A report reviewing the performance of the
12th National Assembly presented by its Chairman, Nguyen Phu Trong, on Monday
has received strong appraisal by deputies at a meeting in the capital city
yesterday, March 24.

NA
deputies said that during the last four years (2007-11), the 12th National
Assembly has gained many notable successes, in both improving organisation and
completing assigned missions.

During
the four years under review, the NA passed 68 laws and 12 resolutions while the
NA Standing Committee passed 13 ordinances and seven resolutions.

Commenting on the assembly’s legislative oversight activities, most deputies
agreed that much progress had been achieved, particularly in improving the way
the assembly carried out supervisory activities. Deputies also took note of the
remarkable changes during the Assembly’s recent question and answer sessions.

“Q & A
sessions have drawn much attention from voters as these sessions responded to
burning issues in society and meet the interest of the nation and the people in
general,” they said.

Though
much progress was recorded during the last four years, there remain some
weaknesses and limitations in the legislative process.

Deputy
Nguyen Ngoc Dao, from Ha Noi, complained about changes without prior notice to
the law making process at NA meetings.

“With
such short notice, deputies didn’t have time to read the draft laws carefully so
that they could make appropriate comments on the documents,” said Dao.

“As a
result, the quality of some laws or ordinances are not up to expectations.”

Ngo Van
Minh, from the central province of Quang Nam, said poor preparation during the
law making process and hasty approval lowered the quality of legal documents.

“As a
consequence, many new laws which have just come into force need to be revised to
meet practical requirements,” said Minh.

In
addition, poor law enforcement at law-making bodies has further aggravated the
situation, Minh said.

He
proposed to improve implementation of new laws by ensuring deputies discuss
guiding documents during NA debates. These discussions should also address
decrees and circulars on how to implement laws before they were actually passed
by the National Assembly, said Minh.

Referring to the supervisory role undertaken by the NA during the past four
years, many deputies expressed their concern about the poor effectiveness and
efficiency of supervisory activities.

Vu Quang
Hai, from the northern province of Hung Yen, said that if the NA’s oversight
activities had been conducted adequately, their results would be much better.

“There
should be a regulation requiring deputies from the central government to
participate at least once a year in supervisory work and we must also ensure
strong co-ordination between the People’s Council and the Viet Nam Fatherland
Front during supervisory visits,” Hai said.

Hai
supported the idea of increasing the number of full time deputies. “Yet,
increasing the quality is more important – it is a pivotal factor that makes
supervisory activities a success,” said Hai.

Echoing
Hai’s proposal, Duong Kim Anh, from the southern province of Tra Vinh, said full
time deputies should be knowledgeable and better understand issues related to
the life of local people.

“They
must be competent and have a firm understanding of the issues,” Anh said.

Nguyen
Lan Dung, from the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, asked the NA to hold
high the principle of democracy, particularly during meetings between deputies
and voters in their constituencies.

“The
National Assembly should be a place to reflect the people’s thoughts and
aspirations,” said Dung.

Regarding the organisational structure and activities of NA Committees, Tran
Dinh Long from the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak asked for an increase
in the number of members of each committee.

“The
activities of each committee relate to many ministries and sectors,” he said,
“so the shortage of staff would negatively affect their performance.”

NA discusses Audit Law

An NA
Standing Committee report said the new audit law would build a comprehensive
legal framework for the sector and enhance the efficiency of State management.

Deputies
were told the law would meet international trade commitments and boost the
financial transparency of enterprises and the national economy.

Under
the draft law, the Ministry of Finance would take responsibility for State
management of independent auditors and for organising exams and issuing
professional certificates.

The
draft strictly forbids the use of auditors that are not properly equipped to
carry out independent work.

It also
prohibits the publication of inaccurate, dishonest or insufficient information
on the results of audits.

Deputy
Cao Sy Kiem from the northern province of Thai Binh suggested specific sanctions
be set out for firms that publish incorrect or misleading auditing reports.

Deputy
Dang Van Xuong from the southern province of Long An said it was reasonable to
permit the Ministry of Finance to issue audit certificates.

In
addition, he called on the ministry to create favourable conditions for auditors
that wished to apply for certification.

Deputy
Nguyen Dang Trung from HCM City said auditing associations should eventually be
empowered to vet auditors in line with international rules.

Finance
Minister Vu Van Ninh told deputies the ministry would continue to amend and
fine-tune the draft auditing law.

Promoting equality

Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung praised female National Assembly deputies for improving
their political spirit, professional skills and task performances during their
tenure.

Dung
passed the compliment when meeting female deputies to the 12th National Assembly
who were attending the last session of the 2005-2011 term in the capital
yesterday.

“The
image of the female Assembly deputies is also the image of the Vietnamese women
and the pride of the country,” Dung said.

The
Party and the State had always attached importance to the role and position of
women and had made efforts to ensure gender equality and to create conditions
for women to devote themselves to the country’s development.

Dung
said the Assembly had passed the Law on Gender Equality; the Political Bureau
had issued a resolution on women’s tasks in the process of national
industrialisation and modernisation; the Government had promulgated an action
plan on a national strategy on gender equality between 2011-2020 which aimed to
raise the number of female deputies in the Assembly and People’s Council to at
least 30 per cent in the 2011-2015 period and 35 per cent in the 2016-2020
period.

For
their part, Vietnamese women in general had tried their best to make
contributions to the country’s socio-economic development, Dung said.

The
female deputies affirmed their intention to continue to make further
contributions to national construction and socio-economic development and to act
as a firm pillar in promoting gender equality and women’s advancement in Viet
Nam.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News