Ensuring the Screening of Government Officials Encourages a Contemporary and Professionally-Minded Public Administration
Chat with Tran Anh Tuan: Rebuilding Local Governance in Vietnam
Tran Anh Tuan, former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Chairman of the Vietnam Association for Administrative Sciences, discusses the upcoming changes to Vietnam's local government structure, focusing on the qualifications needed for commune-level officials to thrive under the new system.
Qualifying for the Future: The Right Stuff for Commune Officials
Since the renewal (Dổi Mới), the Party and the State have implemented various regulations on the ethical, qualitative, and competency standards for public officials, including those at the commune level. As the nation moves to a more streamlined and efficient organizational structure, with only two tiers of local government, the roles, powers, organizational structures, and operating mechanisms of both provincial and communal authorities will be drastically redefined.
To facilitate this transition, digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) will play a considerable role in strengthening and boosting public administration.
A revamped civil service system is essential, focusing on specific job positions and associated titles. The outdated concept of lifetime employment needs to be replaced with a more flexible contract-based system. Civil servants should be assigned roles that align with their job responsibilities, eliminating the need for seniority-based promotion exams. A unified civil service regime must be established.
In addition to personal moral qualities, the new standards should emphasize essential skills such as administrative management, document drafting, teamwork, digital literacy, and AI application. To achieve success, public officials must possess a strong sense of duty to serve the people, initiative, accountability, and a willingness to take responsibility for the collective good while upholding the law.
Merging the Mergers: A Golden Opportunity
The upcoming commune mergers offer a valuable chance to assess, screen, and elevate the quality of commune-level officials. Instead of excluding those with lower or unconventional degrees, it's essential to focus on an official's ability to perform well. Political policies should be crafted and implemented effectively without delaying resolution caused by an educational background. Instead, the focus should be on functional competency, even in the digital age.
One Civil Service, One Vietnam
The proposed amendments to the Law on Cadres and Civil Servants suggest doing away with the distinction between commune-level officials and those at the provincial or central levels. Tran Anh Tuan strongly endorses this change, believing in a unified civil service system that reflects Vietnam's unified country. In a modern, professional, accountable, and efficient civil service, the grassroots level is essential to the state apparatus, and the work done by commune officials deserves equal recognition as that done at higher levels.
From District to Commune: A Fresh Perspective
Experienced officials from provincial or former district levels could play an essential role in the newly merged communes. Instead of comparing levels, the goal should be pairing the right person with the right job, regardless of their background or qualifications. Personal capability is paramount in successfully filling these roles. Tran Anh Tuan underscores the importance of job requirements being the highest standard, while other criteria come after. Therefore, between formal education and extensive grassroots experience, choose the person who is most capable of meeting the demands of the role.
Trần Anh Tuấn, former Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Chairman of the Việt Nam Association for Administrative Sciences. VNA/VNS Photo
The question of whether to prioritize candidates with formal qualifications or those with strong grassroots experience is less important than selecting the best person for the job, as proven by many successful district-level officials who have risen through the grassroots ranks. Both formal education and experience have their merits, yet it's essential to recognize that, sometimes, success is not just about the degree or time spent in the trenches; it's about having the ability to perform effectively with the right qualifications.
- As the nation moves to a more streamlined local government structure, technology and artificial intelligence will significantly enhance public administration.
- In the new system, qualifications such as administrative management, digital literacy, and AI application will be crucial for commune officials.
- To create a successful civil service system, it's important to focus on functional competency and personal moral qualities, irrespective of an official's educational background.
- The upcoming mergers of communes offer an opportunity to evaluate and enhance the skills of commune-level officials, with an emphasis on the ability to perform well rather than educational qualifications.
- Tran Anh Tuan advocates for a unified civil service system, erasing the distinction between commune-level officials and those at the provincial or central levels, reflecting Vietnam's unified country.
- Experienced officials from provincial or district levels could play essential roles in the newly merged communes, with capability being the key factor in filling these roles.
- Successful district-level officials who have risen through the grassroots ranks demonstrate that choosing the best person for the job, considering both formal education and experience, is more important than prioritizing one over the other.
