In
the fight against corruption, it is imperative to have co-ordination in the
political system, Government Chief Inspector Tran Van Truyen told Thoi bao Kinh
te Viet Nam (Vietnam Economic Times).

The Party Central Committee
considers corruption a major threat to the nation. What are you most concerned
about?

Looking back at the corruption
situation last year, I have to concede that the gains were far from expectation,
particularly with active detection and prevention.

In addition, services provided by
government officials and officers were inefficient and of low quality, which
made people inside business circles anxious.

Many world organisations have also
complained about rampant corruption that occurred in many sectors and at
different levels.

I agree with the government’s
conclusion that in 2010 some progress was achieved in the fight against
corruption, yet corruption has become more serious and complex.

What is holding back the
anti-corruption campaign, both subjectively and objectively?

Objectively speaking, our country
is undergoing policy reform. Several weaknesses are now visible, particularly
concerning natural resources, including mineral resources, the equitisation of
state owned enterprises and the financial market.

In addition, Viet Nam is not a rich
country, so we cannot offer high salaries to government officers, civil servants
or public employees.

Subjectively speaking, some of our
policies are not comprehensive or transparent enough.

The State’s governance capacity and
the government’s management of the economy need to be improved. Co-ordination
between the political system and the government must be consolidated to
effectively fight corruption.

So what anti-corruption
activities are planned for 2011?

Several measures were mentioned in
the documents that were presented at the 11th National Party Congress. In these
documents, top priority is given to preventive measures, particularly in areas
concerning socio-economic management.

With respect to Government
Inspection, we have proposed many measures that aim to prevent and fight
corruption. But in my opinion, the first thing we have to focus on is how to
consolidate an anti-corruption institution. We also need to change how law
enforcement officials are educated in tandem with upholding the responsibility
endowed to leaders at all levels.

You have emphasised the
pivotal factor of “transparency and accountability.” What measures will be employed to ensure that transparency and accountability will be practised in
2011?

During our inspection mission this
year, we will focus on transparency and accountability in government bodies and
agencies.

In addition, we will order all
government officials and civil servants to declare their assets. We hope through
their asset declaration, we’ll be able to detect any suspected acts of
corruption. We’ll take other measures to check if self declarations are right.

What expectations do you
have of the Party Central Committee’s anti-corruption activities in 2011?

The new Party CC has a lot of work
to do this year, yet I want them to focus on building a socialist state ruled by
law that has good institutions in place to ensure the people’s right to
democracy.

In addition, I also want further
decentralisation to take place to enable law enforcement officers to perform
their duties more efficiently.

Serious cases of corruption and
waste have reeked havoc on our economy. In my opinion, the strict implementation
of the principle of democratic centralisation and good state governance provide
a firm foundation to anti-corruption activities.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News