Renovating, reorganizing the political apparatus: A breakthrough from a resolution

Implementing Resolution 18-NQ/TW of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, in recent years, all levels and sectors in the province have paid special attention to the renovation arrangement of the political apparatus, which is streamlined, effective and efficient. With the initiative and positivity of the whole political system, this work has achieved initial positive results.

Proactively and actively at each level and sector

On October 25, 2017, the Party Central Committee issued Resolution 18-NQ/TW on “further renovating and streamlining the political apparatus for more efficiency and effectiveness”. The goal of the resolution is to: continue to innovate and arrange the apparatus of the political system to be lean, effective and efficient, and in line with the socialist-oriented market economic institution, in order to strengthen the leadership role of the Party; improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the State’s management and the quality of operations of the Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations; promote the people’s right. Streamlining the staff in association with restructuring, improving quality, and effectively using the contingent of civil servants and public servants; reduce recurrent expenditure and contribute to salary policy reform…

Civil servants of the Office of the Provincial Party Committee (unit reorganized from January 1, 2019) performed professional duties

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Khanh, Member of the Standing Committee, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee said: With the determination to effectively implement Resolution No.18, over the years, the Party committees and authorities at all levels in the province have properly applied the regulations, flexibly, and close to the actual situation of the province. Specifically, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee closely followed the content of Resolution No.18, the central implementation documents, thereby focusing on directing at all levels of Party committees, agencies, socio-political organizations from the province to the grassroots to actively grasp, propaganda to cadres, party members and people through documents, conferences, party activities, mass media…

At the same time, the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee directed the agencies and units to focus on reviewing and reporting and proposing the competent authorities to amend, supplement and complete a number of regulations related to functions and tasks to overcome duplication and overlapping… Thereby, after considering, according to regulations, the Standing Board of the Provincial Party Committee has issued 12 regulations on functions, tasks, and political apparatus, advising and assisting agencies of the Provincial Party Committee, socio-political organizations and affiliated units;

Provincial People’s Committee issued a decision amending and supplementing regulations on functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of 15/15 provincial-level agencies and units and re-stipulate the functions and tasks of specialized departments in 11/11 districts and city with the content of rearrangement of the political apparatus.

The relevant Party committees, agencies and socio-political organizations, especially the Party committees and authorities at the district level have actively reviewed and arranged the political apparatus, reduced the staff, at the same time, focus on developing projects on rearrangement of commune-level administrative units, substandard villages and street blocks, arrangement of cadres and civil servants at commune level and part-time workers at commune, village, street block level; piloted the merger of specialized agencies of the district-level People’s Committee; piloting and holding the position of head of organizations.

Officials and employees of the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board discussed the content of construction work documents

Van Lang district is one of the district-level units that do well in this work.  From 2017 up to now, district party committee and authorities have successfully carried out pilot consolidation of specialized agencies under the district People’s Committee  (merging the Division of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs with the Division of Ethnic Minorities into the Division of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs – Ethnicity; merging the Health Department into the Office of the District People’s Council & People’s Committee); successfully implemented the model of concurrently holding the position of Secretary of the District Party Committee and Chairman of the District People’s Council; The Head of the Organization Commission of the District Party Committee is concurrently the Head of the District Division of Home Affairs; Chairman of the Inspection Committee of the District Party Committee is also the Chief Inspector of the District; Head of the District Committee for Mass Mobilization is also the Chairman of the District Fatherland Front Committee…

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Minh Hai, Head of the Organizing Committee of the District Party Committee cum Head of the Interior Department of Van Lang district said: As soon as there are plans and documents to implement Resolution No.18 of the Central Government, the province, the Organizing Committee, The District Home Affairs Department has actively advised the District Party Committee and the District People’s Committee to direct and promote the implementation of the resolution to all agencies and units in the district, in association with inspection, frequently urging and supervising.

Thereby, the process of implementing resolutions at agencies and units ensures strict and right orientation. After the arrangement, the political apparatus and personnel are more streamlined; The functions and tasks of a number of agencies and units were reviewed and adjusted to ensure reasonableness, and to overcome the overlapping situation.

Reducing focal points and staffing

With the initiative and positivity at each level, each sector, the implementation process with focus and appropriate roadmap, Resolution No.18 has been effectively implemented in Lang Son. After 5 years of implementation, the number of focal points of agencies, units and staffs of the province has decreased markedly. Specifically, the whole province reduced 2 provincial-level units (from 39 agencies in 2017 to now 37); reduced 21 specialized district-level departments (from 142 departments in 2017 to now to 121 departments) and reduced district-level public non-business units by 81 units (from 753 units in 2017 to 672 units); reduced 26 communes and townships (from 226 communes, wards and townships in 2017 to now 200 units); reduced by 638 villages and street blocks (from 2,314 villages and street blocks in 2017 to now, to 1,676 villages and street blocks)… In terms of employment, the province decreased by 2,852 cases, of which, the province’s Party and mass organizations reduced their staff by 125, reaching 10.84%; The government sector reduced the payroll by 2,727, reaching 8.92%… According to the assessment of the Provincial Party Committee, after arranging, the political apparatus is basically suitable, operating effectively, and meeting practical requirements. Along with that, all levels and sectors in the province also performed well the management and use of civil servants and public employees; reduced the staff has been associated with the arrangement of equipment and machinery, restructuring the staff, more suitable civil servants…

Officials of the Administration Division, Office of the Provincial Party Committee exchanged professional knowledge

The Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board is one of the typical cases. It is known that in 2018, after reviewing the functions, tasks and fields of management, the provincial authorities decided to merge the provincial management board of investment and construction of infrastructure and technical works with the Provincial Civil Engineering Construction Investment Management Board and the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board. After its establishment, the board has 7 specialized departments and currently has 75 officials and employees. After merging the 2 into 1 unit, the province has reduced 1 provincial non-business unit, 3 specialized departments, 3 leadership positions (1 director, 2 deputy directors) and reduced 6 employees, 2 labor contracts.

Mr. Be Duc Minh, Deputy Director of the Provincial Construction Investment Project Management Board affirmed: After the arrangement, the organizational structure and personnel of the board well met the requirements of political and professional tasks. From 2018 to 2021, every year, the unit always fulfills its tasks well. The biggest advantage is the number of specialized divisions, the number of personnel is more streamlined, helping to reduce administrative costs, increase income for officials, employees…To be more streamlined, in the future, the unit continues to research and advise on streamlining redundant personnel, limiting new recruitment…

With the above results, it can be seen that Resolution No.18 has been seriously and effectively implemented by all levels and sectors in the province, creating a breakthrough in streamlining the apparatus and staffing. In order for this resolution to achieve more important results, the apparatus is increasingly streamlined, operating more effectively. In the coming time, the Party Committee and provincial government continue to do well in directing the implementation of the contents of Resolution No.18, the units will propose to all levels and sectors at the central level to have specific instructions on apparatus from the province to the grassroots to ensure it is more appropriate and practical to the mountainous and border conditions of Lang Son.

In the past 5 years, the number of agencies of the province, units and staff has decreased markedly. Specifically, the whole province reduced 2 provincial-level units (from 39 agencies in 2017 to 37 agencies); reduced 21 specialized district-level divisions (from 142 divisions in 2017 to 121 divisions) and reduced district-level public non-business units by 81 units (from 753 units in 2017 to 672 units); reduced 26 communes and townships (from 226 communes, wards and townships in 2017 to 200 units); reduced by 638 villages and street blocks (from 2,314 villages and street blocks in 2017 to now, to 1,676 villages and street blocks)… In terms of employment, the province decreased by 2,852 cases, of which, the province’s Party and mass organizations reduced their staff by 125, reaching 10.84%; The government sector reduced the payroll by 2,727, reaching 8.92%…