Previously, on October 29, 2024, the Politburo issued Regulation No.191-QD/TW on the functions, tasks, powers, working regime, and working relations of the Central Steering Committee for Prevention and Control of Corruption, Wastefulness, and Negative Phenomena (replacing Regulation No.32-QD/TW, dated September 16, 2021) and Decision No.192-QD/TW on strengthening the Steering Committee (adding the task of preventing and combating waste, focusing on the management and use of public finance and public assets).
The timely addition of functions and tasks of preventing and combating waste to the Steering Committee demonstrates the Party’s consistent viewpoint on preventing and combating waste, in order to meet the practical requirements in the new revolutionary period.
Because practicing thrift and combating waste have been stipulated in the constitution, in resolutions, conclusions, and directives of the Central Committee since the 10th Congress as well as in the Law on Practicing Thrift and Combating Wastefulness in 2005 and 2013.
However, in reality, from the management and use of the state budget to purchasing, equipping, managing and using public assets to consumer habits and behaviours in society, it is evident that waste is still a very big problem with a very wide scope, and the damage is difficult to measure.
And clearly, policies and solutions on preventing and combating waste, although implemented for a long time, have not been very effective. The consequences of this situation are very serious for the development process.
Moreover, waste also causes a decline in people’s trust in the Party and State, creates barriers in socio-economic development, and misses the country’s development opportunities, as noted by General Secretary To Lam.
Many cadres, party members and people expressed their high agreement with the viewpoints of the Central Committee, the Politburo, and the direction of General Secretary To Lam, while at the same time expecting strong changes in preventing and combating waste.
Positive signals were initiated from the Central Committee’s unified awareness, identifying the fight against waste as a fight against “internal invaders”, with a position equivalent to the fight against corruption and negativity, to build a strong, ethical and civilised Party, taking drastic actions, assigning tasks to clear people, clear addresses, and clear responsibilities, with the requirement to implement across the entire political system, from the central to the local level.
Accordingly, the Central Internal Affairs Committee will advise the Secretariat to amend regulations on functions, tasks, organisational structure, working regime, and working relations of the Steering Committee on preventing and combating corruption and negativity of provinces and centrally-run cities in the direction of adding functions on preventing and combating waste.
The immediate key task, according to the Standing Board of the Steering Committee, is to promptly issue the Steering Committee's guidelines on waste prevention and control, in which it identifies and clearly indicates wasteful behaviours and manifestations, and the responsibilities of Party committees, Party organisations, agencies, organisations, cadres, and Party members, especially leaders in waste prevention and control.
Competent agencies shall review, amend, and supplement Party regulations and State laws on waste prevention and control to ensure consistency and unity; promptly amend and supplement regulations on economic-technical standards and norms that are no longer suitable for the country's development practices; and review and thoroughly handle shortcomings and prolonged limitations in key projects and low-efficiency projects that cause great loss and waste.
According to the direction of General Secretary To Lam, it is necessary to immediately study and implement key and breakthrough tasks on waste prevention and control, creating a new momentum and strong changes in this work.
In general, it is necessary to persistently and synchronously implement solutions from low to high levels towards building a culture of anti-waste in the whole society; making anti-waste efforts become ethical and social standards; becoming the internal regulations of each agency, unit, and village convention of each hamlet as well as regulations in Party and State documents; and handling violations from administrative to the highest level of criminal.
To save and fight waste, no matter who it is, or at what age, level, or capacity, in any field, regardless of time, as long as self-awareness can be practiced right now, creating awareness of practicing reducing and fighting waste from each individual, from the simplest things such as “daily food, water, clothes”, and spreading from family to community and the whole society is something that everyone can do when having correct and sufficient awareness and immediate action.
In the article “Fighting Wastefulness” published in Nhan Dan Newspaper on October 14, 2024, General Secretary To Lam strongly spread the message that we are facing a historic opportunity to bring the country into the era of national development. This is also the time to shape our future.
To seize opportunities, push back against challenges, strongly increase resources to care for the people, enrich the country in the new revolutionary period, and build a better future, the work of preventing and combating waste needs to be implemented in a drastic and synchronous manner with effective solutions, creating a strong spread and becoming voluntary, self-conscious efforts of each cadre, party member and citizen, a culture of behaviour in the new era.
