The resignation of Transport Minister Nguyen Van The is of positive significance as it can lay a foundation for the formation of a future practice: Individuals, in any position in the political system and government, can voluntarily resign when they feel they are no longer suited to their current work.
Precedent from minister
On October 21, 2022, the National Assembly, Vietnam’s legislative body, approved The’s resignation in line with his wish, drawing great public attention.
In fact, recently, many officials in state agencies or professional managers in public non-business units had voluntarily quit their jobs for varying reasons.
However, The’s resignation is a rare case and probably the first in Vietnam in three decades, seeing him voluntarily resign from a strategic-level leadership and management position without any discipline during his five-year term.
This event is of positive significance as it can lay a foundation for the formation of a future practice: Individuals, in any position in the political system and government, can voluntarily resign when they feel they are no longer suited to their current work.
Since the Doi moi (reform) process was launched in 1986, Vietnam has witnessed the voluntary resignation of some senior officials, including Agriculture Minister Le Huy Ngo in 2004; and Bach Ngoc Chien, Vice Chairman of Nam Dinh province, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations in early 2020.
Both cases drew mixed public opinions since they were perceived as "strange" at the time. Compared to them, the case of Nguyen Van The drew more public attention because if he wanted, he could stay in office until the end of his term under the protection of the Constitution and law.
The’s resignation can be seen as the concretization of the Party's recent policy of encouraging cadres to resign when they realize that their prestige, virtue or capacity no longer meet job requirements. This policy was mentioned at the 4th plenums of the Party Central Committee, 12th and 13th tenures, and concretized in Regulation No. 41-QD/TW issued by the Party Central Committee on November 3, 2021, and most recently “Regulation No. 80-QD/TW on decentralization of cadre management, and appointment and nomination of candidates for leadership positions", dated August 18, 2022.
The public will surely recognize and pay certain respect to The because he dared to make a decision that is not common in Vietnam, in terms of both institutional and behavioral logic.
Overcoming constraints
In any society, any political system and any government, voluntarily leaving a public position is never an easy decision. The difficulty in making such a decision primarily stems from social constraints.
In Vietnam, striving to hold a leadership and management position in state agencies has become the lifelong career among many individuals. A high position in a public agency not only benefits individuals and their families, but can also help raise the honor, prestige and tradition of their families and clans, as well as localities where they were born.
Leaving the position without any serious mistakes means voluntarily receiving fewer benefits, creating disadvantages, or even ending their own future career. They may be subject to social criticism. Therefore, it is easy to understand why very few individuals dare to do it.
Looking at the characteristics of the political system in our country today, institutional constraints are also a factor that discourages individuals from voluntarily leaving their leadership and management positions.
"The collective plays a leadership role, the individual performs tasks" is a fundamental principle applied in the entire national governance system. All important decisions of a unit, at any level, are approved by its leadership. Because it is a collective decision, the responsibility first belongs to the leadership.
In fact, even when the Party recently emphasized the role of the top leader, it is difficult to consider the responsibility or assess the reputation of the head for violations or poor performance of the unit. Therefore, an ordinary leader will not be forced to resign or bear responsibility for all the consequences of the leadership’s weakness.
With the above-mentioned basic constraints, resigning from a current position is an act of honor, integrity, self-respect, and involves a high sense of self-discipline. When individuals like The were able to make the resignation decision, they would certainly have considered thoroughly and been brave enough to overcome psychological pressures, selfish interests, and social criticism.
Resignation practice
In a positive way, The has contributed to setting an example of integrity among a contingent of officials, civil servants and public employees. Normal people may never know exactly what motivated The to leave his ministerial position. Those interested in this case may not be satisfied that he resigned for personal reasons.
However, his choice is still commendable as in fact, very few individuals in the country dare to think about resignation, not to mention as a state official.
The’s act also aroused a sense of upholding common public values like self-respect, integrity, and honor among state officials. Without being forced by anyone, if individuals are always clearly aware of the above-mentioned public values, they can leave their position simply to hand over their tasks to more suitable persons.
In any way, resignation is not, and shouldn't be something too big. It should be considered an ordinary act whenever someone feels no longer suited to their job.
The's resignation also delivered a thoughtful message: not only leaders and managers but even the most ordinary cadre need to change their perception to voluntarily hand over their positions and jobs to others when they feel that they are no longer suited to their assigned tasks. Not trying to hold on to a position at any cost is also a way to show a sense of responsibility and contribute to the state and community.
* Nguyen Van Dang is a lecturer at Hanoi-based Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics