Dung outlines path to great prosperity

Vietnam’s new cabinet stands as one to meet challenges on a range of fronts

>> PM raises central tasks for new cabinet

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After the National Assembly approved the positions of deputy prime ministers and ministers, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung last week said the government would implement three strategic breakthroughs. These would help restructure the national economy and transform growth models during the government’s 2011-2016 term.

These breakthroughs include perfecting the institution of the socialist-oriented market economy, developing human resources and developing a synchronous infrastructure system, focusing on transport networks and infrastructure in big urban areas.

They are also the economy’s biggest bottlenecks that the government has been trying to remove.

“Improving human resource quality is the most important among three breakthroughs, taking the leading role in realising the remaining two breakthroughs,” Dung said.

According to the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham), more than 65 per cent of Vietnam’s workforce remains unskilled and 78 per cent of 20-24 year-olds are either unskilled or skill-strapped.

Dung said in line with efforts to make these breakthroughs possible, first of all, the country needed to focus on curbing inflation, stabilising the macroeconomy, removing barriers against production and business, ensuring social welfare, particularly for the poor, low-income groups and improving people’s livelihoods.

The government said it would need to deploy consistent measures to firmly protect independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the country, protect the Party, State, people and the socialist regime, while ensuring national security and social order.

In his speech after the new cabinet was formed, Dung said he and the government “pledge to be loyal to the fatherland, the nation, the Communist Party of Vietnam, and the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, devoting efforts to well perform the assigned functions and obligations as the executive body of the National Assembly, and the highest administrative body of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, serving the overall target of making Vietnam a strong country with wealthy people, democracy, justice and civilisation.”

National Assembly chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung said the new cabinet members were experienced in dealing with economic issues. “I do believe that they will brilliantly fulfill their duties,” he said.

However, Hung said the new governmental members would need to trumpet their specific action programmes to the National Assembly soon.

Many National Assembly deputies have highly valued the government’s three strategic breakthroughs for the next five years, as well as the government’s solutions to be taken for the country’s socio-economic development during the year’s remaining months.

However, they wanted the government to take more specific action to push the economy forwards.

Deputy Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung from Ho Chi Minh City said the government’s solutions carved in the government’s report on the country’s socio-economic situation 2011 were “not clear and sturdy, and seem to be infeasible.”

“For example, the government says it will provide more capital for small- and medium-sized enterprises. But, what are the specific solutions and who will implement these solutions?” Dung asked.