Party to Conduct Corruption Survey Annually, Senior Official

The Home Affairs Department (IAD) of the Party Central Committee will conduct more survey on corruption and anti-corruption efforts on an annual basis following the successful of the first released on November 30, 2005, according to head of the department, Nguyen Van Quyen.

 

Conducting such studies will be the focus of the department’s fight against corruption in the future, Quyen also said, adding that the release of the survey immediately became the hottest topic on local and international mass media.

 

This is the first time a list of 10 kinds of State agencies with the largest involvement in corruption has been revealed. They are in the field of finance and taxation, construction and granting construction licenses, health, planning and investment, transport, and economic police. Of which the three leading sectors are land administration and housing, customs and import and export management, and transport/traffic police.

“The survey did gain much positive echo from localities’ residents, who expressed that they had been waited for such moves from the Party and Government for long and hoped for good results from the fights,” Quyen revealed. He also confirmed that the figures reflect the real situation in a truthful way.

 

Sharing the same view with Quyen, observers noted that the majority of the corruption iceberg has been brought to surface.

 

According to international communities, corruption is the biggest problem of Vietnam, becoming the largest obstacle preventing the country on its development process.

 

The survey was conducted in seven provinces and cities of Hanoi, Son La, Hai Duong in the north, Nghe An, Thua Hien Hue in the central and Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Thap in the south and three ministries, namely Construction, Transport and Industry.

 

According to the survey, 56.5 per cent of public servants believe that their superiors have involved in corruption and up to one third of State officials are ready to give nod to bribes and 99 per cent of people would say yes to give bribes for their own benefits.

 

Moreover, around 78 per cent of residents and 84 per cent of entrepreneurs admitted they paid money under the table to State officials.

 

The survey was announced two days after the country’s top legislative body of National Assembly adopted the first ever Anti-Corruption Law, which asserts Vietnam’s strong determination to push up the fight against corruption and wastefulness.

 

In the 12 years prior to 2005, Vietnam nationwide unearthed as many as 9,960 corruption-related cases, which caused damages worth VND7,558 billion (US$478.4 million). However, the statistics are believed to be just the tip of the iceberg.