision needed

Don't let the state agency get a bad reputation.

In recent days, on social networks, the story of a female restaurant owner writing a petition to the District Chairman to pay for meals "entertaining guests" has been spreading. Under pressure from public opinion, on the afternoon of April 4, a representative of the District People's Committee announced that she had paid the debt to the restaurant owner...

The above story took place in the mountainous district of Tuong Duong, Nghe An province... Specifically, on April 2, on social networks, a photo of a restaurant owner's petition to the Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district to collect debt was circulated, this information caused a stir among netizens. The person named in the petition is Ms. Phan Thi Thanh M, the owner of a restaurant in Thach Giam town, Tuong Duong district.

According to the content of the petition Ms. M posted on social networks, from 2011 to 2015, the Office of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district repeatedly ordered meals to entertain guests at her family's restaurant. Up to now, the debt of more than 44 million VND has not been paid.

According to the complaint, the Tuong Duong district inspection team inspected, compared debts and determined that the Tuong Duong district People's Committee office owed her family more than 44 million VND, with a document and signature of the district People's Committee office's accountant. In 2019, the Tuong Duong district People's Committee office also issued a certificate confirming this debt. However, since then, Ms. M's family has repeatedly requested the Tuong Duong district People's Committee to pay the debt but to no avail.

In the petition, Ms. M requested the Chairman of Tuong Duong district to direct the district office to pay her the above amount. After 7 days of non-payment, she will send the petition to the competent authority and file a lawsuit in court....

Regarding the above incident, a leader of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district admitted that this was the debt from the District People's Committee Office for entertaining guests from many years ago. Because the district is a mountainous area, it is very difficult to arrange resources to pay... However, under pressure from public opinion, the debt from many years ago has been paid!. As reported above, on the afternoon of April 4, a representative of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district announced that the debt had been paid to the restaurant owner...

From the story in Tuong Duong district, recalling that similar “half-crying, half-laughing” stories also happened in some localities. Like the story that recently broke out in Yen Dinh district (Thanh Hoa), the amount of money that this district owed individuals was up to over 50 billion VND, including money for food and drinks, car repairs, equipment purchases, etc.

Also at the district level, the Office of the People's Council - People's Committee of Chu Se district, Gia Lai province also spent a lot of ink in the press about the content in 2016 and 2018 spent billions to receive guests but most of the payment and settlement records were incomplete...

At the commune level, we can also tell the story of Quang Thai commune (Quang Dien, Thua Thien - Hue) - a commune in difficult circumstances, but for many terms, the leaders of the commune People's Committee spent lavishly, with debts at restaurants and pubs reaching more than 260 million VND...

Need for supervision and clarification of responsibilities

As mentioned, the phenomenon of many state agencies owing money to restaurants and eateries after entertaining guests is not a rare problem in recent years. The fact that these agencies have debts of up to tens of millions of dong, even billions of dong, not only reflects the lack of transparency in public financial management but also seriously affects the reputation and trust of the people in the state administrative apparatus.

One of the main reasons for the long-term debt situation in state agencies is the lack of budget management and expenditure control. Although local budgets are often limited, spending on receptions, meals, and meetings is not strictly controlled, leading to overspending and failure to pay on time. Furthermore, the lack of transparency in the process of budgeting and finalizing expenditures is one of the reasons why these debts are not detected in a timely manner.

In addition, the lack of responsibility of state agencies in handling debts also reflects a major problem in the culture of public financial management. These debts not only affect local budgets but also create a bad image of ineffective use of public finance.

To overcome this situation, first of all, state agencies need to strengthen budget and expenditure management. There needs to be a strict control system from budget preparation to settlement of expenditures, especially expenses for receptions and meetings. These expenditures need to be clearly planned and closely monitored by competent authorities.

Along with that, there needs to be a strict mechanism for dealing with individuals and groups responsible for allowing long-term debt to occur. Prosecuting the responsibilities of related individuals will create a strong message about the seriousness in public financial management, while helping to prevent wasteful and ineffective spending.

Debt in state agencies is not only a financial problem but also a major problem in management and public service culture. To thoroughly resolve this situation, there needs to be innovation in the way public finance is managed, transparency and accountability are enhanced…

Minh Thu

Source: https://congthuong.vn/chuyen-huyen-tuong-duong-bi-doi-no-can-minh-bach-trach-nhiem-va-giam-sat-381691.html