The identities of those involved in corruption may be made public, regardless of their office or whether they are still active.
More drastic measures needed for anti-corruption
On March 7, a national conference will be held on corruption in Vietnam, the largest of it's kind to date. One of the most prominent measures to be discussed will be outing those who have been involved in misconduct.
Fog and loopholes
According to a report drawn up for the meeting, anti-corruption measures have not been effective over the past five years. The conclusions of the report seem to suggest that instead of dealing with the problem on a case by case basis, policy must be changed.
Another shortfall, according to the report, is that the problem has not been taken seriously enough by party organisations. A lack of transparency has allowed officials to hide behind their offices and use their connections to get away with criminal behaviour.
Regulations requiring state officials to declare their assets has proven the inadequacies of current policy, as well as a lack of enforcement. To date, many party members have yet to comply with codes of conduct as a result of lax oversight.
While a total of 76,000 party members were found with different wrongdoings over the past five years, many agencies reviewed their officials cursorily and detected no misconducts.
Drastic measures needed
The Central Steering Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam plans to clearly define and intensify the responsibilities of leaders regarding the issue. One option still on the table is to have high-ranking leaders make public commitments to the people.
The suggested punishments for those found to be responsible for corruption are dismissal and forced resignation.
The committee also plans to suggest stricter penalties for individual violators.
Incomes of high-ranking officials will also be a topic of discussion, with the hopes that more oversight could lead to greater transparency.
Before the final report is released in late April or early May, public opinion on the issue will be gathered.
