Phu Bai ward leaders periodically meet citizens to grasp their thoughts and aspirations.

Change from the grassroots

In recent times, the meetings of the People's Councils of communes and wards have shown clear changes. The atmosphere of the parliament has changed, delegates not only listen to reports but also proactively give many specific opinions, closely related to people's lives. Typically, at the recent meeting of the People's Council of Phu Xuan ward, Mr. Vo Le Nhat, Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of the ward, pointed out the situation of garbage not being collected on time, degraded infrastructure, or delays in administrative procedure reform. These issues were then synthesized, becoming the basis for the People's Committee of the ward to commit to action, and at the same time make recommendations to the City People's Council for more comprehensive solutions.

"People see more clearly the connection between representatives and daily life, when issues that were once considered small are now brought to the parliament with a serious attitude," said Ms. Tran Xuan Lai, a voter of Phu Xuan ward.

In Phu Bai ward, where urbanization is taking place rapidly and many large infrastructure projects are being implemented, People's Council delegates face even more challenges. Land clearance issues often arise, and delegates have actively been close to the grassroots, dialogued, listened to people to promptly report to the government. Thanks to the closeness and determination in supervision, many problems were resolved right from the start, avoiding prolonged complaints. "We appreciate the sense of responsibility of People's Council delegates at ward and commune levels; if in the past it was still heavy on formalities, now the activities are closer to reality," said Mr. Le Can, a voter of Phu Bai ward.

A notable common point is the rapid adaptation to working methods in the digital age. Delegates have taken advantage of the Hue-S application, zalo groups of residential groups, and even social networks to receive feedback and update on the results of the resolution. These tools help maintain continuous interaction instead of depending on periodic meetings which are sometimes formal.

“We have organized training courses to equip the staff of the People’s Councils at ward and commune levels with knowledge. This is a key step in the context of Hue shifting to a two-level local government model, when delegates face many new tasks, requiring more specialized skills in supervision, criticism, questioning and information processing,” said Mr. Phan Dinh Tuan, Head of the Administration, Organization and Management Department - Office of the National Assembly Delegation and the City People’s Council.

New roles in new models

After the National Assembly passed the Law on Organization of Local Government (amended), the two-level local government model clearly stipulates: The People's Council of the commune and ward is the state power agency at the local level, representing the will, aspirations and mastery of the people.

If in the past, the People's Councils of communes and wards often only stopped at issuing resolutions on socio -economic development and supervising the People's Committees of the same level, now, in the new model, the role and authority of this agency are emphasized and more specific. "Compared to before, the People's Councils of communes and wards now have more conditions to proactively decide on practical issues such as: Approving annual development plans, supervising land management, resources, public investment in the area; organizing to collect voters' opinions and promptly reporting to the city. Previously, many delegates were afraid to make recommendations because they were afraid of overlapping with the district level, but now the authority is clearer, the voice of the People's Council at the grassroots level is therefore more important", said Deputy Head of the City National Assembly Delegation Nguyen Thi Suu.

However, many delegates admitted that they are still limited in their monitoring and critical skills, and sometimes lack the confidence to ask thorny questions or make strong recommendations. Some said that their operational resources, from funding to time, are limited, making contact with voters infrequent.

Mr. Truong Quang Trung, Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Huong An ward emphasized: "In addition to infrastructure investment, economic development, and smart urban construction, enhancing the role of People's Council delegates at the commune level is a prerequisite to consolidate the democratic foundation."

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Suu, the National Assembly's policy and the Law on Organization of Local Government have paved the way, but the important thing is the way it operates at the grassroots level. When the authority of the People's Council of the commune and ward is clear and the responsibility of the delegates is strengthened, the requirements for courage, capacity and dedication are greater. Delegates can no longer "sit to fill the seats", but must truly be the representative voice of the people.

To improve operational efficiency in the coming time, the Standing Committee of the City People's Council has requested that the People's Councils of communes and wards should further promote their role in discussions at meetings, select issues that are close to reality and the legitimate aspirations of the people; after the meeting, it is necessary to quickly concretize the resolution, implement it, regularly monitor, urge, and promptly adjust to improve efficiency.

Article and photos: Le Tho

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-tri-xa-hoi/cau-noi-dan-chu-trong-chinh-quyen-dia-phuong-2-cap-158534.html