Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has highlighted the perfection ofinstitutions and promotion of people’s right to mastery and successfulimplementation of 2014 tasks, laying foundations for the country’s rapidand sustainable development, in a news article at the beginning of2014.
In his New Year article, the Governmentleader affirmed that in the last year, the entire Party, army and peopleexerted efforts to overcome difficulties and challenges, and achievedimportant results, with better macroeconomic stabilisation, highergrowth and lower inflation than 2012.
Progress hasbeen seen in socio-cultural development and environmental protectionwhile national defence and security have been maintained. Foreignrelations work has recorded numerous achievements, socio-politicalstability has been secured and the country’s position has been improvedin the international arena.
Implementing the PartyCentral Committee’s conclusion, the National Assembly and Governmenthave issued resolutions on socio-economic development for 2014, whichfocus on increasing macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation,removing difficulties and creating favourable conditions for businessand production, and speeding up economic restructuring with the aim torecord a higher growth rate than that of 2013, PM Dung said.
This year, the country strives to reach a Gross Domestic Product ( GDP) growth rate of 5.8 percent and a per capita income of 2,100 USD peryear. Export turnover is projected to increase by 10 percent and theConsumer Price Index ( CPI ) by about 7 percent while total investmentin social development should be equivalent to 30 percent of GDP . Therate of poor households is set to drop by 1.7-2 percent, and around1.6 million new jobs will be created.
The Governmentleader noted that although the world economy has shown signs ofrecovery and the domestic socio-economic situation has seen positivechanges, difficulties and challenges remain great. It requires theentire political system to act in unison with high determination inorder to successfully fulfil the 2014 socio-economic development tasks.At the same time, middle- and long-term measures should be implementedin a drastic and synchronous way to lay the foundation for rapid andsustainable development, he said.
At the same time,PM Dung stressed the need to exert efforts to build a state governed bythe rule of law, strongly promote the people’s right to mastery,complete the socialist-orientated market economic institutions, andaccelerate agricultural restructuring in combination with new-stylerural building.
Looking back over the past 30 years,he said the country’s gigantic developments have been closely attachedto decisive institutional renovations whose nature is to expanddemocracy and implement the market mechanism in economic activities,with a major and comprehensive breakthrough made by the 6 th NationalParty Congress.
The Party and State’s sound renewalpolicies have turned Vietnam from an underdeveloped country into amiddle-income developing nation, with impressive achievements in povertyreduction which are appreciated by the international community.
However, the PM noted that in recent years, Vietnam ’scompetitiveness has improved slowly, economic growth and structuretransfer have slowed down while many pressing issues have emerged insociety. One of the reasons behind these is that the momentum thatprevious reforms created is no longer strong enough to fosterdevelopment.
“It is time for us to have more driving force toregain our rapid growth and sustainable development. That momentum mustcome from institutional renovation and the strong promotion of thepeople’s right to mastery,” he stressed.
Regardingdemocracy enhancement and institutional perfection, PM Dung affirmedthat democracy is a major idea of President Ho Chi Minh, who saidVietnam is a democratic country where all power belongs to the people.The Party also affirmed that democracy is both a goal and a momentum innational construction and defence.
The Constitution(revised 2013), which has just been adopted by the National Assembly,has opened up a new constitutional space for the country to realisePresident Ho Chi Minh’s great thought. To promote the people’s right tomastery in the best way, the State must well perform its function offacilitating development.
In the spirit, the highesttask for 2014 is to make and revise laws in order to implement theConstitution along with supplementing and perfecting mechanisms andapparatus in order to propel the building of a state governed by therule of law, strongly enhance the people’s right to mastery and furtherimproving the socialist-oriented market economy.
ThePM also highlighted the need to enhance the efficiency andeffectiveness of law enforcement, maintain discipline and order, andbuild transparent and strong state apparatus.
Inrecent years, according to the Prime Minister, Vietnam has made longstrides forward in perfecting its socialist-orientated market economywith creating an equal environment for competition and administrativereforms at its core. This is also a strategic breakthrough target set bythe 11 th Party Congress’s resolution.
Heunderlined that uniform measures should be taken in the time to come towell implement the aforesaid breakthrough, with a focus on the twoissues of letting market factors decide prices of essentialcommodities and services along with ensuring fair competition. At thesame time, there should be policies to support the poor, beneficiariesof social welfare, ethnic minority people and those in remote areas.
The Prime Minister reiterated the resolve torestructure State-owned enterprises (SOEs), including State economicgroups, focusing on equitisation. SOEs should divest investment in areasthat are not their core operation to home in on key sectors, importantlocalities and fields related to national defence and security.
Discussing the process of restructuring the agricultural sector andbuilding new-style rural areas, PM Dung pointed out that theimplementation of the renewal policy has brought about a number ofoutstanding progresses for the agricultural sector.
However,the growth speed of the agricultural sector has slowed down duringrecent years, with many shortcomings revealed which are typical of anagriculture based on small-scale, poor-connected household productionwith low productivity and poor quality in the context of fiercecompetition in the world, he noted.
Therefore, it isvital to step up agricultural restructuring in the direction ofenhancing added value, promoting sustainable development in line withthe building of new-style rural areas, he stressed, adding that this isan important part of the country’s economic reforms.
This is an urgent matter that needs to be addressed through synchronousmeasures, particularly the application of science and technology andthe reshuffling of the sector, PM Dung said.
It isnecessary to attract more investments to rural areas and to agriculturalproduction and services, said the PM, adding that attention should bepaid to farm produce processing and labour-intensive industries toencourage the concentration of land and the shifting of economic andlabour structure in rural areas.
Reforms should alsobe carried out in vocational training, enhancing its efficiency. Inaddition, resources should be mobilised for infrastructure building,while sustainable poverty reduction should be implemented effectively,he said.
The PM also urged more attention to theprotection of the environment and the preservation and development ofthe national cultural identity and good traditions and customs ofVietnam ’s villages.
PM Dung held that over thepast three years, the whole party, people and army have faced manydifficulties and challenges. The country has exerted many efforts tosolve crucial problems and recorded important successes, he said, addingthat a good attempt was made to fulfil middle- and long-term tasks.However, the outcomes have not been as high as expected.
“Our tasks are huge, while difficulties and challenges are great.However, this is a chance for us to speed up stronger reforms,” heemphasised.
The PM also made it clear that thesituation requires high political resolve of the Party and people. Henoted that the Party and people have demonstrated their ability duringthe past struggle for national independence and unification as well asat the time when the country faced the socio-economic crisis in theearly 1980s, helping form the renewal policy.
“Today, as our position and strength have grown, our ability will surelyshine again, helping the country promote the renewal causecomprehensively in the light of the Resolution of the 11th PartyCongress, thus lifting the national construction and defence cause to anew height for a socialist Vietnam of prosperous people, strong nationwith democracy, equality and a civilised society,” the PM said inconclusion.-VNA
In his New Year article, the Governmentleader affirmed that in the last year, the entire Party, army and peopleexerted efforts to overcome difficulties and challenges, and achievedimportant results, with better macroeconomic stabilisation, highergrowth and lower inflation than 2012.
Progress hasbeen seen in socio-cultural development and environmental protectionwhile national defence and security have been maintained. Foreignrelations work has recorded numerous achievements, socio-politicalstability has been secured and the country’s position has been improvedin the international arena.
Implementing the PartyCentral Committee’s conclusion, the National Assembly and Governmenthave issued resolutions on socio-economic development for 2014, whichfocus on increasing macroeconomic stability, controlling inflation,removing difficulties and creating favourable conditions for businessand production, and speeding up economic restructuring with the aim torecord a higher growth rate than that of 2013, PM Dung said.
This year, the country strives to reach a Gross Domestic Product ( GDP) growth rate of 5.8 percent and a per capita income of 2,100 USD peryear. Export turnover is projected to increase by 10 percent and theConsumer Price Index ( CPI ) by about 7 percent while total investmentin social development should be equivalent to 30 percent of GDP . Therate of poor households is set to drop by 1.7-2 percent, and around1.6 million new jobs will be created.
The Governmentleader noted that although the world economy has shown signs ofrecovery and the domestic socio-economic situation has seen positivechanges, difficulties and challenges remain great. It requires theentire political system to act in unison with high determination inorder to successfully fulfil the 2014 socio-economic development tasks.At the same time, middle- and long-term measures should be implementedin a drastic and synchronous way to lay the foundation for rapid andsustainable development, he said.
At the same time,PM Dung stressed the need to exert efforts to build a state governed bythe rule of law, strongly promote the people’s right to mastery,complete the socialist-orientated market economic institutions, andaccelerate agricultural restructuring in combination with new-stylerural building.
Looking back over the past 30 years,he said the country’s gigantic developments have been closely attachedto decisive institutional renovations whose nature is to expanddemocracy and implement the market mechanism in economic activities,with a major and comprehensive breakthrough made by the 6 th NationalParty Congress.
The Party and State’s sound renewalpolicies have turned Vietnam from an underdeveloped country into amiddle-income developing nation, with impressive achievements in povertyreduction which are appreciated by the international community.
However, the PM noted that in recent years, Vietnam ’scompetitiveness has improved slowly, economic growth and structuretransfer have slowed down while many pressing issues have emerged insociety. One of the reasons behind these is that the momentum thatprevious reforms created is no longer strong enough to fosterdevelopment.
“It is time for us to have more driving force toregain our rapid growth and sustainable development. That momentum mustcome from institutional renovation and the strong promotion of thepeople’s right to mastery,” he stressed.
Regardingdemocracy enhancement and institutional perfection, PM Dung affirmedthat democracy is a major idea of President Ho Chi Minh, who saidVietnam is a democratic country where all power belongs to the people.The Party also affirmed that democracy is both a goal and a momentum innational construction and defence.
The Constitution(revised 2013), which has just been adopted by the National Assembly,has opened up a new constitutional space for the country to realisePresident Ho Chi Minh’s great thought. To promote the people’s right tomastery in the best way, the State must well perform its function offacilitating development.
In the spirit, the highesttask for 2014 is to make and revise laws in order to implement theConstitution along with supplementing and perfecting mechanisms andapparatus in order to propel the building of a state governed by therule of law, strongly enhance the people’s right to mastery and furtherimproving the socialist-oriented market economy.
ThePM also highlighted the need to enhance the efficiency andeffectiveness of law enforcement, maintain discipline and order, andbuild transparent and strong state apparatus.
Inrecent years, according to the Prime Minister, Vietnam has made longstrides forward in perfecting its socialist-orientated market economywith creating an equal environment for competition and administrativereforms at its core. This is also a strategic breakthrough target set bythe 11 th Party Congress’s resolution.
Heunderlined that uniform measures should be taken in the time to come towell implement the aforesaid breakthrough, with a focus on the twoissues of letting market factors decide prices of essentialcommodities and services along with ensuring fair competition. At thesame time, there should be policies to support the poor, beneficiariesof social welfare, ethnic minority people and those in remote areas.
The Prime Minister reiterated the resolve torestructure State-owned enterprises (SOEs), including State economicgroups, focusing on equitisation. SOEs should divest investment in areasthat are not their core operation to home in on key sectors, importantlocalities and fields related to national defence and security.
Discussing the process of restructuring the agricultural sector andbuilding new-style rural areas, PM Dung pointed out that theimplementation of the renewal policy has brought about a number ofoutstanding progresses for the agricultural sector.
However,the growth speed of the agricultural sector has slowed down duringrecent years, with many shortcomings revealed which are typical of anagriculture based on small-scale, poor-connected household productionwith low productivity and poor quality in the context of fiercecompetition in the world, he noted.
Therefore, it isvital to step up agricultural restructuring in the direction ofenhancing added value, promoting sustainable development in line withthe building of new-style rural areas, he stressed, adding that this isan important part of the country’s economic reforms.
This is an urgent matter that needs to be addressed through synchronousmeasures, particularly the application of science and technology andthe reshuffling of the sector, PM Dung said.
It isnecessary to attract more investments to rural areas and to agriculturalproduction and services, said the PM, adding that attention should bepaid to farm produce processing and labour-intensive industries toencourage the concentration of land and the shifting of economic andlabour structure in rural areas.
Reforms should alsobe carried out in vocational training, enhancing its efficiency. Inaddition, resources should be mobilised for infrastructure building,while sustainable poverty reduction should be implemented effectively,he said.
The PM also urged more attention to theprotection of the environment and the preservation and development ofthe national cultural identity and good traditions and customs ofVietnam ’s villages.
PM Dung held that over thepast three years, the whole party, people and army have faced manydifficulties and challenges. The country has exerted many efforts tosolve crucial problems and recorded important successes, he said, addingthat a good attempt was made to fulfil middle- and long-term tasks.However, the outcomes have not been as high as expected.
“Our tasks are huge, while difficulties and challenges are great.However, this is a chance for us to speed up stronger reforms,” heemphasised.
The PM also made it clear that thesituation requires high political resolve of the Party and people. Henoted that the Party and people have demonstrated their ability duringthe past struggle for national independence and unification as well asat the time when the country faced the socio-economic crisis in theearly 1980s, helping form the renewal policy.
“Today, as our position and strength have grown, our ability will surelyshine again, helping the country promote the renewal causecomprehensively in the light of the Resolution of the 11th PartyCongress, thus lifting the national construction and defence cause to anew height for a socialist Vietnam of prosperous people, strong nationwith democracy, equality and a civilised society,” the PM said inconclusion.-VNA
