General Secretary To Lam and the Party Central Committee have resolutely pursued a revolution to streamline the political apparatus. VietNamNet presents a series of expert discussions suggesting solutions for this revolution.

Part 1: Vietnam’s political streamlining: Attracting talent to lead the way 
Part 2: Vietnam must transition to three-tier governance, experts advise

In an interview with VietNamNet, Nguyen Van Phuc, a member of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee and former Deputy Chair of the National Assembly's Economic Committee, shared:

I strongly support the initiative to streamline the political system led by General Secretary To Lam and the Central Committee. This is truly a revolutionary movement that promises profound qualitative change, heralding a new era of greater and more brilliant development.

With the consensus and collaboration of the entire political system and the support of the people, through democratic, scientific, and professional approaches - listening to constructive and valid opinions from experts and scientists, grounded in Vietnam's practical realities, and referencing new global development trends - it is certain that the organizational apparatus of the Party, State, Vietnam Fatherland Front, political-social organizations, and entities assigned tasks by the Party and State will become more streamlined, compact, strong, efficient, and effective.  

At the same time, this process will save a significant portion of the state budget currently allocated to an overly large, cumbersome, and costly administrative apparatus, including officials, public servants, and employees.  

This revolution holds immense significance and will serve as a powerful torrent sweeping away all obstacles, hesitations, delays, and stagnation. That is my perspective.

500 deputy or 400?

Under the Constitution and the Law on the Organization of the National Assembly, the Assembly is fundamentally defined by its elected delegates. What is your view on the number of National Assembly delegates in the current context of streamlining efforts?

Nguyen Van Phuc: Streamlining the National Assembly's organization must prioritize the number and structure of delegates and its agencies, including the Council for Ethnic Affairs and National Assembly committees.

The 15th National Assembly started its term with 499 delegates from various structures and compositions. Historically, during 1992-1997, the Law on Election of National Assembly delegates reduced the number to no more than 400, aiming to enhance the delegates' quality. With nearly 500 delegates in recent terms, the Assembly has been heavily structured.

In my opinion, the key question is whether the Assembly should maintain its current size of 500 delegates or reduce it to 400, as was the case previously. Regardless of the choice, priority must be given to increasing the representation of experts, scientists, and business leaders with qualifications and experience in law, economics, finance, technology, and other key areas related to the Assembly's functions and duties.

Party resolutions and voter demands consistently emphasize the need to improve National Assembly delegate quality. My nearly 40 years of service in the National Assembly affirm that the quality of delegates is paramount to ensuring the Assembly's effectiveness and authority as the highest representative body of the people and the supreme organ of state power.

How does the Assembly select delegates, and what are the advantages or challenges of this process?

Nguyen Van Phuc: The 15th National Assembly began with 97.2% of delegates being Party members, while 14 delegates (2.8%) were non-Party members. Additionally, 61% were part-time delegates, 39% were full-time delegates, and 59.32% were first-time Assembly members. Local delegates accounted for 60.32%, compared to 38.88% from the central level.

Only 4 (0.8%) delegates were self-nominated, and there were 5 religious representatives. Many delegates work in Party, executive, or judicial bodies, including 38 provincial or city Party secretaries, several provincial chairpersons, and other leaders.

Having a diverse composition is essential because the Assembly represents the people and oversees various sectors, such as socio-economics, defense, and foreign affairs. However, this composition must align with the Assembly's core functions and duties, where most National Assembly delegates participate in the Council for Ethnic Affairs and committees, forming the backbone of its operations.

Currently, the primary workforce in the Assembly consists of full-time delegates, but some lack professionalism and experience.

Professionalism is difficult to achieve when most delegates are new, and many experienced full-time delegates are not re-elected due to age limits, unless they are Central Committee members. This constraint arises from applying uniform civil servant rules to National Assembly delegates without any special arrangements.

Delegates holding dual roles in executive or judicial bodies bring practical insights but require reduction, as stated in Resolution 27, to mitigate conflicts of interest and ensure objectivity in oversight.

Similarly, the 38 provincial Party secretaries serving as delegates should be significantly reduced, as they face challenges allocating sufficient time for Assembly duties while holding multiple leadership roles locally.

Delegates representing the Vietnam Fatherland Front or similar entities should primarily serve in leadership roles within these organizations instead of being overrepresented in the Assembly. This shift will enable the Assembly to focus on its specialized and increasingly professional functions.

Replacing these positions with experts, scientists, and business representatives (potentially nominated by professional associations) would increase the representation of non-Party delegates and self-nominated candidates.

President Ho Chi Minh himself advocated for including prominent non-Party intellectuals as National Assembly delegates and high-ranking government officials. For instance, in 1960, when there were proposals to induct Education Minister Nguyen Van Huyen into the Party, President Ho Chi Minh advised against it, saying, "It is more beneficial to have Comrade Huyen outside the Party than within."

Should ministers be National Assembly delegates?

Nguyen Van Phuc: When Tran Hong Ha, now Deputy Prime Minister, served as Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, he also acted as an National Assembly delegate. Reflecting on his term, he stated that ministers, given their extensive management duties, should not also serve as National Assembly delegates. This aligns with Resolution 28, which calls for reducing the number of National Assembly delegates from executive bodies.

Some argue that ministers in executive roles should not simultaneously serve as National Assembly delegates, as seen in countries like the US, where such dual roles are prohibited. However, in the UK, ministers must first be elected as MPs.

In Vietnam, the Constitution allows the Prime Minister to be an National Assembly delegate, as they are elected by the Assembly. Other government members, including ministers, are not required to be National Assembly delegates but are not prohibited from holding dual roles.

Currently, most ministers are no longer National Assembly delegates. This trend could continue, with only the Prime Minister and certain key ministers - such as those overseeing defense, public security, foreign affairs, and finance - serving as National Assembly delegates.

For ministers who concurrently serve as National Assembly delegates, aside from risks of bias and conflicts of interest as previously mentioned, time allocation for the National Assembly poses a significant challenge.  

I know of ministers who cannot fully attend committee and plenary sessions of the National Assembly, which can last about a month, unlike other delegates. When they do attend, they often take the opportunity to work on tasks related to their ministries.  

Former National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An once candidly shared that during his tenure as Head of the Central Organization Commission and a National Assembly delegate, there were sessions where he focused on listening, but there were also times he had to sit and review or process documents for his agency.  

From these stories, it becomes clear that the organization and operation of the National Assembly need to be designed with a model where most delegates are part-time, including many holding key positions in Party and State agencies, in a balanced and reasonable manner.  

For example, increasing pre-session discussions and opinion collection at the local level, expanding the number of specialized delegate conferences, gathering feedback from part-time delegates working at the central level through written or online submissions, and strictly limiting plenary discussions to significant issues or those with differing policy views. Technical or linguistic matters should be submitted to the Secretary-General for review and streamlining, thereby reducing plenary sessions, saving time while ensuring the quality and efficiency of the National Assembly’s activities.  

Tu Giang - Lan Anh