The reorganisation and streamlining of the political system’s apparatus represent a major policy with the ultimate objective of enhancing the efficacy, potency, and efficiency of the political system’s operations, better serving the interests of our nation and people. However, contrary to the broad consensus and support throughout the Party, the populace, and the armed forces, hostile forces are strenuously distorting and sabotaging this policy with nonsensical allegations and a resentful attitude.

More public services are being provided for citizens as a result of the streamlining of the political system’s apparatus (photo: qdnd.vn)

1. Sabotaging the policy on the continued reorganisation of the political system’s apparatus to undermine the Party and the Doi Moi process - hostile and reactionary forces’ inherent nature

We are all aware that the successful streamlining of the political system’s apparatus will contribute to building a transparent Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) and a strong socialist rule-of-law state of Vietnam, capable of leading, managing, and guiding the country into a new era of development, advancing steadfastly towards socialism. This is an outcome that hostile, reactionary, and politically opportunistic forces never wish to see. It is, therefore, no surprise that they seek every means to sabotage, impede, and obstruct this revolution, even resorting to “self-contradictory” rhetoric. For instance, they previously cited the limitations and weaknesses in our State’s administrative reforms to assert that the CPV was engaging in “perfunctory renewal”, “half-hearted reforms”, “economic renewal without political renewal”, or that the renewal process had “exhausted its resources” and was “lacking in genuine depth”. Yet now, as our Party and State press ahead with reforms with stronger and more comprehensive political determination, and implement them more effectively, it is these same voices that have reversed their position, distorting and twisting the truth with their contradictions. This reveals the inherently deceitful and duplicitous nature of these hostile forces. This serves as a reminder that we must remain vigilant and heighten our awareness of such deceptive schemes and stratagems by hostile forces, which aim to sow division and confusion among the public, weaken the political system, and hinder the country’s development.

One of frequently-used yet highly sophisticated tactics of hostile forces is to “use unverified media channels”, “muddy the water,” and fabricate evidence to illustrate their distorted allegations. They intentionally “conflate concepts” to justify their unfounded arguments, thereby leading public opinion towards erroneous conclusions about the true nature of the streamlining of the political system’s apparatus. They also deliberately equate administrative reform with structural reform, subsequently spreading the claim that Vietnam is undertaking a comprehensive “institutional transition”, “abolishing the CPV’s leadership role”, and “going against the nature of socialism”. This is done in an attempt to mislead the credulous and gullible on the nature and objectives of our Party’s policy on streamlining the political system’s apparatus.

In reality, unlike an administrative reform, the current streamlining of the political system’s apparatus is a revolution comprising three main pillars: (1) the reorganisation and consolidation of the organisational structure, (2) the downsizing of staff quotas, and (3) the innovation of operational methods. This is carried out under the CPV’s close leadership, with the aim of consolidating and strengthening its leadership role, and enhancing its governing capacity and operational strength in the new situation. This is a regular and continuous process to make the political system ever stronger and more effective in its operations, better serving the country’s development and the people’s lives. Ultimately, therefore, streamlining the political system’s apparatus is a necessary step to realise the goal of a prosperous populace, a strong country, a democratic, equitable, and civilised society, and the successful building of socialism. And it stands to reason that this task can only be undertaken and completed well under the CPV’s leadership. On the one hand, the CPV is the vanguard force that proactively identifies the shortcomings of the political apparatus and proposes solutions to overcome them; on the other hand, streamlining the political system’s apparatus also includes reorganising Party organisations and enhancing the CPV’s capacity for leadership and governance. Consequently, there is absolutely no truth to the claims, propagated and distorted by hostile and reactionary forces, that streamlining the political system’s apparatus means “abolishing the CPV’s leading role” or “going against the nature of socialism”.

2. Distorting the streamlining of the political system’s apparatus as a “political purge”, “consolidation of power of certain factions”, “dissident prosecution”, “indiscriminate staff cuts”, and “personnel promotion based on cronyism” - Deceitful and fraudulent allegations of hostile forces

When faced with a matter as critical and sensitive as the streamlining of the political system’s apparatus, hostile, reactionary, and politically opportunistic forces have little difficulty in demonstrating their “adeptness” at fabricating political scandals to create a tangled web of suspicion and confusion for those who are ill-informed and lack political fortitude. Accordingly, by posing questions that play on some people’s curiosity, they weave tales of “palace intrigue” concerning “political purges”, “consolidation of power of certain factions”, “dissident prosecution”, “indiscriminate staff cuts”, and “personnel promotion based on cronyism”, etc. This is done to attract public attention, create confusion and doubt, and then give “a little push” of malicious narratives in an attempt to directly strike at the CPV’s credibility and leadership role. This tactic is not new, yet it is exceedingly dangerous because the baseless fabrications by these hostile forces often concern sensitive issues that are very difficult to verify. The undeniable reality is that, with a cautious and meticulous approach, the streamlining of the political system’s apparatus is being implemented by our Party and State through a clear, transparent, and public process with well-defined steps, based on the actual capacity and work performance of cadres and civil servants. It is not merely a reduction in the number of units, departments, or personnel; its highest objective is to create a more flexible, effective, and dynamic political system. The reduction of intermediary layers, along with clear delegation, decentralisation, and devolution of power, increases the autonomy and responsibility of organisations and individuals. Focusing on core functions and eliminating unnecessary activities create an effective working environment. Furthermore, downsizing staff numbers and merging units and agencies help save a significant portion of the state budget for investment in important sectors, such as infrastructure, health care, education, science and technology, and social security, thereby contributing to promoting sustainable development.

In the implementation process, our Party and State have resolutely opposed any manifestation of exploiting the policy to eliminate those with dissenting views, and have consistently encouraged close supervision by competent authorities and the public to ensure fairness and objectivity at every stage and every step. Therefore, any attempt by hostile and reactionary forces to equate the streamlining of the apparatus with a “factional purge” for malicious political motives is an unfounded accusation that must be resolutely refuted.

3. Citing difficulties, obstacles, or localised shortcomings in the implementation process to exaggerate and make accusations that it will cause “social instability” and “mass job losses”, etc. - a tactic of hostile forces that is not new, but is highly sophisticated and dangerous

The immediate personal interests of a portion of cadres and civil servants affected by the reorganisation and adjustment during the streamlining of the apparatus are, clearly, an unmissable target for hostile and reactionary forces to “put on a show”, faking “empathy with the people” to incite opposition and discontent. They claim that streamlining the political system’s apparatus will cause “mass job losses” to create public confusion, thereafter exploiting excessive public “anxiety” to exaggerate people’s concerns and then conclude with the accusation that this policy will lead to “social instability”. This is a one-sided and malicious judgement, intended to deny the legitimacy of this reform and simultaneously erode the people’s trust.

In reality, genuine social stability only comes from a developed economy, the people’s improved life, and a state apparatus that serves the populace well; it does not come from a state of stability that borders on stagnation within the political system’s apparatus. Although there may be immediate disruptions, streamlining the political system’s apparatus is a necessary step to break through stagnation and achieve greater stability and efficiency in the future. With a clear, public, and transparent road map, along with timely support measures in the streamlining process, excessive concerns about “social instability” are baseless. Furthermore, streamlining the political system’s apparatus means eliminating the overlapping and duplication of functions and duties, not simply reducing the number of employees mechanically. The rearrangement of manpower is also based on an assessment of competence, task performance, and actual requirements of each position, in order to remove those who do not meet the requirements from the organisation, while selecting capable individuals with good qualities for the new structure. The objective is to build a corps of cadres and civil servants that is small in number but high in quality, meeting the country’s development demands in the new era. On the other hand, the process of streamlining the political system is implemented by our Party and State in a planned manner with a clear road map. Accordingly, the Government and its ministries and branches have developed specific plans with accompanying solutions to ensure the transition occurs smoothly. Concurrently, there are reasonable financial policies and mechanisms in place to support redundancy, early retirement, retraining, career changes, and redeployment for those cadres and civil servants affected by downsizing due to unit reorganisations and mergers, or who are no longer suitable for new positions, thereby avoiding undue disruption.

Looking at the wider world, public administration and governance reform is a prevailing trend in many countries, directed towards common goals: transitioning from a model of a managerial, subsidising government to a facilitating, service-oriented government, optimising operations, reducing costs, and enhancing work-processing efficiency, applying technology to reduce manual intervention and creating online public services, and promoting transparency and accountability.

For Vietnam, implementing structural reform for a compact, strong, efficient, and effective political system is an entirely sound policy of our Party and State. It aims to constantly enhance the CPV’s leadership and governing capacity and the State’s managerial ability, thereby unlocking all resources to propel the country towards rapid and sustainable development in the new era. Reality has shown that the streamlining of the political system’s apparatus in our country has begun to yield practical results: the people are better served, the work of combating corruption and wastefulness is more effective, public budget is spent more efficiently, etc., thus attracting more support from the people.

However, streamlining the political system is by no means an easy task, nor is it one that can be completed in a single attempt. Therefore, every citizen must heighten their vigilance against the schemes and tactics employed by hostile forces to distort and sabotage this policy. At the same time, it is essential to place absolute trust in the CPV’s leadership and to join force with the Party and State to build a political apparatus that is “compact, streamlined, strong, efficacious, potent, and efficient”, for the sake of a rich, prosperous, and powerful Vietnam.

Associate Prof. PHAN TRONG HAO, PhD