Hanoi's voters want tougher deterrents to prevent corruption

The Party, the National Assembly, and the Government should adopt more severe punishments and deterrents to increase the effectiveness of the fight against corruption.

Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong (second from right), Hanoi's Party Secretary Dinh Tien Dung (third from right), and voters of Hanoi. Photos: Thanh Hai/The Hanoi Times

Voter Nguyen Thu Van (Hai Ba Trung District) expressed her opinion during a meeting with the General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong and National Assembly deputies in Hanoi today [May 13].

"We voters demand that the authorities make greater efforts to prevent corrupt practices, enhance the legal framework and regulations related to anti-corruption measures, and impose stricter penalties to ensure effectiveness and deterrence,” said Van.

In particular, Van expected the establishment and implementation of mechanisms to monitor the authority of those in leadership positions to prevent negative and corrupt behavior.

"Reforming the salary system could be an effective solution to discourage officials from engaging in corrupt activities," she continued.

During the meeting, voter Le Duc Hanh from Ba Dinh District suggested maintaining a strict approach in dealing with corruption and negative cases and taking action against officials who are reluctant to take responsibility, lack initiative, and are indecisive.

Nguyen Duc Thuan, a voter from Dong Da District, praised the authorities' effective and resolute efforts to fight corruption with zero tolerance for wrongdoing. He recommended that anti-corruption steering committees at all levels continue to take proactive measures to prevent offenses in a timely manner.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at the conference.

In response to constituents' comments on the Government's efforts to combat corruption, the Party chief noted that many corruption cases have been prosecuted and brought to trial.

"The cases of suspects who have fled abroad have been tried in absentia by the courts," Trong said.

"Efforts are also being made to coordinate with relevant countries to ensure that these suspects are arrested following international law," he added.

Trong stressed that anti-corruption measures aim to combat moral and political decay while noting the importance of having strong ethical values and the will to reject corrupt practices.

"Fighting corruption is the responsibility of all levels of government and the entire people."

He suggested that officials unable to meet these standards should consider resigning. Recently, several cases have been of officials resigning due to corruption-related issues. The General Secretary hinted that there may be more resignations for this reason in the future.