In her speech at the conference, the former Chairwoman of the HCMC People's Council stressed that playing the leading role, HCMC – the largest urban area in the country – is the first in Vietnam to establish an urban government, where decentralization and authority delivery are strongly exercised, with clear details on the power of the municipal People’s Committee and its Chairman in order to reduce processing time.
She added that it is necessary to structure the apparatus under the model of an administrative committee with the city chairman being its mayor. Moreover, the 2-in-1 model in each ward, where its Party Committee Secretary is its People’s Committee Chairman, should be piloted and evaluated, also to shorten the time to address arising issues.
All state departments and agencies in the city must become both a consultation unit and a management one with sufficient power according to their professional fields, rather than asking the city chairman to take all responsibilities. Each authority level should clearly understand their duties and fulfill them to their best.
Analyzing the pros and cons of an urban government, Dr. Bui Ngoc Hien from the HCMC Cadre Academy shared that from a macro perspective, discussions are needed to form a stable and long-term legal frame, with clear mechanisms and specific regulations, for an urban government not just for HCMC alone but other localities in the country.
“The vicious circle of authority asking to process a certain issue – authority approval – the appearance of a new issue should be avoided. More importantly, without a clear legal frame for power exercise, HCMC might miss valuable development chances. It is even possible to devise a separate law for HCMC to form a more fundamental and stable legal frame and then to establish its own urban government and to pilot other mechanisms”, said Dr. Hien.
He further commented that the city should hire capable civil servants and public employees to answer the demands on urban management now and run the urban government model in the future. These human resources will help to overcome predicted as well as unexpected challenges in the pilot of new mechanisms in HCMC, the national ‘sandbox’.
It is also essential to think about improving the quality of public services. Right now, HCMC should comprehensively review all applicable mechanisms, administrative procedures, and administrative activities to eliminate overlapping or conflicts, leading to simpler administrative procedures for the sake of a smoothly operating city.
Dr. Phan Hai Ho from the HCMC Cadre Academy voiced that to successfully apply the urban government model when the city is allowed to pilot a number of mechanisms and policies according to Resolution 98, the city should be more determined.
The Government needs a summary report of the implementation of Decree No.33 compared to Resolution 98 so as to introduce suitable amendments. Simultaneously, it should direct related ministries and state agencies to cooperate with HCMC to carry out relevant projects. Based on the proposals of the city for each field, the Government should consider and adjust current laws or release new decrees, with the mindset to assign the city to actively implement any procedures within its capability and practical situation in compliance with the legal corridor of Resolution 98.
