Determined to prevent and fight corruption and negativity

The fight against corruption and negativity in our country in recent times has achieved positive results and received the consensus and support of a large number of cadres, party members and people. However, there is still a situation where a number of cadres, civil servants and public employees have the mindset of avoiding, working half-heartedly, afraid of making mistakes and not daring to do anything; lacking determination and resoluteness.

National conference to review the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity in the period 2012-2022, June 30, 2022. (Illustration photo: Dang Khoa)

The fight against corruption and negativity, which has been strongly directed by our Party, has exposed weaknesses, shortcomings and violations in many areas such as: personnel organization, investment and bidding management, resource management, public investment disbursement, finance, budget, planning management, construction, environment, securities and many other areas. Many party organizations, party members, officials, civil servants and public employees who have abused their positions and powers to act against their duties, causing damage to the interests of the State, the legitimate rights and interests of organizations and individuals, causing public outrage, have been discovered and strictly prosecuted in accordance with the provisions of the law.

The integrity of the State apparatus and the discipline of society have been maintained, contributing to strengthening the people's trust in the Party and the State. However, there are still some people who, due to lack of information and inadequate awareness of the issue, do not fully see the profound impact of the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity on socio-economic development, cultural development and the Vietnamese people. Some people even waver, deny or seek to oppose and obstruct the fight against corruption and negativity, posting unverified and false information on social networks, causing public confusion about the fight against corruption and negativity in Vietnam. These manifestations need to be identified, evaluated and criticized promptly to create unity in the awareness and action of the entire Party and people in the fight against corruption and negativity.

Reality shows that in some localities, agencies and units, there has been a tendency to avoid difficult tasks, work at a slow pace, and in some places even "sit still". Many areas show signs of stagnation and slow progress. This situation stems from many causes, including the fear of making mistakes, fear of responsibility, and not daring to make decisions.

In addition, there are other reasons such as unfair evaluation of cadres, low income of cadres and civil servants; mechanisms, policies and laws are not consistent and unified; guidance on law implementation and application of legal regulations in practice encounter many difficulties; the political and social environment is not really favorable for cadres, civil servants and public employees to promote the spirit of daring to think, daring to do, being proactive and creative; the work of controlling power still has loopholes, is not really strict and effective in many areas...

In addition, corrupt behavior and habits have become ingrained in the thinking of many people. The way of thinking "first is descendants, second is relationships, third is money, fourth is intelligence" creates inequality in evaluating and using cadres, causing a number of cadres, civil servants, and public employees to not be dedicated to their work.

To change the corrupt behavior and habits that still exist among a number of cadres and party members, our country needs to carry out strong and synchronous solutions in politics, economy, society and culture, especially reviewing shortcomings, limitations, legal loopholes, and correcting old, ineffective and risky working methods.

Statistics on our country's economic growth over the past 10 years have demonstrated the role of anti-corruption and anti-negativity work in socio-economic development. In 2012, when the fight against corruption and anti-negativity began to be strengthened, the country's economic growth rate only reached 5.25%. In the following years, the fight against corruption and anti-negativity became more intense, GDP growth increased and reached 7.08% in 2018. In 2022, although the world economy was struggling due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnam's economic growth still reached 8.02%.

The Financial Times ranked Vietnam as one of "7 economic wonders in a world full of worries". In 2023, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) forecasts that Vietnam's economy will achieve the highest growth rate among emerging Asian economies.

Every year, Vietnam publishes indicators serving people and businesses such as the Public Administration Reform Index (PAR Index), the Provincial Competitiveness Index (PCI), the Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI), and the Satisfaction Index of Public Administration Services (SIPAS). Sectors and units providing essential public services such as hospitals, schools, electricity, water, and telecommunications enterprises all use customer satisfaction as a measure. Society tends to honor clean, honest, dedicated, and devoted officials, civil servants, and public employees, which is a very noteworthy shift in social values. It is undeniable that the fight against corruption and negativity has contributed significantly to maintaining social stability, making the political system cleaner, and serving the people and businesses better.

Looking at the world, to have a strong economy, developed countries have gone through many fierce battles to prevent corruption. The Korean economy was shaken in 1997-1998 due to economic groups colluding with the government to commit corruption. After much pain, Korea has built a strong spirit of integrity in politics, and the country's economy has grown steadily. In Singapore, the corruption situation has only improved when the Government has applied a series of strong measures to clean up the State apparatus.

The economic development history of countries on the list of least corrupt countries in the world such as Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden all show that: Where corruption is well fought, there is prosperity and social justice. Any regime that maintains integrity will promote human dignity, ensure personal freedom, and develop the economy. Therefore, preventing and combating corruption and negativity should be considered the top priority solution to help Vietnam develop quickly and sustainably.

Over the past years, the efforts and determination to fight corruption in Vietnam under the direct direction of our Party have achieved positive results, recognized and highly appreciated by international friends. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) published annually by Transparency International (TI) shows that Vietnam has continuously improved its level of integrity over the past 11 years. In 2012, Vietnam only scored 30/100 points, ranking 123rd out of 176 countries and territories assessed. By 2022, Vietnam scored 42/100 points, ranking 77th out of 180 countries and territories in the world.

Not retreating, not being tolerant of corruption has become an order for party committees and authorities at all levels. The 13th National Party Congress affirmed that it will continue to step up the fight against bureaucracy, corruption, waste and negativity. The entire political system is making efforts to implement the direction of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, urgently perfecting institutions, policies, mechanisms and regulations so that each individual is aware of his or her own responsibility, cannot, dare not, do not want to, and do not need to be corrupt.

However, the fight against corruption and negativity is currently facing many difficulties and challenges: sabotage by hostile forces, obstruction by some extremist, degenerate, and corrupt individuals, those who have "dipped their toes" and are afraid of having their shortcomings exposed, etc. When accused, corrupt subjects often use all kinds of tricks from bribery, intimidation, escape, and even suicide. Taking advantage of this, hostile forces immediately slander the fight against corruption and negativity in Vietnam as a "war between factions", and at the same time claim that corruption is "deep-rooted and unchangeable"..., thereby aiming to divide solidarity, influence the thinking of those who are vague about their determination to prevent and fight corruption and negativity, and undermine people's trust in the regime...

However, reality has proven that preventing and combating corruption and negativity is the right path to help eliminate "boils" and develop our country. From the results achieved, we can affirm that our country's fight against corruption and negativity is on the right track, bringing about great and comprehensive results; and is enthusiastically supported by all classes of people.

This has truly become a widespread movement, developing strongly throughout the country, becoming an irreversible trend. Preventing and combating corruption and negativity is no longer a slogan but has become a legal regulation, a working principle, a brake to control power. Disciplining officials and replacing weak officials has become a normal activity of the political system.

There is still much work to be done in the fight against corruption and negativity in the coming time. In addition to perseverance and caution, it is also necessary to be urgent and determined to "untie" the mechanisms and policies; along with tightening legal discipline, all levels and sectors must also build a favorable environment for cadres, civil servants and public employees to work with peace of mind and contribute to the homeland and the country. At the same time, it is necessary to motivate and encourage both materially and spiritually so that cadres, party members and people enthusiastically participate in this special struggle.

To create unity in awareness and action in the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity, Party committees, Party organizations, agencies and units need to direct and correct the mindset of retreating, pushing back, avoiding, working half-heartedly, being afraid of making mistakes, wavering, lacking will and determination. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen inspection and supervision work, not allowing the situation of "fishing in troubled waters" to occur, taking advantage of anti-corruption and negativity activities for personal gain. Only by doing that can the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity truly be effective, becoming a driving force for socio-economic development.

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