The Party Central Committee formally established its Anti-Corruption Steering Committee in Hanoi on February 4, pursuant to Politburo Decision No. 162-QD/TW issued on February 1.

Addressing the event, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, who is also Head of the new Committee, asked each of his members to set an example for others.

The committee has 16 members, including five vice chairmen: Politburo member and Party Secretariat standing member Le Hong Anh, Politburo member and Party Central Committee’s Inspection Commission Chairman Ngo Van Du, Politburo member and Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Party Central Committee member and National Assembly Vice Chairman Uong Chu Luu, and Party Central Committee member Nguyen Ba Thanh, who was also named Director of the Central Committee’s Internal Affairs Commission and permanent vice chairman of the new Steering Committee.

“All 16 members of the Steering Committee must be models in their uprightness, righteousness, self-abnegation and objectivity,” Trong said.

Thanh immediately presented his tentative proposal for duties to be assigned to each committee member. He also presented the committee’s tentative working plan for 2013, with an emphasis on addressing the most critical and complex of alleged corruption cases.

Thanh said he will ask the Party Central Committee’s internal affairs section, which will serve as the standing office of the Anti-Corruption Steering Committee, to complete the new committee’s apparatus and begin its work as soon as possible.

Under last week’s Politburo decision, the new committee’s mission is to direct, coordinate, inspect and promote the anti-corruption effort nationwide, working hand-in-hand with Party Committees within the Government, the Supreme People’s Procuracy, the Government Inspectorate, the State Audit of Vietnam, the Ministry of Public Security, the Central Military Commission, and other relevant agencies.

Nine main tasks assigned to the committee will include advising the Politburo and Party Secretariat in developing goals, laws, policies and regulations to battle corruption.

The committee will also work closely with Party Committees at all levels to ensure that Party’s resolutions and decisions against corruption were strictly implemented. The committee will also hold periodic meetings to review the anti-corruption campaign and will submit ad hoc reports to the Politburo and Party Secretariat.-VNA