VietNamNet Bridge – Policy makers proposed to alter the National Assembly’s draft law on public debt management yesterday to include the debts of State-owned companies.

Chief of the Ha Noi People’s Procuracy Dang Van Khanh: the removal of people’s councils at district and ward levels would be a complex, but necessary, process. (Photo: VNN)

Dong Thap deputy Nguyen Huu Nhon agreed with the Government’s report, saying that Viet Nam’s current debts were small enough to guarantee its place in the world’s economic scene.

He said it was better to concentrate the power to manage public debts within a single agency and that the Ministry of Finance should be the only agency with the authority to act as the signatory for foreign debts.

Earlier, Finance Minister Vu Van Ninh told National Assembly (NA) deputies that Viet Nam did not owe bad debts either domestically or internationally. The Government’s debt still hovered at less than 40 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product, he added.

Vinh Long deputy Tran Van Kiet pointed out that there were too many agencies currently managing public debts. If the Government does not put a cap on the amount of money cities and provinces are allowed to borrow, there will be immeasurable consequences, according to him.

Sharing the same opinion, Ha Noi deputy Ngo Thi Doan Thanh asked the Government to supplement the punitive sanctions for both individuals and public organisations set forth in the draft law.

When questioned about whether State-owned companies’ debts should be subject to the law on public debt management, Thanh asked who would manage public debts if State-owned companies went bankrupt.

“It is still the Government who has to settle such problems,” she said.

Gia Lai deputy Rcom Sa Duyen also agreed that the law should include State-owned companies to manage debts effectively.

Yesterday’s NA session also heard Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem present a draft law on the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam’s representative offices.

The draft law includes seven chapters and 39 articles setting forth regulations on the duties and power of representative offices.

Grassroots democracy

The majority of NA deputies agreed with a pilot project to remove people’s councils at district and ward levels and supported the direct election of people’s committee chairmen at the commune level by local voters.

Binh Thuan deputy Truong Quang Hai said the project was necessary and asked the NA to implement it immediately instead of waiting until 2011.

Hai said that local people were pleased at the advances being made in democracy implementation at the grassroots level. He also expressed concern that too many districts and wards had been selected to implement the project.

Khanh Hoa deputy Nguyen Van Ba agreed, saying it would be better to select a few areas to run the pilot project.

Chief of the Ha Noi People’s Procuracy Dang Van Khanh said the removal of people’s councils at district and ward levels would be a complex, but necessary, process.

He suggested that the area chosen to implement the pilot project was already too large, but that it still did not represent all existing models. Therefore, he recommended adding alternate districts and wards to the pilot list.

NA deputies also asked the compiling office to clarify arguments that support the removal of people’s councils at the district and ward levels, but advise maintaining them in cities and townships directly under provincial authority.

Thai Binh deputy Le Quoc Dung said the direct election of people’s committee chairmen was an essential act to strengthen the people’s sense of responsibility and agency.

He asked the NA to organise such elections in a manner that would avoid a loss of democracy and strife in rural areas.

NA deputies from Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa, Thai Binh and Binh Thuan provinces also contributed opinions about standards, age and other issues relevant to the direct election of people’s committee chairmen at the commune level.

(Source: Viet Nam News)