>> Transport Minister fails to get run of the green on golf ban
>> Golf ban for below par Transport Ministry performance
Transport Minister Dinh La Thang said regulations on punishing the ministry’s senior officials for playing golf will be issued despite concerns they may be illegal under employment law.
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| Transport Minister Dinh La Thang |
Dr. Le Hong Son, Head of the Ministry of Justice\'s Department for Examination of Legal Documents, said the document that Minister Thang signed on October 17 on the prohibition was unrealistic, adding that, “Why is only golf banned; not tennis and badminton?”
“We’re preparing a document to ask the Ministry of Transport to withdraw the regulation,” according to Son.
Thang, however, said that the disagreement doesn’t matter to him, and he confirmed that he would uphold the ban.
“The document he signed only prohibits senior officials of the ministry from golf, not all the staff. These officials are party members, so they should conform to the party’s regulations,” the minister noted.
He explained that the transport sector faced a series of problems such as traffic accidents; congestion and weak infrastructure, and senior ministry officials should concentrate more on speeding up work on stagnant projects.
“Golf tournaments take at least a day and often two days. If any official wants the freedom to get a round of golf in, they should resign from their post,” Thang emphasised.
He said he had not yet received any document from the Ministry of Justice.
Thang has recently taken several surprising decisions, including requesting ministry officials to travel by public buses at least twice a week and to cull the head of Danang International Airport’s terminal project management board due to the slow pace of construction. In addition he has proposed changes in school and office hours in a bid to ease the capital’s chronic traffic jams.