Evaluate officials by "measure of integrity"

Regarding the selection of strategic Party cadres for the near future, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong set a requirement: not to allow those with shortcomings into the 14th Central Executive Committee.

Among the shortcomings are dishonest declaration of assets, signs of getting rich quickly, many houses, many lands, many other assets without clearly explaining the origin.

Double effect

Article 4 of Decree 78/2013/ND-CP of the Government on transparency of assets and income stipulates: the purpose of asset and income declaration is for competent agencies, organizations and units to know the assets and income of the person who is obliged to declare in order to make transparent the assets and income of that person; serving the management of cadres, civil servants and public employees, contributing to preventing and stopping acts of corruption.

The person with the obligation to declare is responsible for self-declaring the information according to the provisions in the Declaration form and is responsible for the accuracy, honesty and completeness of the declared content.

Normally, corruption is to satisfy greed for wealth and material things. Therefore, asset declaration is to verify the transparency of the assets that officials are holding, one of the solutions to detect whether officials are embezzled or corrupt.

In addition to preventing corruption, asset declaration is also a way to protect the integrity of officials when they have transparent assets and legitimate sources of income. Officials are also more conscious of protecting themselves when asset declaration and verification are carried out seriously and fairly.

According to the Law on Anti-Corruption (2018), those who make dishonest declarations or dishonest explanations of the origin of assets and additional income will be handled according to the nature and extent of the violation according to the provisions of Article 51 of the Law on Anti-Corruption.

Candidates for the National Assembly or People's Council who make dishonest declarations shall have their names removed from the list of candidates. Candidates who are expected to be appointed, reappointed, approved, or assigned to a position who make dishonest declarations shall not be appointed, reappointed, approved, or assigned to the intended position...

Measure of "honesty"

The Government's report shows that from February 8, 2022 to April 30, 2023, more than 13,000 people had their assets and income verified, of which 54 people were disciplined for dishonesty in declaring assets, income and explaining the origin of additional assets.

A typical case is that of former Party Central Committee member and Ben Tre Provincial Party Secretary Le Duc Tho. At the 8th Central Conference (from October 2 to 8, 2023), the Party Central Committee decided to discipline Mr. Le Duc Tho by removing him from all Party positions due to "dishonest, incomplete, and non-compliant declaration and explanation of the origin and changes of assets."

Of course, this cadre who used to be a strategic leader had a reason to lie in declaring his assets. On December 14, 2023, due to the act of "taking advantage of his position and power to influence others for personal gain", Mr. Tho was prosecuted and temporarily detained.

However, not many cases of fraudulent declaration of assets are discovered through regular checks and verifications. Most of the time, when officials are disciplined or criminally investigated, their previous dishonest behavior is brought to light.

Some limitations and shortcomings in the implementation of Decree 78/2013/ND-CP have caused the declaration of assets and income of officials, civil servants and party members to fail to achieve the goals and meet the expectations of the Party, Government and people.

The main reason for this situation is that the inspection, verification, evaluation, and conclusion of the functional department on the declaration are left open. The data and information on asset declarations are almost a “one-way street,” mainly relying on the self-awareness of the declarant. The number of people whose assets are inspected and verified accounts for a very small proportion compared to the huge number of declarations.

When giving opinions to the Party, the National Assembly, and the Government on measures to prevent and combat corruption and select officials, many experts, veteran party members, and voters proposed that in order for the declaration and control of asset declaration to be effective, it is necessary to closely implement Directive 33-CT/TW of 2014 of the Politburo on strengthening the Party's leadership in the declaration and control of asset declaration and Decree 130/2020/ND-CP of the Government on controlling assets and income of people holding positions and powers in agencies, organizations, and units, emphasizing ways to limit dishonest asset declarations.

Specifically, it is necessary to strengthen the inspection, supervision and monitoring of the implementation of Party and State regulations on declaration and control of asset declaration, to promptly correct and handle violations; strictly handle organizations and individuals who violate regulations, even confiscate assets and incomes without proven legitimate origins.

In the context of limited inspection and verification of asset and income declarations, the honesty of cadres and party members in self-declaration is increasingly emphasized. The more important the position of cadres, the more they must set an example of transparency regarding the assets they hold.

Not being dishonest in declaring and explaining the source of assets is a simple and clear measure of the “honesty” of cadres and party members. On the contrary, those who are dishonest in declaring must be considered as not having enough moral qualities to stand in the Party and State apparatus, let alone being selected for the ranks of strategic cadres.

If we let dishonest people into the Party's elite, even in the very basic act of declaring their assets, not only will the revolutionary cause be severely damaged, but the Party's reputation will also be seriously affected.

Not considering the declaration of assets and income as a "formal procedure" or "a scheduled procedure" but seriously implementing it is the first but very important step in preventing corruption, negativity and strengthening the moral qualities of cadres and party members.

The Viet A incidents, the "rescue flights," FLC, Van Thinh Phat, SCB, Phuc Son... once again show that many officials, including high-ranking leaders and strategic officials, if they can avoid "sugar-coated bullets," can still fall because of "bullets coated with a lot of sugar."

If the inspection and verification of assets and income of officials and party members are carried out effectively, the unusual signs of "getting rich quickly, having many houses, many lands, many other assets without clearly explaining their origin" will be revealed before the investigation agency has to spend a lot of time and effort to find out the serious violations of the law by the person concerned.