Planning minister urges HCMC officials to get proactive on growth

Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City, where economic growth was only 0.7% in this year’s first quarter, need to proactively spur the southern economic hub’s development rather than relying on Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) guidance, said Minister Nguyen Chi Dung.

Fearing the consequence of possible errors, HCMC officials have been reluctant to take decisions in solving growth issues in the economic powerhouse, the MPI minister said Sunday while mentioning reasons causing current slow growth at a working meeting chaired by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Dung said the MPI received 584 documents containing questions on administrative and legal issues from HCMC last year, to which the ministry replied with 604.

“However, most of the questions were within the city’s power to answer. This is absurd, and shows that we are afraid of responsibility.”

The minister urged city officials to change their attitude to better serve the city’s growth process.

Lieutenant General Le Quoc Hung, Deputy Minister of Public Security, said not just HCMC but many other localities have found the same situation in which local authorities have fears of responsibility.

Hung said there were many cases in which officials were overly cautious, thus consulting many departments and agencies, thus killing lots of time.

The police general noted police forces do not criminalize administrative issues, and the cases related to corruption have been handled in line with the laws to fight corruption.

Labor Minister Dao Ngoc Dung said a solution to encourage government officials to stop the attitude is to create a safe environment for them when making decisions.

Deputy PM Le Minh Khai mentioned three factors needed to help authorities get rid of the fears. A proper environment for them to make decisions, a transparent administrative process clearly stating who does what, and who signs on decisions, and a mechanism to solve problems that are not yet governed by laws.

At the meeting, PM Chinh requested the creation of a safe environment and legal corridor for officials to work, encouraging people who dare to speak, think, do, and take responsibility. At the same time, HCMC needs to completely handle the backlogs related to public officials.

"Officials need to avoid the tendencies of fear of responsibility or letting corruption happen," the PM said.

HCMC chairman Phan Van Mai said the city’s economic slowdown was due to bottlenecks in the administrative system, the pandemic's ongoing consequences, and the limitations in new growth drivers and space.

At the meeting, city representatives asked the PM to consider forming a government working group to conduct research for the city’s new driving forces and growth mechanism. Other recommendations include directions for key regional and inter-regional transport projects in the locality, as well as medical equipment for three hospitals in the city’s gateway areas of Thu Duc, Hoc Mon, and Cu Chi.

The economic hub also requested permission for a pilot program issuing electronic work permits for foreign workers in line with the digital transformation strategy.

On Saturday, PM Chinh requested HCMC to make greater efforts to accelerate the disbursement of public investment.