Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng meets voters in Hà Nội

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng meets with voters from three districts of Hà Nội after the third session of the 15th National Assembly. — VNA/VNS Photo Trí Dũng

HÀ NỘI — Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng held a meeting with voters in three districts of Hà Nội on Thursday, where the public praised the Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and condemned recent corruption scandals involving medical supplies. 

The Party leader met with voters from Đống Đa, Ba Đình and Hai Bà Trưng districts after the third session of the 15th National Assembly. The meeting was also held online with 1,225 voters from 55 wards of the three districts.

After being briefed about the 3rd session of the 15th National Assembly, voters strongly condemned acts of profiteering in purchasing medical supplies and equipment with the support of some cadres and Party members during the COVID-19 pandemic, which seriously affected people’s trust in the health sector.

Apart from reforming management mechanisms for public hospitals, the voters asked agencies to continue their investigation to clarify and strictly handle individuals and organisations that have made violations.

Voters also praised the Party’s strong resolve in the fight against corruption and other negative acts, but said there are limitations in detecting offences in an early manner.

To bring into full play the performance of the provincial-level steering committees on anti-corruption and other negative phenomena, the voters asked the NA and the Government to have effective solutions to improve the operation and management of the provincial-level steering committees in the issue.

They said the steering committees should be defined in their functions, duties and powers. This will bring into play the full strength of each member of the steering committees, as well as the whole committee, in serving anti-corruption at each locality.

They also asked the NA to further strengthen thematic monitoring to be able to assess the implementation of the NA’s policies in real life and provide timely adjustments if needed to meet the needs of people and the rapid change in society.

They cited the national target programme on improving the livelihoods of ethnic minorities as an example. The programme was a very timely policy to help close the gap between people in the delta and upland and among the ethnic groups of Việt Nam, but it needed to be monitored to ensure ethnic women would be benefited from the programme.

The voters expressed their concern over the process of international integration of agricultural products, saying it was necessary to have solutions for the country’s agriculture to quickly integrate with the world.

Regarding economic development, they said solutions were needed to curb inflation, stabilise petroleum and domestic gold prices, and maintain stability of people’s lives.

They also praised the decision on history as a compulsory subject instead of a selective one, as the subject helps educate on patriotism and national pride.

In response, Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng said the fight against corruption and other negative aspects must be done in a persistent, methodical and convincing manner so that violators can recognise their errors and prove a deterrence to others. 

The process of handling offenders must be strictly and democratically implemented following the Party’s principles and laws so that the violators learn their lesson. This would also serve as a warning to others, he added.

Trọng said that many localities have set up a steering committee for anti-corruption. Shortly, the Central Committee would hold a national conference to summarise the ten years of the fight against corruption to foster the prevention of corruption and negative actions at the provincial level.

This would be a preparation for a new stage of the prevention and fight against corruption, in which cadres and officials would not need, want or dare to corrupt, he said.

The Party chief said after 19 days of working at the 3rd session, the NA has completed many important issues not only for the year 2022 but also for 2021 to 2025. It passed five laws and 17 resolutions, and gave comments on six other laws. — VNS