The workshop to review the 2016 provincial anti-corruption assessment on March 16 (Photo: laodong.com.vn) Hanoi (VNA) – The outcomes of provincial anti-corruption efforts in 2016 did not meet the real demand or match the Party and State’s resolve, the Government Inspectorate (GI) has found.
The information was revealed at a workshop on the 2016 provincial anti-corruption assessment held in Hanoi on March 16. The event was organised by the GI, the UNDP in Vietnam and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC) of the Republic of Korea (RoK).
Deputy Inspector General of the GI Nguyen Van Thanh said corruption has gone beyond the border of each country and become a pressing issue that threatens socio-economic development in many nations.
In Vietnam, corruption fight has been continually considered a critical and regular task of the whole political system. However, corruption and wastefulness are still serious in a number of sectors and at different levels, he noted.
ACRC Vice Chairman Kyung-ho Park said anti-corruption activities will face obstacles if they solely rely on the Government’s effort and determination. It needs the active involvement and support of the public.
The ACRC will actively assist anti-corruption activities in Vietnam in the time ahead, he added.
In 2016, the GI approved the provincial anti-corruption assessment index based on the RoK commission’s experience with a view to evaluating anti-corruption performance of provincial People’s Committees.
The 100-point scale is based on the state management of anti-corruption, the implementation of preventive measures, the discovery of corruption, and the handling of corruption.
Accordingly, the national average is 58.34 out of 100 points, which is said to basically reflect the fact of provincial anti-corruption last year. There is a gap among localities with 77.67 points the highest and 43.53 points the lowest. A half of the 63 provinces and cities had their anti-corruption performance lower than the national average.
Notably, only 0.057 percent of the asset declarations were verified, which means only one in every 10,000 people had his or her asset declarations examined.
Some provincial People’s Committees explained that asset verification is mainly conducted to prepare for the appointment of officials. Only a few declarations reported to be dishonest were checked.
This fact show that asset verification remains passive and inconsistent, hampering the corruption fight’s effectiveness in Vietnam, the GI said.
At the workshop, participants said provincial and municipal People’s Committees need to enhance the state management of anti-corruption and boost coordination with local agencies such as Vietnam Fatherland Front committees and member organisations. It should diversify communication activities to raise public awareness of signs and impacts of corruption.
Local authorities recommended to step up unscheduled examination when signs of corruption are detected and to increase channels through which corruption is reported, especially though denunciations and the media.-VNA
VNA
