At a seminar titled ‘Role of Congress in Preventing Corruption’, co-organized by the Legislative Research Institute of the National Assembly Standing Committee and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) on August 9 in Ha Long in Quang Ninh Province, delegates concluded that the National Assembly should play a greater role in anti-corruption activities.
The seminar is part of a project supported by UNDP for strengthening legislative research capacity and how to apply information communication technology into legislative research.
At the seminar workshop, participants focused on the general theoretical and practical issues of the task of anti-corruption in Vietnam; the United Nations Convention against Corruption; international experience of the role of Congress for anti-corruption; recommendations for Vietnam; the implementation of the National Assembly's functions in the prevention of corruption; and how to support the National Assembly to eliminate corruption.
Many delegates commented that in order to enhance the role of the National Assembly in the fight against corruption, the Congress must focus on the promulgation of legal documents to limit opportunities for corruption, and improve the quality of decision, approving and monitoring of budgets as well as deciding on programs and projects of national importance.
The National Assembly's decisions on economic, financial, budgetary and fiscal policies should be carried out. Besides, it is necessary to build institutions to support the fight against corruption.
Mr. Ha Cong Long, deputy head of People’s Petition Committee of the National Assembly Standing Committee emphasized that the role of NA deputies should be enhanced to detect corruption.
According to Transparency International, the corruption index in Vietnam in 2011 was 2.9, and Vietnam's position in the global corruption list ranks 112.
Thus, experts stressed the need to use comprehensive measures to fight corruption.
At present, corruption occurs in areas such as land, finance and banking, investment, construction, management and use of funds and state assets.
Mr. Tran Quoc Luong, Deputy General Inspector of the Government, said that for years the Party and State had attached great importance to the fight and prevention of corruption but so far the efforts made had not achieved the expected goals. Corruption remains serious and increasingly complex issue.
