Vietnamese lawmakers are discussing at the National Assembly (NA)’s ongoing plenum a revised Law on People’s Police which regulates the number of general officers must not exceed 201. 

Under the amended law, the ranking will include one general, maximum six colonel generals who will be deputies ministers, no more than 35 lieutenant generals, and at most 159 major generals. Of the total, the number of general officers designated as directors of public security in big cities will not exceed 11. 

The revised bill has resulted in mixed opinions at the NA’s discussions, some showed concerns about the large number of general officers, saying that the easy promotion would triggered public indignation. 

Lawmaker Pham Van Hoa said that the number of general officers is too many; he wondered if a large number of such high-ranking officers can help better the operation of the Ministry of Public Security.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Nguyen Van Duoc said that the promotion of police officers should be similar to that in the military to make no unnecessary cogitation.  

At present, the number of general officers in the army is around 400. 

According to current salary schemes, an officer of general titles will get basic salary rates between VND12 million (US$517) and VND14.5 million (US$617) per month excluding allowances. 

Commenting earlier on the large number of general tiles in the armed forces, lawmaker Nguyen Ba Thuyen exclaimed that he didn’t know why the number in the peacetime was numerous. 

Years ago, lawmaker Vo Thi Dung called for the NA’s consideration in passing the law, noting that the title appointment must be reasonable in the context that millions of families of martyrs and wounded soldiers remained miserable. 

Hanoitimes