Streamlining the apparatus: Determination to improve effectiveness and efficiency

The determination for renovation from central to local levels

In the context of the need for national development and renewal, streamlining the political apparatus has become an urgent task, receiving special attention from the Party and State. This is not merely about "cutting" or "mechanically merging" entities but a comprehensive revolution aimed at building a political system that is "lean, strong, efficient, and effective" in line with the demands of the new era.

Many National Assembly deputies said that the current political apparatus is still cumbersome, with many parts operating ineffectively, leading to a waste of resources.

Salaries and regular expenditures consume a large portion of the budget, limiting investment in development and social welfare. The overlapping functions of various agencies, where multiple entities work on the same tasks without clear responsibility, result in low efficiency and management difficulties.

Hoang Anh Cong, Deputy Head of the National Assembly’s Committee on People's Petitions and a member of the NA Deputies’ delegation in Thai Nguyen Province, emphasised: “The cumbersome system not only wastes the budget but also causes various departments to cancel each other out, hindering development. When too many agencies are involved in a single task, it becomes unclear who is ultimately responsible.”

Meanwhile, Ta Van Ha, a member of the National Assembly delegation from Quang Nam and Vice Chairman of the NA Committee for Culture and Education, emphasised that the arrangement and streamlining of the apparatus involves human resources, which is a difficult, sensitive, and complex task. As such, it requires the highest political determination and effort.

Affirming that this is a major policy that has been implemented over several recent terms of the Party Congress and has been carried out very decisively, the NA deputy stated that, over the past period, the streamlining of the apparatus and the reduction of personnel have achieved positive results, especially the merging of administrative units at the district and commune levels, the elimination of general departments, and the removal of intermediary levels in ministries and sectors.

"I believe this is the right time because we have had a long period of experimentation, application, interim reviews, and summarisation from which we have gained valuable experience. In particular, the Covid-19 pandemic was a test for streamlining the apparatus and applying technology," Hạ said, emphasising that this further confirms the theoretical basis, practical experience, and trends, all of which demand the acceleration of the streamlining process.

Towards an effective and people-centred apparatus

The NA deputies also suggested that the streamlining of the apparatus must ensure effectiveness and efficiency, while also being close to the people and building trust among them. The ultimate goal is to reduce regular spending and wage costs, and to focus resources on development investment and social welfare.

Ho Thi Minh, a member of the Quang Tri NA delegation, noted: "Streamlining at the grassroots level should be based on the characteristics of each sector. For example, in the education sector, we should not mechanically cut 10% every year, but instead, allocate teachers based on the student-to-teacher ratio, ensuring that where there are students, there are teachers."

According to the female NA deputy, in some places, there has been mechanical streamlining by allowing staff to retire without new recruitment. Therefore, to implement the guidance of the Party General Secretary, a review and suitable mechanisms are needed for the individuals affected by streamlining. In addition, specific criteria should be established to assess officials and provide a foundation for proper implementation of streamlining, thus ensuring both the apparatus and workforce are effectively optimised.

NA Deputy Ho Thi Minh. (Photo: TRUNG HUNG)

One of the biggest challenges in the process of streamlining the apparatus is the rearrangement of surplus staff. This is a sensitive issue, directly related to the rights of workers, especially those who have made long-term contributions.

Hoang Anh Cong expressed his belief that to address this issue, appropriate support policies are needed to ensure the legal rights of officials. "We need to arrange the apparatus scientifically, while also having policies to encourage and create conditions for officials approaching retirement or transitioning to other jobs. The labour market is vast, not only within the public sector, and if we approach this with a humanitarian spirit, we will succeed," the NA deputy stressed.

Alongside streamlining the apparatus, there is a need to reform personnel work. According to deputy Ta Van Ha, it is crucial to innovate the selection process to ensure a "lean and compact" system but one that is also "proactive and flexible", encouraging those who can get things done, and avoiding situations in which "people are given work but cannot accomplish it."