Mixed views on industry minister’s answers to questions at NA session

Hanoi (VNA) – Voters nationwide have had mixed opinions on Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh’s answers to questions about pressing issues under his remit that were raised by National Assembly (NA) deputies on November 15.

Anh was the first Cabinet member to directly answer NA deputies’ questions, which was part of the 14 th parliament’s ongoing second session in Hanoi.

Dinh Kim Thai, a resident in Tan Ha ward of northern Tuyen Quang city, said while deputies focused their questions on pressing matters, the minister answered in a succinct, sufficient and straightforward manner. He also clarified the responsibility of relevant parties as well as orientations for settling those matters in the time ahead.

Do Viet Duc, a voter in Tan Quang ward of Tuyen Quang city, also recognised the minister straightforwardly tackled questions on how to deal with five big loss-making projects, namely the Thai Nguyen iron and steel plant, the Phuong Nam paper pulp mill, the Ninh Binh fertilizer factory, the bio-fuel plant at Dung Quat and the Dinh Vu fiber mill .

Duc asked the industry ministry and the Government to have better measures for State budget management so that such projects won’t recur.

The official also admitted shortcomings in the management and operation of many hydropower reservoirs whose water release affected downstream residents recently, said Nguyen Van Anh from Cong Da commune of Tuyen Quang province’s Yen Son district.

However, he did not make clear whom to blame on for those flaws, the voter noted, adding that Minister Anh pointed out local authorities’ mismanagement of fertilizer along with the overlapping management between his ministry and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Huynh Thu Ha, a senior citizen in Ward 9 of Ca Mau city in Ca Mau province, perceived that although Anh just took office earlier this year, he already had a thorough grasp of issues within his remit and answered questions coherently and fluently. But he should include solutions and concrete roadmaps to handle the concerned problems in his answers.

Nguyen Van Thuoc from the Ca Mau Union of Science and Technology Associations applauded the minister for not shifting the responsibility for existing shortcomings onto other people though he is a new minister.

Meanwhile, Dr Nguyen Van Cuong at the Ministry of Science and Technology said he is not satisfied with the minister’s answer about the handling of the five big loss-making projects when Anh said the State won’t continue pouring money into those projects but sell away or bankrupt them.

Cuong said there haven’t been any analyses detailed enough to determine the root causes behind losses found at these projects. He asked the industry ministry to clarify the reasons and State-owned enterprises’ responsibility.

Sharing the same view, Nguyen Van Cuong, an economic law expert, said Anh’s answers remain vague, and they tend to give explanation instead of solutions.

Le Kim Lien, a voter in Thanh Nhan ward of Hai Ba Trung district in Hanoi, said although the minister spoke fluently, he seemed to ward off his responsibility while fielding the questions about fertilizer management. She suggested the industry ministry take charge of licensing fertilizer production, and the agriculture ministry cover the fertilizer management.-VNA