Revised draft Law on the Government's Organisation discussed

Lawmakers spent the morning of the 17th working day of the ongoing 13th National Assembly (NA) eighth session on November discussing draft laws on the Government’s Organisation and the organisation of People’s Councils at district and ward levels.

NA deputy delegations from Hai Duong, Binh Thuan, Lam Dong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces discussing laws in groups during the ongoing 13th NA eighth session

Discussing the draft law on the Government’s Organisation, some NA deputies expressed concern that a draft regulation allowing the Government to get involved in trial processes infringed on the independence of the Supreme People’s Court (SPC) and Supreme People’s Procuracy (SPP). The regulation states that the Government has the right to ask the court and the procuracy to reconsider sentences after a trial is completed. The regulation was included in an amended draft of the Law on the Government’s Organisation. However, some deputies agreed on the regulation.

The deputies suggested the writers of the draft law reconsider how the Government and the assembly co-operate. One draft regulation in particular states that the Government can ask the NA to withdraw any law-making projects from the working agenda. It can also request that the assembly and its standing committee put the projects on hold. Lawmakers asked that the draft law on the Government’s Organisation concretise the functions of government.

Discussing the draft law on the organisation of People’s Councils at district and ward levels, some NA deputies said that local authorities at the province level should include People’s Councils and People’s Committees, but that district and ward levels should only include People’s Committees.

NA Deputy Nguyen Thi Quyet Tam from Ho Chi Minh City said that the People’s Council there could not thoroughly monitor pressing issues, while others pointed out that the elimination of People’s Councils would reduce costs. Many pointed to the successful pilot elimination of People’s Councils at district and ward levels in 10 cities and provinces. However, others did not want to change the structure of local authorities.

NA deputies also said that it was necessary to specify which responsibilities fell to local governments and which belonged to the central government, especially in rural areas and islands.

At the same day, the National Assembly Standing Committee (NASC) agreed with the a proposed plan on increasing minimum wage. Accordingly, nearly 5 million wage earners nationwide, belonging to three groups, will receive higher wages from January 1, 2015. The three groups include retirees, people with special contribution to the Vietnamese revolution, and civil servants who have a salary coefficient of 2.34 or lower. The increased rate will be 8 percent of the current respective monthly salaries of each of the three groups.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)