Deputy Le Van Cuong questioned Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sharply at the National Assembly’s recent session – too sharply, indeed, thinks at least one of the Assembly’s leaders.

Deputy Le Van Cuong from Thanh Hoa.

Assessing the question and answer session at the recent National Assembly (NA) winter session, Chairman of the NA Committee for Finance and Budget Phung Quoc Hien said it was unseemly for some deputies to question cabinet members severely.

Hien said the Q&A session was positive in general but some NA deputies repeated wrong information about a province, causing the deputies from that province to reply heatedly.

Hien spoke at a meeting of the NA Standing Committee convened to evaluate the recent NA session.

The ‘unseemly questioning’ that Hien mentioned relates to deputy Le Van Cuong, deputy leader of the Thanh Hoa province Assemblymen. Cuong asked PM Nguyen Tan Dung what he would do about the Chairman of Ha Giang province who, he asserted “failed to obey the PM’s instructive five times.”

The Prime Minister replied that he would “check the case of the provincial chairman who didn’t obey my instruction five times”.

Ha Giang province deputies didn’t say anything after the PM’s answer. However, a week later, they sent a letter to Cuong, asking him to explain where had he had got that information. If Cuong could not provide clear evidence, the letter said, Deputy Cuong would have to take responsibility for his statement.

Cuong immediately sent a reply, clarifying the source of information.

After Hien spoke, the Chairman of the NA Committee for Security and Defence, Le Quang Binh said “I met with Deputy Cuong about this. Normally, Cuong always carefully researches and verifies documents.”

Commenting about Hien’s opinion that some deputies were too severe in questioning cabinet members, Binh explained “that’s the way some deputies are. It’s no big deal.”

The Standing Committee, made up of committee chairmen and their deputies and the officers of the Assembly, judged the 6^th session of the current legislature a success. The Committee also reached agreement on issues that will be considered in the 7^th session next May.

Twelve bills and resolutions will be examined, including the proposed Law on Land and Housing Taxes, an amended Law on the State Bank of Vietnam and two bills that have been repeatedly put forward and pulled back, a draft ‘Sea Law’ addressing Vietnam’s maritime jurisdiction and a proposed Law on Access to Information.

Justice Committee Chairman Nguyen Van Thuan noted that the Politburo has provided its comments on the draft Sea Law, but the Assembly is still waiting for the Government’s assessment of the feasibility of completing the proposed statute on access to information.

The Government also proposes to amend Resolution 66 on key national projects and to add the Investment Law to the agenda.

Chairman of the NA Committee for Law Nguyen Van Thuan suggested consideration an additional legislative project, a Law on the Use of State Assets and Capital at State-owned Enterprises.

Le Nhung