2021 PAPI index: Binh Thuan successfully surpassed 41 levels

Top 10 in Control of Corruption

The announcing ceremony of The Vietnam Provincial Governance and Public Administration Performance Index (PAPI) 2021 by the Centre for Community Support and Development Studies (CECODES), the Centre for Research and Training of the Viet Nam Fatherland Front (VFF-CRT), Real-Time Analytics and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) held on May 10 made Binh Thuan surprised with the results. Binh Thuan has left the group of 15 provinces and cities with the lowest scores, leaving the 53rd position among 63 provinces and cities in 2020 and surpassing 41 places to join the best performers group of 15 provinces and cities. With 44.15 points, ranked 12th out of 63 provinces and cities, Binh Thuan’s 2021 PAPI index has 6 out of 8 content rose points and increased in rank compared to 2020. The most prominent content is control corruption, one of the important factors determining the results of the PAPI index; Binh Thuan got 7.4 points, while the national average score was 6.84 points. As a result, the province has been included in the top 10 leading localities in controlling corruption in the country.

Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Tuan Phong speaks at the meeting Deploying socio-economic development tasks in 2022

It is worth noting that this sub-index measures people's perceptions and experiences of the effectiveness of anti-corruption at all levels of government through 4 components; Control corruption in local government, Control corruption in public service delivery, Equity in recruiting human resources, and Determinative against local government's corruption. Therefore, as a long and difficult story, when looking back at the last 5 years, although the provincial leaders have diligently overcome, the results of this index cannot be in the top 20. In 2020, Binh Thuan on this content index stood at 40th out of 63 positions; however, in 2021, the province makes a big step directly into the top 10. This is a groundbreaking result.

Similarly, participation at local levels has even more spectacular growth, from 57th (2017) to 46th (2018), then 58th (2019) to 54th (2020), and 2021 is in 7th with 5.38 points, while the national average is 4.71 points. Besides being another content index, Binh Thuan has a higher score than the country's average score as well as the highest ranking over the past 5 years. The transparency gains 5.52 points, in 15th place, while the national average score is 5.19 points. As for Vertical Accountability, the score went down but compared to the previous years the rank increased to 23rd with 4.41 points, higher than the national average score. Particularly, in Public Administrative Procedures, both index and the ranking decreased, standing at 47/63.

The PAPI index is a tool to monitor policy implementation, reflecting the citizens' voice on the effectiveness of governance, state management, policy implementation, and public service delivery by governments at all levels. Thereby, citizens' voices are listened to, and the people's expectations for the government at all levels are benchmarked to create conditions for the people to participate in national governance.

The PAPI index evaluates on 8 contents including: Participation at Local Levels; Transparency; Vertical Accountability; Control of Corruption; Public Administrative Procedures; Public Service Delivery ; Environmental governance, and E-Governace.

Breakthrough Journey

Those above achieved results in positive changes come from the whole process of searching, analyzing the causes, and finding solutions that can be compared to finding the disease and using the right medicine. In fact, based on the results of the annual publication of the index, the province's PAPI Index has been improved slowly, with the score and ranking in the poor performer's group (2019). The Provincial People's Committee advised the Standing Committee Provincial Party Committee issued Directive 42-CT/TU on improving governance and public administration efficiency (PAPI Index) in Binh Thuan province. At the same time, also issued a Plan to implement tasks and solutions to improve the province's PAPI Index.

However, perhaps the right "drug" was prescribed in 2020, the PAPI index slid to 53rd out of 63rd. That result seemed to clarify the situation; The Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Home Affairs to review the report, analyze the shortcomings, and limitations, and clearly identify the causes and responsibilities of the units. Besides training and fostering to improve professional qualifications and public service ethics to change the awareness, attitudes, and actions of the contingent of cadres, civil servants, and public employees, the implementation of administrative reform is the other augmented employment. Specifically, promoting publicity and transparency activities of state agencies to organizations and individuals, especially information related to land planning, construction, administrative procedures, and funds mobilized and contributed by government agencies; implementing the Regulation on democracy in the operation of state agencies and the Ordinance on the implementation of the democratic regulation at the commune level.

People come to do transactions at the Provincial Public Administration Center

Thereby, the Provincial People's Committee has directed, mastered, and assigned specific responsibilities to agencies, units, and localities based on functions and tasks to monitor and implement solutions to improve the provincial PAPI Index, as well as promulgating Plan No. 2992/KH-UBND dated 12/8/2021 on implementing tasks and solutions to improve PAR Index, PAPI, SIPAS in 2021 and 2021-2025 period in the province.

One month later, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee continued to issue Directive No. 11-CT/TU dated September 7, 2021, on strengthening the leadership of the Party in improving the PAR Index, SIPAS, PAPI, PCI indexes in the period of 2021-2025. In many meetings with related content, provincial leaders also specifically emphasized the officials' "bottleneck". And the added “remedy” was more relevant.

According to the leader of the Binh Thuan Department of Home Affairs, in recent years, agencies, units, and localities in the province have strived to effectively implement the goals, tasks, and solutions suggested by Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee.

At the same time, it should promote the implementation of office culture, prevent harassment, and trouble in handling administrative procedures for organizations and citizens; Strictly apologize to organizations and individuals for late appointments and errors in handling administrative procedures. Moreover, the locality should also promote and improve the operational efficiency of the Provincial Public Administration Center and the Single Window Department at all levels; focus on inspection, examination, and supervision for the settlement of administrative procedures for organizations and individuals and inspect the implementation of tasks to improve the PAPI index at local levels of government. In particular, it is necessary to start practicing several pilot models in handling administrative procedures to serve the people well, such as the non-writing model, transferring the post office to perform public administrative services model, and supporting organizations and individuals to perform online public services at levels 3 and 4 in the province model.

The implementation of these models has brought practical effects and is supported by the people. The results of the PAPI Index in 2021 clearly demonstrate that support, thereby showing the effectiveness of the first step in removing the "human bottleneck".