The
HCM City People’s Council, which completes its seven-year term, held its last
session yesterday with members hailing it for strengthening the democratic
process in the city.

They said in the past
seven years they had candidly questioned and criticised the city government.

“The council has
openly raised issues concerning the public and helped the city government
perform its tasks well,” Vo Van Sen, a member, said.

“The council has come
closer to the people,” he said, adding the achievement should be improved in the
eighth term, which will sit in June.

The outgoing council
had sat 20 times, assisting the People’s Committee by passing 167 resolutions on
important issues facing the city.

At each meeting, the
council asked city authorities 110 to 170 questions and heard 250 questions
voters directly asked over phone about pressing issues.

“This spirit should be
maintained in the next term,” Sen said.

“We have created an
extremely democratic environment. I think it is a great success of the People’s
Council, seventh term.”

He cited several
instances where the council monitored flood, cooking safety, groundwater
management, and other tasks carried out by the city government.

However, there are
many more issues that need to be resolved, he said.

Another member, Dang
Van Khoa, disagreed with many members saying the house had only completed a
small part of the task assigned by the people.

“Representing the
people and strengthening democracy is our task,” he reminded the members who
congratulated the house for its achievements.

Chairwoman Pham Phuong
Thao said the most impressive achievement of the seventh council was the
strengthening the democratic process in the city.

Members were asked to
write the council’s achievements and undone tasks and put them up in the house
for the reference of legislators who will sit in the new house.

Thao had a message to
her successors: people’s interest should be a priority and when common interests
are placed above “group interests” it is easy to get the support of the public.

The lawmakers also
disposed of some legislative business in the final session.

They approved a
proposal to change toll charges on the Ha Noi Highway, Kinh Duong Vuong Street,
and Binh Trieu 2 Bridge from July 1 and allowances for museum and library
employees.

Last week the city
announced the list of 161 candidates for the election of the next People’s
Council term, including many popular artists.

Seventy of them
received unanimous support. The elections will be held on May 22.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News