Streamlining the apparatus is inevitable, even in America it must be done.

Since the implementation of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW, dated October 25, 2017 of the 12th Party Central Committee on continuing to innovate and reorganize the political system to be streamlined and operate effectively and efficiently, many positive results have been achieved.

According to the Government's report at the 7th Session of the 15th National Assembly, by the end of 2023, the country had reduced over 7,800 public service units, with over 46,300 units remaining. In the period from 2015 to 2023, the country had streamlined nearly 6,000 positions in ministries and branches and over 83,800 people in localities.

However, the above results have not really created a revolution in organizational arrangement to meet practical requirements.

The streamlining of 10% of public service staff in some places, some agencies and units is still equal, the regulations from top to bottom are applied equally. The number of staff being streamlined is mostly people who have reached retirement age, have the desire to retire... Therefore, streamlining only focuses on reducing quantity without being associated with improving quality and restructuring the staff.

Currently, regular expenditure and salary expenditure account for a large proportion of the total annual budget (about 70%), higher than many countries in the world; only 30% is spent on development investment, social security...

Therefore, General Secretary To Lam emphasized that streamlining the apparatus is "very urgent and must be done, the sooner it is done, the more beneficial it is for the people and the country."

This revolution in streamlining and streamlining the apparatus requires not only mechanical cuts but also comprehensive restructuring, clarifying functions and tasks, and eliminating overlaps and inadequacies that have existed for many years.

At the national conference to disseminate and summarize the implementation of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW of the 12th Party Central Committee, General Secretary To Lam set out the streamlining requirement: Eliminate unnecessary positions, reduce ineffective work, thereby focusing resources on key areas and truly worthy and suitable people. Do not let state agencies be a "safe haven" for weak officials.

The goals we are pursuing are similar to President-elect Donald Trump’s move to establish the US Government Efficiency Board. This agency pledged to cut the US budget by $2,000 billion annually and argued that the government only needs 99 agencies, instead of the more than 400 it has now. The number of unnecessary employees cut will be proportional to the number of regulations eliminated to streamline the apparatus.

An important, objective reason for us to resolutely streamline the apparatus and reduce staff is that the achievements of the 4.0 industrial revolution and national digital transformation are strongly promoting their effects and efficiency.

Typically, the results of the implementation of the Project "Developing applications of population data, identification and electronic authentication to serve national digital transformation in the period of 2022-2025, with a vision to 2030" (Project 06) in the past have significantly contributed to promoting better national governance and providing effective public services with the goal of taking people and businesses as the center of service, focusing on building a digital government, digital economy, and digital society.

In Hai Duong, currently, the rate of online applications submitted via the Provincial Administrative Procedure Information System has reached 83%, of which the rate of online applications for the entire process has reached 21%; the rate of online public services generating online applications has reached 76%; the rate of online results has reached 100%. The results of implementing 25 essential public services under Project 06 in the province, the rate of online applications has reached 93%, an increase of 18% compared to the end of 2023.

With more and more utilities, mainly solved in the network environment and with high connectivity and interoperability, reducing the number of agencies, units and staff participating in management, operation and administrative procedure settlement is inevitable, in line with development requirements.

As an inevitable and objective requirement, with the determination and drasticness of the Party and State and a synchronous, comprehensive, top-down approach, the revolution to streamline the apparatus will certainly succeed, bringing practical benefits to the entire Vietnamese society.