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The Streamlined Government: Envisioning a Future with 13 Ministries, 4 Agency Equivalents, and a Reduction of 12 General Departments and 500 Departments

23 December, 2024

Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra – Photo: VGP/LS

The Revolution in Streamlining Bureaucracy and Liberating Thought

Minister of Home Affairs, Pham Thi Thanh Tra, shared that at this point, the entire nation is highly focused on accomplishing political goals and tasks for 2024, while also embarking on a revolution to streamline its organizational structure.

Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra believes that this is not just a revolution to streamline the organizational apparatus but also a revolution to liberate thought, so that we can all strive for a brighter future together. This involves changing our mindset, vision, and perception, especially towards reform, innovation, and development, while also harnessing the power of human factors to propel the nation into a new era of prosperity and happiness.

This revolution is fraught with difficulties, challenges, complexities, and sensitivities, and there will be obstacles along the way. It demands the courage, willpower, wisdom, unity, and dedication of leaders and officials within the political system, who must act with determination and resolve to ensure swift and effective implementation.

Our Party has chosen a very special and historically significant time to embark on this revolution. As we prepare for the Party Congresses at all levels, leading up to the 14th Party Congress, where major decisions will be made for the country’s future, we also celebrate significant milestones: the 95th anniversary of the Party’s foundation, the 50th anniversary of the liberation and reunification of the country, and the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the State…

This is also a critical and urgent time for the country’s development, as we strive to keep pace with the changing times and the strong momentum of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and Digital Transformation. It is a time when the Party’s will and the people’s aspirations converge: a golden opportunity.

According to the Minister of Home Affairs, in just over a month, we have implemented the principle of “the Central leading, the localities following.” The Central level does not wait for the provinces, the provinces do not wait for the districts, and the districts do not wait for the communes. This has created a strong momentum that has spread throughout the political system, from the Central to local levels, and across society.

“With the enthusiasm of the entire Party, people, and government, and a comprehensive, synchronous, scientific, cautious, and vigorous approach, the results so far have been very positive and effective, from the Central political system to the 63 provinces and cities, which are actively accompanying the Central,” expressed Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra.

Up to now, in the Government block: The Ministry of Home Affairs has just advised on the completion of the arrangement of administrative units at the district and communal levels: arranging 39 districts and 1,178 communes, reducing 09 administrative units at the district level and 563 administrative units at the communal level; localities have been and are completing and stabilizing.

The Ministry has completed the overall report on the implementation of Resolution 18; the project to merge, integrate, transfer functions, tasks, organizational apparatus, and related documents, along with the project to terminate the operation of the Party Affairs Committee and establish the Party Committee of the Government, the Party Committees of ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and Government agencies.

Preliminary estimates of the Government’s organizational structure: 13 ministries remain, 04 ministerial-level agencies (a reduction of 05 ministries), and 05 agencies under the Government (a reduction of 03 agencies); reduction of 12/13 General Departments and equivalents, 500 Departments and equivalents under the Ministry and under the General Department; reduction of 177 Departments under ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and equivalents; reduction of 190 public non-business units under the Ministry.

It can be said that the Ministry of Home Affairs is carrying out an unprecedentedly large volume of work, including guiding, urging, synthesizing, coordinating the review of legal documents related to the orientation of arranging officials, civil servants, and public employees within the competence of the Ministry.

Leaving No One Behind in the Process of Streamlining the Organizational Apparatus

Regarding the building of regimes and policies for officials, civil servants, and public employees in arranging the organizational apparatus, Minister of Home Affairs Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that the Ministry of Home Affairs has completed the draft Decree and reported to the competent authority.

According to the Minister of Home Affairs, the Ministry has advised on this policy with the common viewpoint and principle that the mechanism and policy are also revolutionary, which means being fast, strong, prominent, humane, fair, and reasonable, ensuring the correlation between objects, stabilizing life, and ensuring the rights and interests of officials, civil servants, and public employees so that no one is left behind in the process of arranging and streamlining the organizational apparatus.

Focus on giving special and prominent priority to encourage subjects to retire immediately and within 12 months from the time the agency, organization, or unit implements the arrangement according to the decision of the competent authority.

Building policies associated with the responsibility of the head of the agency, unit in evaluating, screening, and selecting objects of civil servants and public employees to retire, associating with streamlining the apparatus and restructuring the team of officials, civil servants, and public employees; requiring determination to maintain and keep good officials, civil servants, and good public employees, with capacity and quality, not to let brain drain.

Regarding other related issues, Minister Pham Thi Thanh Tra said that she had oriented the arrangement of officials, civil servants, and public employees when arranging the organizational apparatus with ministries, branches, and localities, and oriented the arrangement of specialized agencies under the People’s Committees of provinces and districts.

Nhat Quang