DIRECTIVE No.22/1998/CT-TTg OF MAY 15, 1998 ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE REGULATION ON THE EXERCISE OF DEMOCRACY IN COMMUNES

In implementation of the Politburo's directive and the National Assembly Standing Committee's resolution on the elaboration and implementation of the regulation on democracy at the grassroots level, on May 11, 1998 the Government issued Decree No.29/1998/ND-CP promulgating the Regulation on the exercise of democracy in communes.

To implement the above-mentioned Government's Decree, the Prime Minister hereby instructs:

1. The People's Committees of the provinces and cities directly under the Central Government shall have to coordinate with the mass organizations to directing all branches to organize the implementation of the Government's Regulation in their localities.

Every province, city, rural or urban district, ward, commune or township shall have to work out a concrete implementation program. First of all, every official, Party member or citizen must be made to firmly grasp the spirit and contents of Directive No. 30/CT/TW of February 18, 1998 of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and the contents of the Government's Regulation so as to win their sympathy and support in both awareness and action for the good implementation of this Regulation in the localities. Officials and Party members must be exemplary and take the lead in the implementation of this guideline of the Party and the Government's regulations on democracy at the grassroots level. The implementation plans must be concrete and carefully prepared so as to ensure the steadfast and serious implementation and to avoid implementing them by fits and starts.

The presidents of the People's Committees shall have to directly direct and take responsibility to the higher-level People's Committee for the implemen-tation of the Regulation in their respective localities. The local agencies for administrative and organization work shall act as coordinator assisting the presidents of the People's Committees, and, at the same time, share work and coordinate with the local agencies and other organizations in assisting the presidents of the People's Committees to direct the implementation of this Regulation in their localities.

2. Organizing and directing the experimental implementation for drawing experiences.

Each province or rural district shall select one or two communes and each city (including provincial towns), urban district or provincial capital shall select one or two wards for experimental implementation. The experimental implementation in the selected communes or wards aims to draw experiences for a wide-scale implementation and consider necessary adjustments and/or supplements to the contents of the Regulation.

The communes or wards selected for experimental implementation shall have to base themselves on the provisions of the Regulation to deploy the implementation and should pay attention to the following points:

a/ Any inappropriate contents of the Regulation which need to be revised and/or supplemented, with special attention paid to the work which must be directly discussed and decided by the people, the work which must be consulted by the people before they are decided by the People's Councils and the People's Committees of the same level or decided by the higher level, the work which should be publicized to the people, the work which must be supervised and inspected by the people and the contents of the building of village or hamlet population communities.

b/ Forms and methods of exercising democracy in communes, wards and townships.

c/ The relationship of coordination between the administration, the Fatherland Front, mass organizations and associations in implementing the Regulation.

3. The Government's Regulation contains relatively detailed provisions on the work to be done and methods of doing such work at the grassroots level. Therefore, any matters which are unsuitable to localities and thus need to be revised and/or supplemented should be immediately reported to the Prime Minister for consideration and settlement; for any issues the implementation of which is impeded by regulations of a certain local level, such level shall have to promptly settle them and report the way of settlement to the higher level.

In the semi-annual and annual reviews of their work, the People's Committees of various levels should review and evaluate the results of the exercise and promotion of the democratic rights of the people in their respective localities, the promotion of the good performance and good methods, the redress of deviations so as to make the people's legitimate democratic rights be respected, thus making this a routine activity in handling affairs related to the local people's rights and obligations

4. The ministries, the ministerial-level agencies and the agencies attached to the Government should consider and amend, supplement or annul their regulations which are not suitable to the requirements of exercising democracy at the grassroots level, promptly settle the localities' petitions regarding the exercise of democracy at the grassroots level, which fall under their jurisdiction, and propose to the Prime Minister those issues which fall under the jurisdiction of the Government or the National Assembly for settlement.

5. The Government Commission for Organization and Personnel shall take responsibility to the Government for organizing and directing the implementation of this Regulation throughout the country. It is tasked to guide, oversee, urge and supervise the implementation of the Regulation, guide the application of the Regulation to wards and townships, coordinate with the relevant branches in promptly dealing with issues arising from reality, and make periodical reports to the Prime Minister on the implementation of this Regulation.

The Prime Minister requests the ministries, the ministerial-level agencies, the agencies attached to the Government and the People's Committees of the provinces and cities directly under the central Government to well implement this Directive.

The Prime Minister requests the Vietnam Fatherland Front and the mass organizations at the central level to coordinate with the Government and direct their own organizations in the localities to coordinate with the People's Committees at all levels in well implementing the Regulation promulgated by the Government.

Prime Minister

PHAN VAN KHAI