Promoting reform to better serve citizens and businesses
After three months of implementing the two-tier local government model, departments and localities in Hai Phong have proactively addressed initial difficulties, gradually building a service-oriented administration that places citizens and businesses at its center.
Positive results
Throughout three months of implementing the two-tier local government model, the Hai Phong People’s Committee issued more than 300 guiding and administrative documents and organized 68 inspection missions to communes, wards, and special zones to promptly resolve difficulties and obstacles at the grassroots level.
According to the committee’s report, the implementation of the two-tier local government model has achieved significant results, marking progress in the organization and operation of the city’s administrative apparatus. Specifically, within three months of operation, the committee and its chairman assigned 6,084 tasks to departments and localities, 4,678 of these were completed, while the remaining tasks are mostly within deadline, with very few overdue.
Immediately after difficulties arose at the grassroots level, the city deployed and seconded 91 civil servants and public employees from departments to communes and wards to strengthen human resources, especially in specialized fields with heavy workloads. As a result, administrative procedure processing efficiency became a notable highlight. At the city Public Administration Service Center, over 99% of dossiers were processed on or ahead of schedule. At the commune level, 100% of received dossiers were digitized and uploaded to the system, while the rate of fully or partially online dossiers exceeded 91%.
Continuing to overcome challenges
Through review and on-site inspection, the city People’s Committee has frankly pointed out some shortcomings and difficulties in operating the two-tier local government model.
At the city People’s Committee’s meeting on the afternoon of October 1, Secretary of the city Party Committee Le Tien Chau emphasized that commune-level authorities must gain a deeper understanding of their role, position, authority, and capacity, not merely acting as an “administrative unit” handling paperwork and procedures, but as a “driver of local development,” creating favorable conditions for citizens and businesses.
Along with enhancing decentralization and delegation of authority, an equally important issue is properly assessing the operational capacity of commune-level authorities as well as allocating corresponding resources in terms of personnel, equipment, and financial mechanisms to foster their autonomy.
Therefore, the Secretary suggested that the city People’s Committee and relevant departments strengthen inspection, supervision, and urging, promptly removing difficulties and obstacles for localities. The city People’s Committee will continue to review and accurately assess the status of commune-level staff, thereby redeploying and arranging adequate professional personnel at the grassroots level.
It can be affirmed that after three months of operation, the two-tier local government model in Hai Phong has been on the right track. The administrative apparatus became more streamlined, the command chain from the city to the grassroots was shortened, and public services were gradually standardized and modernized. However, to truly build a service-oriented administration, the city still needs persistent effort and determination from the entire political system, as well as the consensus and cooperation of citizens and businesses.
PHAN ANH