Simpler but Still Slow

The Administrative Procedure Control Agency (APCA) said central agencies had reviewed administrative procedures and issued documents to competent authorities to simplify 3,370 out of 4,800 administrative procedures by the end of June 2011. This move has given rise to direct benefits for the public and the business community. Some ministries and agencies reported to have high rates of simplification, including the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice.

 

Local governments, in their authority and jurisdiction, abridged 3,636 administrative procedures belonging to provincial, district and commune levels. The control of administrative procedures has substantial improvements in nature. The quality of newly issued administrative procedures is enhanced.

 

According to the Government Office, at present, administrative agencies from central to local levels are amending more than 4,000 unsuitable documents. If this work is done well, the country will economically save tens of trillions of Vietnamese dong. In terms of common interests, people and businesses earn much more.

 

Mr Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office, said: The outcome of rationalising administrative procedures at ministries, agencies and localities in the past time is a great, noteworthy effort. However, some ministries, agencies and localities complete this work behind time the Prime Minister announced. Recently, the Prime Minister has requested 14 ministries, three ministerial-level agencies and government agencies to seriously withdraw experience for inability to fulfil his instructions with respect to reorganise administrative procedures within their jurisdiction. 

 

Mr Phuc said that the control of administrative procedures is not defined to the formality of legal documents but it is necessarily delved into the nature to remove mechanism bottlenecks. He requested ministries, central agencies and local governments to accelerate administrative procedure reform, avoid full authorisation to some individuals or units to carry out this task or perform it formalistically, put an end to prolonged settlement of administrative procedures, and impose serious sanctions on officials who cause the administrative procedure settlement behind time. This reality stems from the incomplete perception of leaders and the incomplete understanding of exercisers.

 

He noted that it is not important that how many procedures we change but how such changes are translated into reality. [We] must take the satisfaction of the people and enterprises as the gauge for administrative procedure reform.

 

To reform administrative procedures effectively, the control of administrative procedure implementation needs strengthening, Mr Phuc said, adding that specific contents and methods are necessary to enhance the quality in this work. If this content is done well, it will help reinforce administrative disciplines and rules; bring confidence to the public and the business community; and truly realise reform results to every member in the society.

 

In the upcoming time, the Government Office will continue guiding and pressing ministries, agencies and localities to have adequate resources for this activity; mobilise the participation of residents, businesses and political and social organisations in monitoring the execution of administrative procedures performed by civil servants at all levels.

 

Currently, the administrative reform programme for the 2011 - 2020 phase has been built with objectives, tasks, solutions and responsibilities of competent agencies involved in carrying out the programme.

 

Vietnam Business Forum would like to quote opinions of experts on Vietnam’s administrative procedure simplification.

It is easy to see real impacts of the Project 30. At present, it is very important that there is no need to launch more new administrative reform projects while the deployment of the Project 30 is still in progress.

 

Currently, responsible ministries and agencies are effectuating decisions of the Project 30. In reality, this means annulling 480 administrative procedures, replacing nearly 200 administrative procedures, and amending more than 400 administrative procedures. In total, central agencies have to amend, supplement or rescind 1,016 administrative procedures, including 42 laws, 12 regulations, 183 directives, 37 Prime Ministerial decisions, 313 ministerial decisions, 336 circulars, and 93 other legal documents. This is a challenging task. To date, the official part of the Project 30 has completed. It is time all officials assigned by ministries and agencies to be in charge of this important work must try their best to support.

 

Vietnam has just rationalised administrative procedures between state agencies with businesses and people. It is necessary to reform the coordinating process of administrative agencies at all levels to create uniformity and simplicity in enforcement. Administrative reform is only effective when leaders of ministries, agencies and localities regularly monitor, inspect and supervise the performance and service of public officials.

 

Vietnam should also move to applying IT to administrative procedure reform, allow internet-based transactions and registrations to limit bureaucracy, harassment and delay, attach responsibility of ministry and agency leaders to the execution of administrative procedure rationalisation. This should be considered a score for their promotions and appointments.

 

The focal point of administrative reform is people and businesses benefit from the simplification. It is necessary to quantify how much production and business activities affect after procedures are rationalised. We should not compare our outcomes on our own but compare with the best or average in the region. Since then, we know the gap with the world. Importantly, there is a need for interdisciplinary coordination in administrative procedure review.

 

We need to create a good working environment where reward and punishment are fair in order to step up the process of reform. We should make a general report on ineffective progress but name agencies and persons in charge. Otherwise, we will pull back reform process, not push up it.