National Assembly deputies from Quang Ninh province analyzed and clarified the issue of decentralization and delegation of power in the draft Law on Government Organization (amended).

On February 13th, continuing the program of the 9th Extraordinary Session, the National Assembly held group discussions on the draft Law on Government Organization (amended), the draft Law on Local Government Organization (amended), and the draft Resolution of the National Assembly stipulating the handling of some issues related to the reorganization of the state apparatus.

Scene from the group discussion session.

Speaking in the discussion, Politburo member, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, and National Assembly delegate from Quang Ninh province, Nguyen Xuan Thang, stated that it is necessary to clarify concepts in draft laws; for example, the concepts of decentralization, delegation of power, and authorization in the draft Law on Government Organization (amended) must be clearly defined to avoid vagueness and unclear responsibilities. Regarding the content of not organizing People's Councils, there must be specific regulations on tasks; a clear assessment of the relationship between the Party leadership and the government is needed to ensure rational arrangement and implementation of tasks.

Delegate Nguyen Xuan Thang, Member of the Political Bureau, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, and National Assembly delegate from Quang Ninh province, delivered a speech during the discussion. — Delegate Nguyen Xuan Thang, Member of the Political Bureau, Director of the Ho Chi Minh National Political Academy, Chairman of the Central Theoretical Council, and National Assembly Delegate from Quang Ninh province, delivered a speech during the discussion.

Furthermore, regarding changes in the law, although some roles have been transferred to ministries and agencies, specific decisions related to key national issues must have the Prime Minister's opinion and be included in the overall national development plan and orientation, and cannot be decided solely by the ministries; they must remain unchanged and strictly adhere to the overall leadership and direction of the Government.

Representative Vu Hong Thanh, Chairman of the National Assembly's Economic Committee and National Assembly representative from Quang Ninh province, delivered a speech during the discussion.

Concurring with the content regarding decentralization and delegation of power, the Chairman of the National Assembly's Economic Committee and National Assembly Deputy Vu Hong Thanh from Quang Ninh province stated that decentralization and delegation of power must ensure effectiveness, efficiency, and feasibility in the implementation process. The Deputy also noted that Clause 4, Article 26 stipulates that the Government's activities and flexibility and efficiency are linked to promoting administrative procedure reform and building an e-Government. He argued that this provision must clearly define the meaning of digital government and e-government. For example, what forms does e-government and digital government take so that during operation, it can flexibly seek opinions from Government members to meet the requirements of resolving issues quickly while still adhering to proper procedures and processes?

Delegate Vu Dai Thang, Member of the Central Committee of the Party, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and National Assembly delegate from Quang Ninh province, delivered a speech during the discussion.

Regarding the content on decentralization and delegation of power in the draft Law on Government Organization (amended), Central Committee member, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, and National Assembly Deputy from Quang Ninh province, Vu Dai Thang, stated that the practical implementation of decentralization and delegation of power is not yet truly clear. He emphasized that the content of decentralization needs to be synchronized, which is crucial. He stressed that the principle of decentralization should be a comprehensive, holistic, and synchronized approach and level, avoiding situations where, even after decentralization to the local level, the implementation process still requires consultation with other ministries and agencies. For example, when implementing a project for a building over 20 stories high, even though the local authorities are empowered to decide on investment policies, they still have to seek opinions from the Ministry of Construction. Similarly, the fire safety plan must be approved by the Fire Prevention and Fighting Department (Ministry of Public Security), as the provincial police do not have the authority to make such decisions… The representative also suggested that the law needs to consider and clearly explain the terminology, making it easy to understand and implement, avoiding vagueness.

During the discussion, National Assembly deputies from Quang Ninh province, including Pham Duc An, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Do Thi Lan, Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly's Social Affairs Committee; and Tran Thi Kim Nhung, Standing Member of the National Assembly's Law Committee, focused their opinions on the draft Law on Organization of Local Government (amended) and the draft Resolution of the National Assembly stipulating the handling of some issues related to the reorganization of the state apparatus.

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