The First Session of the 13th National Assembly Opens

General Secretary and NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong, President Nguyen Minh Triet, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and Chairperson of the Central Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee Huynh Dam attended the opening session.

In his opening speech, NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong stated that at this session, the NA will hear the following things:

- Report on the results of the election of deputies into the 13th NA and delegates into levels of People's Councils in 2011-2016 period.

- Summation report of nationwide voters’ opinions and recommendations towards the election of deputies into the 13th NA and report on the verification of deputies into the 13th NA.

- Decision on organizational structure, voting, and approval of senior personnel in the government. This is a very important and meaningful task that has a significant influence on the quality and effectiveness of the government machinery during its term.

The NA will take consideration into and adopt resolutions on law and ordinance program 2012, discuss and adopt resolutions on the approval of the state budget in 2009 and resolutions on some additional tax solutions that help businesses and individuals deal with difficulties and contribute to promoting economic development in 2011.

The NA will take a look at the report on the implementation of socio-economic development plans and the state budget in the first half of 2011, and at solutions to the implementation of socio-economic development plans and the state budget in the second half of 2011.

The NA will take consideration into the report submitted to the NA Standing Committee on the implementation of guidelines and amendments to the Constitution 1992 and on the establishment of the Commission for Constitution 1992 draft amendment and decide on other essential issues.

The NA Nguyen Phu Trong stressed that in a context in which our country continues to promote a comprehensive reform the Party, the people and the army will be determined to successfully implement the 11th Party Congress’s resolutions, and to lay a foundation for our country to become an basically industrialized country, and that the the 13th NA is required to fully and strongly reform.

The NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong proposed that the NA deputies raise their sense of responsibility, and promote intellectual, democracy, and discussion to make wise choices and decisions, and to contribute many useful ideas to making a successful session.

General Secretary and NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong is making a speech at the opening session

General Secretary stated that the NA’s quality and effectiveness mainly depend on the activities of the NA agencies and of each deputy.

Accordingly, it is a necessity to continue raising the quality and improving the operational efficiency of the NA Standing Committee, to increase the authority and capability of the Ethnic Affairs Council and Project Inspection Committee.

The NA and NA agencies work closely with the President, the government, People's Supreme Court, People's Supreme Procuracy and Central Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee.

It is a necessity to strengthen cooperation with concerned agencies, and timely exchange ideas on pressing issues.

The NA should be fully aware of the rights and responsibilities of the representatives for the people as follows:

- Implement action programs and keep frequent contact with voters.

- Listen to and reflect voters’ true opinions and recommendations.

- Accept voters’ supervision.

- Be positive and active to contribute efforts and intelligence to improving the operations of the NA and NA agencies.

- Uphold the morality, thrift, honesty, righteousness, and public-mindedness.

- Study, train, and improve knowledge and professional skills.

- Obey the government’s policies and laws.

- Be determined to struggle against bureaucracy, corruption, wastefulness and other negative behaviors.

- Pay constant attention to strengthening consultation agencies towards increasing professionalism, mastery, and stability to meet requirements.

- Set up specific mechanisms to encourage and call for associates, scientists, and experts to contribute to the NA’s activities, especially in law-making or decision-making concerning national important issues.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong asked that national construction and defense in a new period are noble tasks towards the NA and the 13th NA deputies.

Nationwide voters expect that the new NA will inherit and promote the achievements of the previous terms and continue putting forward breakthrough solutions and making changes to its contents and operations to further improve efficiency.

The Vietnam Communist Party, a leader of the State and the society within authorities and responsibilities stated in the Constitution, has taken care of the building of a government by the people and for the people.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong believed that the 13th NA will unite and strive to successfully implement its tasks and continue make the development of Vietnam's National Assembly history.

Participants at the opening session

Reporting on the summation report of voters’ opinions and recommendations, Chairperson of the Central Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee Huynh Dam stated that nationwide voters and people need to ask the Party and government to continue promoting a comprehensive reform as follows:

- Build up a clean strong political system with dedicated, responsible, model, clean, and talk-and-work-go-together staff and civil servants.

- Promote democracy and enhance the strength of national unity.

- Create a rapid and sustainable economic development, improve people’s materialistic and spiritual life, and maintain political and social stability.

- Promote external affairs activities.

- Preserve security and national defense and protect the country’s independence, sovereignty, and unity.

Reporting on “Socio-economic situation and the state budget in the first half of 2011 – major tasks and solutions in the second half of 2011”, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung said:

“Taking measures to curb inflation, stabilize macro-economy, and maintain social security according to the Party, the NA, and the government’s resolutions has achieved positive results”

“GDP in the first half of 2011 is estimated to hit by 5.57 percent. Though this rate is lower than that in the first half of 2010 and the NA’s required target in 2011, this is a great effort of the whole country in a difficult period.”

“Inflation tends to go down and exports and commodity market are growing. The State budget revenue shows a pretty big increase, which is estimated at VND327.8 trillion accounting for 55.1 percent. The state budget deficit declines and foreign exchange market is gradually coming into stability. Foreign currency reserves increase and economic growth hits a reasonable rate and social security is paid attention to.”

Realizing that there might be many unexpected changes in the socio-economic situation in late 2011 and in 2012, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung said that major solutions should focus on leadership, directions, and administration in the second half of 2011, on curbing inflation, stabilizing macro-economy, and maintaining social security, which must be considered as a key task, continue to strengthen the Party's leadership and the government’s administration, and promote the whole political system’s strength and consensus to strive to reach socio-economic development targets in 2011-2015 period and socio-economic strategy in 2011-2020 period.

The Government is required to continue implementing a tight monetary policy, to be cautious, to apply a reasonable tight fiscal policy that helps reduce general demand and inflation, to control the market and prices closely, to ensure a stable supply for essential goods and services, to take timely measures to deal with difficulties and obstacles, to encourage production and business activities, promote exports, to control import deficit, and to save energy.

To maintain social security, the government is required to better accomplish targets and tasks in 2011, to create employment for 1.6 million laborers, to reduce the percentage of poor households by 2 percent and of 62 poor districts by 4 percent.

The government is required to continue improving educational quality at all levels of schools on the basis of implementing the educational and training development strategy, providing better social and medical services, expanding health insurance programs, and making cultural development plans and programs which are associated with the development of culture, tourism, and other economic activities.

In terms of national defense, security, external relations, preservation of social order and safety, and special complicated situations, it is necessary to act firmly, promptly, and correctly according to international law, and the Party and the government’s guidelines to protect the country’s sovereignty.

The government is required to take initiative to provide adequate and accurate information and to make the Party and the government’s guidelines, policies, and measures known to the public, to enhance policy dialogues, and to increase the responsibilities of the media towards collecting and managing information.

On the afternoon of July 21, under the administration of General Secretary and NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong, the NA voted to adopt the resolution on the nomination of 500 deputies into the National Assembly, with a 99 percent vote.

The NA heard Minister of Finance Vu Van Ninh presented a written report to the NA to approve of the state budget in 2009.

Minister Vu Van Ninh said that the state budget in 2009 was spent in accordance with the NA and levels of People’s Councils’ resolutions. The central government and local authorities managed and spent the state budget in 2009 on important tasks to prevent an economic recession, to stabilize macro-economy, to sustain economic growth by 5.32 percent, and to maintain social security, focused investment in infrastructure development, and increased investment from government bonds to put their projects into operations effectively.

The verification report on the spending of the state budget in 2009 presented by Head of Finance and Budget Committee of the 12th NA Phung Quoc Hien showed an agreement with the main contents in the report on the government’s state budget spending and highlighted the weaknesses in the 2009 fiscal year budget.

Finance and Budget Committee asked the NA to approve of the state budget spending in 2009.

Particularly, the total budget balance is VND629,187 billion.

Total budget spending balance is VND715, 216 billion.

State budget deficit is VND114,442 billion, as much as 6.9 percent of GDP.

The 12th NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong on behalf of the 12th NA Standing Committee presented the report on the Deputy NA Chairmen and Members of the 13th NA Standing Committee.

Accordingly, the 13th NA Standing Committee is composed of 18 members, including a chairperson, four vice chairmen, and 13 members.

Of four NA Chairmen, one will help the NA Chairman with law and justice, one with economics and finance, one with cultural and social issues, and one with national defence and security.

The working session is expected to go on until August 7.

Source: Dong Nai Newspaper (VNA), Translated by Duy Minh