Government News 4/6 Vietnam, Mozambique boost provincial-level cooperation A delegation from the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, led by provincial Party Secretary Tran The Ngoc, has recently joined a series of meetings with senior local officials while visiting Maputo province in Mozambique. In a bid to strengthen the sides’ multifaceted affiliation, the delegation met with Governor Raimundo Maico Diomba, who praised their goodwill and emphasised great cooperation potential between the two localities. He expressed his wish for Tien Giang to support Maputo’s rice cultivation and aquatic farming sectors. The Governor also pledged to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese enterprises to increase their investment in his province. Ngoc, who is also member of the Party Central Committee, had a working session with Sergio Pantie, head of the Frelimo Party’s Central Committee for Organisation, to discuss measures to boost cooperation between the two parties and promote ties between the two countries’ localities. Pantie stated that the traditional ties between the two parties have laid the foundation for comprehensive collaboration between the two countries and localities. He lauded the development progress that Tien Giang has made so far and asked for further bilateral experience exchanges and technology transfers to take place via future joint projects. During their four-day Mozambique visit, which ended on June 3, Tien Giang’s delegates visited the Vietnam Embassy and gathered with the Vietnamese expatriates and business communities living in the country. Tien Giang and Maputo provinces established their cooperation during the visit of Mozambiquean Prime Minister Aires Boniface to Tien Giang in September 2010. Tien Giang authorities inked a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with the Mozambiquean Ministry of Fisheries and a similar pact with Maputo province in terms of agricultural production and aquatic-farming technology transfer.- HCM City welcomes high-ranking Cuban officials Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, Le Hoang Quan, hosted a reception for the visiting Vice President of the Council of State of Cuba, Salvador Valdes Mesa, on June 2. Expressing his delight at the visit of the Cuban Vice President and his high-ranking companions to the city on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of Vietnam-Cuba diplomatic ties, Quan affirmed that the close relations enjoyed by the two countries have been maintained over the past years. He stated that the visit would further strengthen these. In addition, the chairman gave his guests an overview of the city in recent years, adding that the economic hub is willing to exchange experience on socio-economic development work with Cuba. He requested that the two nations further deepen their traditional relations, enabling a comprehensive bilateral cooperation. Echoing his host, the Cuban official declared that their treasured ties would be preserved and passed on from generation to generation. Cuba has implemented a number of reforms to develop the country and its economy over the past few years, the official said, adding that experience learned during this visit would further aid this process. National Assembly seeks transparency on budget spending Lawmakers yesterday said that the draft Law on the State Budget needs to be amended comprehensively towards ensuring greater spending discipline and transparency. They also proposed that the National Assembly revises some regulations in the draft law that failed to match other draft laws that await the parliament's approval, including the Law on NA Organisation, Law on Government Organisation, Law on State Auditing and Law on Public Investment. Deputy Than Duc Nam of Da Nang said the draft Law on State Budget should be supplemented with clarifications on decentralisation, budget allocation and the relationship between central and local budgets. Under the law, the People's Councils will have the power to decide local budget allocations. A majority of deputies agreed on the need for stricter State Budget controls to avoid overlapping management. The NA should receive reports on collections and expenditures of all kinds of funds, they said. Deputy Do Thi Hoang of Quang Ninh Province noted that her province had at least 18 funds. She felt that the NA should check the establishment of such funds and inspect their balance sheets to ensure transparency. The NA Standing Committee said it had asked the Government to renew its policy on managing funds that are not financed by the State Budget. Under the draft law, management agencies will report their plans and balance sheets and spending for authorised agencies. The Ministry of Finance will then classify these and submit to the Government. Many lawmakers spoke of the need to make budget collections transparent. In the afternoon, deputies also discussed the Law on Criminal Investigations and the draft Law on Temporary Custody and Detention. Draft Law on election of NA and People’s Council deputies discussed Proportions of deputies, qualifications of nominees, and the publicizing of nominees’ CVs were high on the agenda of the National Assembly (NA) meeting on June 3 in Hanoi. NA deputies debated the draft Law on the election of National Assembly and People’s Council deputies and the role of Vietnam Fatherland Fronts in election activities. They underlined the need to ensure an appropriate percentage of female deputies as well as deputies’ abilities to satisfy requirements to represent people at the NA and People’s Councils. They suggested holding conferences for nominees to introduce themselves and meeting with voters ahead of elections. Nguyen Thi Phuc, a deputy from Binh Thuan province said, "I agree that the NA Standing Committee will propose the number of deputies from central organizations, and localities will nominate candidates to represent voters nationwide. 18% of the nominees should be ethnic minority people and at least 35% of the nominees are female. This indicates significant improvements in the current law that conforms to the Politburo’s Resolution No. 11 on women’s role in Vietnam’s industrialization and modernization, and the national strategy on gender equality in the 2016-2020 period." During the meeting, deputies also discussed in group the draft Law on Referendum, and revisions to Vietnam’s Maritime Code. Referendum promotes people’s mastership The draft Law on Referendum will be debated for the first time at the 9th session of the 13th National Assembly. The law aims to promote democracy and people’s mastership and diversify direct democracy forms. The draft Law on Referendum specifies the 2013 Constitution and completes Vietnam’s legal system. Referendum is a direct way for the people to express their thoughts and exercise their rights over important national issues. The National Assembly has assigned the Vietnam Lawyers Association to draft the bill. There remain different opinions on requesting the NA to organize a referendum, referendum scale, the agency or organization holding a referendum, referendum results, and resolving petitions over referendum results.   Referendum enhances democracy and people’s mastership in building a state-governed by law. The draft Law on Referendum sets out three principles of respecting people’s power, enhancing national unity, and reinforcing social consensus. Nguyen Van Pha, a NA deputy from Nam Dinh province and a member of the Referendum Law Drafting Board, said, “The law stipulates that the local administration will have to ask for people’s opinions before implementing an issue which will have direct impacts on their lives. The draft Law on Referendum is at the national level, not for a locality. We aim to build a law that will further promote democracy and people’s mastership.” The principle of “people know, people discuss, people do, people monitor” has been widely implemented. The draft law on Referendum will legalize these practices. Nguyen Van Quyen, Chairman of the Vietnam Lawyers Association, said, “When the law comes into force, it will reflect President Ho Chi Minh’s spirit of respecting people and considering people as the root. He aimed to develop people’s rights in deciding national issues.” The institution of referendum was specified in Vietnam’s first Constitution in 1946. Due to different reasons, it has not been implemented. The National Assembly collecting public opinions on the draft Law on Referendum will be an important step in the making of Vietnamese law. In principle referendum has more advantages than other representative democracy forms, but the implementation will be complicated. It’s important to draw lessons and adopt adjustments during the implementation. Bui Thi An, a NA deputy from Hanoi, said, “The Law on Referendum will have an important position because it derives from the 2013 Constitution. We can take advantage of people’s intellect and consensus.” 167 of 214 nations have laws or regulations authorizing referendums. While Vietnam is accelerating its global integration economically and politically, the Law on Referendum will generate conditions for all people to directly get involved in important national issues. National law database to simplify document searches A national database of legal documents will be developed to make it easier for ministries, agencies and provinces and centrally-run cities to search and use legal papers. According to Government Decree No 52/2015/ND-CP on the national database of laws, the database will be a collection of digital legal documents managed by the Government. Documents will be grouped into two categories: central and local legal documents. The all-inclusive database aims to provide legal documents expeditiously for state management purposes, promoting the popularisation of laws, legal research and law enforcement of agencies, organisations and individuals. Documents included in the database are issued by central agencies, provincial People’s Councils and the People’s Committees. All documents and their digital versions must be sent to the database management team within two working days from the date of their signing or issuing. The document will then be uploaded within 15 days. Documents relating to emergency cases, such as epidemics or natural disasters, will be updated to the database within two days. Ministers and leaders of ministerial-level agencies are responsible for organising the update of documents they themselves issue or lead the compilation process. The Ministry of Justice will be responsible for documents drafted and issued by the National Assembly. Provincial legal documents will be the realm of Chairman of the provincial People’s Committees. Party leader calls on intellectuals to lead development Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has asked the intellectual circle to play a significant role in national construction and development, especially in the current age of industrialisation, modernisation and international integration, as well as for building a knowledge-based economy. Addressing the seventh national congress of the Viet Nam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) for the 2015-20 tenure yesterday, Trong said investing in the intellectual circle was as good as investing in sustainable development. Over the past 30 years, VUSTA, a member of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front, has served as a meeting place for both national as well as overseas intellectuals in the science and technology field. It had also provided them a platform to contribute to national development and defence, said the Party chief. He urged the union to stay active in implementing the Party Central Committee's resolution on developing science and technology in the country, while working closely with the Ministry of Education and Training for revamping the education sector. He also asked the union to strengthen the political education of intellectuals to help raise their sense of responsibility toward the nation and deepening the relations between the Party, State, people, and intellectual circle. The union should complete policies and mechanisms promptly for maximising the potential of the circle, he noted. The union should also serve as a trustworthy advisory body to the Party and State, especially in gathering the brainpower of intellectuals, while contributing critical ideas to the Party and State's policies and major socio-economic projects and programmes, the leader said. Professor Dr. Dang Vu Minh was re-elected as President of VUSTA for the 2015-20 tenure. Delegates at the congress also elected four vice presidents, a 173-member central council, a nine-member inspection committee, a 25-member presidium, and a five-member presidium standing committee for the new tenure. Over the next five years, the union is set to focus on promoting its strength in consultations, social critiques, and appraisals, while enhancing scientific research and the application of scientific and technological advances for environmental protection, community development, and poverty reduction. Meanwhile, the 140-member union will improve its role in gathering and promoting the creativity of Vietnamese intellectuals in the science and technology field, supporting the operation of member associations, and increasing international cooperation. The union is expecting to emerge as a strong organisation by 2020, contributing to make science and technology a significant factor for the country's economy and international integration, as well as sustainable growth. A club including overseas intellectuals will also be formed to encourage their engagement in settling specific issues in the country. VNA