VietNamNet Bridge – Use of State funds for overseas trips must be monitored, former deputy head of Thanh Hoa National Assembly Deputies Delegation Le Van Cuong told Dai doan ket (Great National Unity) newspaper.

National Assembly deputies  -- File photo

What's your position on the Party Politburo's Instruction 38-CT/TW, which restricts sending delegations abroad?

I couldn't agree more.

This is a topic that has captured the attention of both voters and National Assembly deputies. I wish that the document was issued five years ago, when voters and deputies started to raise many questions about this issue. But, better late than never! I'm confident the document will help prevent the misuse of public money in sending government officers "on foreign tours," instead of sharing experiences from other countries.

What should we do to evaluate the visits' effectiveness?

It is very simple. The first thing that must be done is to set the objective of the visit and its duration and budget.

After returning home, each member of the group must write a report on their trip and proposal on how to apply what they learned through the visit to our own situation.

In the past, when funding was readily available, trips abroad were arranged easily. It was so simple to get permission if you could prove that you had the money! Upon returning home, there was no requirement for the delegation to write a report about their trip.

Such a trip is a way of spending easy money for government officers - the abuse of taxpayers' money for their own interest.

Viet Nam is in the process of integrating into the world. So it is necessary for us to learn from the experiences of other countries. And the trips must be well-planned and approved by authorised agencies.

What is the responsibility of the office head signing the decision to send their staff on a trip?

The Party's Instruction defines the role of the office head. Whether or not the trip is successful, the role of the office boss is very important.

But I want the document to write about the obligations of the office boss in more detail.

In addition, there should be a mechanism to monitor the boss's performance, especially when it comes to budget management.

Do you think we should include effective use of the State budget when sending staff abroad as a category on year-end performance evaluations for office heads?

I think this kind of work should be decentralized. Regular reports should be sent to the central government.

There must be a system in place at the year-end to reward or sanction offices based on their performance.

In addition, we should launch a campaign to ask people to be our eyes and ears in monitoring government offices using public money.

VNS/VNN