NA deputies hear reports on Constitutional amendments, corruption prevention

According to the NA Committee on drafting amendments to the 1992 Constitution, the updated draft amendments, which include 11 charters and 120 articles, reflect the expectations of the people and adhere to the Party's Platform on National Construction and Protection, as well as to resolutions on amending the Constitution.

Almost all the people and NA deputies agreed with the affirmation of the Party's leadership role in Article 4. The draft amendments show major issues stated in the Platform, matching with the Party's current organisation and operation and inherited from the previous Constitution, while conforming to Vietnam's revolutionary tradition and reflecting the people's expectations.

It was also agreed that Charter 2 on human rights and the rights and fundamental responsibilities of citizens has improved in accordance with the International Convention on Human Rights, of which Vietnam is a member, matching the country's realities and codifying the achievements made during 30 years of renewal and international integration.

Article 54 on land acquisition has met mixed opinions. Many agree that the right to land use is crucial, and that tight regulations on acquisition should be adopted to avoid abuses that affect legitimate rights and interests.

According to another report delivered by Inspector General of the Government Inspectorate of Vietnam Huynh Phong Tranh, corruption prevention measures have been implemented in all sectors in 2013, producing positive results.

However, complicated developments persist, while preventive measures and the punishment of violations remain ineffective.

The report discussed outcomes, shortcomings, difficulties and causes of corruption prevention, as well as solutions to several existing issues. It is notable that after many years of evaluation and review, the Government has not specified which ministries, agencies and localities have successfully implemented or failed in corruption prevention, nor has it expressed appropriate commendation or denunciation of anti-corruption performances.

Later in the morning, Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong delivered a report on legal implementation.

In the afternoon, the deputies heard a report about the draft Law on the amendments and supplements to the Emulation and Rewards Law, delivered by NA Committee for Social Affairs Chairwoman Truong Thi May.

According to deputy Khuc Thi Duyen from Thai Binh province and the venerable deputy Thich Thanh Quyet from Quang Ninh province, the amendments are largely in line with the directive to reform emulation and reward tasks, proposing to do so by raising the standards set for various types of awards and developing competences for specific award types.

The deputies suggested that the law should improve rewards for creative work, and the rewards should be unified for political systems as well as for organisations and individuals.

They also asked for specific regulations on awards for workers, farmers and labourers, which can help motivate people from all walks of life to join emulation movements while ensuring that the rewards do not fall only to the leaders.

As many families across the country have been willing to donate their land to build roads in the common effort to create new rural areas, the lawmakers argued that the draft law should instate a type of award for families making contributions to national construction and defence.

The participants also set new principles for the work of emulation and rewards, such as avoiding nominations of different titles for the same achievement, and establishing detailed regulations on presenting medals and insignias, which have been done inconsistently in the past.

(Source: Nhandannewspaperonline)