Given the current level of compensation for public officials, this bribe is worth several times what the individual would earn over their entire career. The temptation is real and it is quite understandable that the 24 members of the inspection led by her turned a blind eye to corruption.
Inspection is the gatekeeper of wrongdoing to detect, prevent and take early action against negative behavior by organizations and individuals. How can we make this control operational with transparency and integrity?
This is an important question for two reasons. First, in the current political landscape where corruption still poses a major risk, the government needs a strong inspection function to fulfill its duties. Great powers and great responsibilities combine, making these officials very vulnerable to the wicked corruption of money.
Concerned about this risk, Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said at the 2021 National Convention of Domestic Political Agencies that the fight against corruption must first start with government agencies on the front lines of the battle , whose responsibilities are to prevent corruption from occurring in the country. system.
Second, in addition to turning a blind eye to wrongdoing, another risk associated with inspection agencies is the risk that government officials will attack the organizations being inspected. For too long, businesses have been haunted by petty corruption by low-level public officials, ranging from facilitation money to outright demands for bribes.
In the 2022 provincial competitiveness index, 14% of businesses paid “unofficial” money for inspection visits, while 7.4% of businesses receive more than three inspection visits per year. Although inspection is a vital activity, it often causes more headaches for businesses.
Finding effective solutions to maintain inspection and control while reducing the risks of petty corruption is not an easy task.
The most visible solution is to establish an accountability and inspection mechanism against the inspection services themselves, the “inspectors of inspectors”. This could be an expensive solution without really solving the problem.
The new mechanism would further disperse inspection responsibilities and make the function less effective. Furthermore, it could create “super inspection” departments, thereby increasing the risks of power fragmentation and internal discontent.
The second solution is to create a better framework for inspection activities to take place properly. In fact, thanks to timely decisions taken by the government in recent years, the percentage of companies having to pay undue amounts to inspectors has decreased significantly, from 51.9% in 2017 to 14% last year.
Every system has flaws because systems are created by humans and can be manipulated by humans. Top-down inspection always has some limitations, with additional costs, financial resources, time and human resources making those responsible less willing to contribute.
The government must therefore implement the third solution, namely inspection by the general population. Corruption harms society as a whole, so every citizen has some responsibility to address corruption and bribery to the best of their ability. Citizens are daily exposed to corruption and very sensitive to social inequalities. The government, in turn, must create suitable platforms for citizens to express their concerns.
To achieve this, in addition to current access to information laws and basic democracy implementation laws, the government must be held accountable for its actions.
Public participation in inspection activities could have positive influences on the efficiency and transparency of government and help citizens maximize their democratic rights. Ultimately, the last guardians of democracy are the citizens.
*Nguyen Khac Giang is a researcher in policy development and government transparency. He is a doctoral student at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand..
