VietNamNet Bridge – People are a decisive factor in the fight against corruption, Deputy Director of the National Defence and Security Council Le Viet Tuong told the Viet Nam Economics Times.

What do you think about Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's statement that in the fight against corruption, we have to start with the anti-corruption departments?

I agree with him. Our anti-corruption fights in the last few years have failed to achieve the expected results. Corruption has become our internal enemy. It even threatens the existence of our regime and challenges the patience and endurance of our people.

I have to concede that corruption is reported in almost all areas, levels and sectors of our society. The cases of corruption which have been detected have shown that corruption has become more and more complicated and sophisticated.

I can say that many of these cases were well organised and caused huge losses to the state. Groups with vested interests have been revealed as the leading cause of corruption in some areas in our society.

Meanwhile, petty corruption is reported almost daily here and there. The reasons why we are facing such a situation, in my opinion, are several. But the primary reason is that our efforts to prevent corruption have not been implemented properly. Many people have even pointed out that corruption takes place right under the nose of the anti-corruption offices.

Some people say that if the policy which requires asset declaration by government officials is implemented properly, it will make the anti-corruption fight more effective. How do you respond to that?

The transparency of government officials about their assets and income is one effective measure of preventing corruption. This measure has been widely practised in government offices, political and societal offices, state-owned enterprises and the armed forces.

It has been implemented particularly after the Party's Resolution on strengthening the Party leadership in the fight against corruption and the National Assembly's approval of the revised Law on Prevention and Combating Corruption were issued.

These policies and laws are tools for law enforcement agencies to monitor or check the assets and income of government officials and party members.

However, I have to concede that our policy implementation or law enforcement is still weak.

In some localities or offices, asset declarations by government officials or party members have not been checked to ensure that their claims are correct.

In my opinion, if this measure is applied seriously, the declarers will have the responsibility to explain the source of their wealth and assets. Further, the senior leaders and inspectors should do their duty to ensure that their subordinates' asset declarations are correct.

If the situation does not improve in our society, I don't think that the asset declaration rule, which is compulsory for government officials and party members, will work to our benefit in our fight against corruption.

As in all campaigns, the people are an important factor for achieving victory. Do you think we will succeed if we have the people's support?

I'm confident that if the people are with us, we will be able to push back corruption. People are the critical force who can help us win the anti-corruption campaign. Under the leadership of the Party and the Government, and with the people's support, we'll win the fight against corruption.

VNS/VNN