National Assembly committees should pay attention to specific cases and complaints, says Le Thi Thu Ba, chairwoman of the legislature’s Justice Committee.
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VietNamNet: You were a member of the Committee for Law of the 9th and 10th NA and now you are a Chairwoman of the NA’s Committee for Justice. Has the legislature changed appreciably?
Le Thi Thu Ba, born in 1956 in HCM City, now lives in Hanoi’s Dong Da District. She was elected to represent Dong Nai province in the National
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Deputy Le Thi Thu Ba: There have been big changes since the 9th and 10th National Assemblies. The 11th NA (2002-2007) was quite dynamic; many activities were implemented very effectively. The quality of deputies’ activities got better. The 12th NA continues that momentum. The Law on the Organisation of the NA has broadened our role, for example we now oversee anti-corruption activities. Higher expectations require individual deputies and the NA committees to exert greater efforts.
VietNamNet: Is the pressure on full-time deputies like you greater than on part-time deputies?
Deputy Thu Ba: All deputies must strive to improve the quality and effectiveness of their operations, but the pressure on full-time deputies is greater. Part-time deputies only spend one third of year on Assembly business, that is, attending the two month-long plenary sessions, meeting constituents and participating in some committee activities. We members of the Assembly’s Standing Committee feel our responsibilities more heavily.
VietNamNet: When you were Deputy Minister of Justice, did you ever “hate” the NA for calling attention to your Ministry’s unfulfilled tasks?
Thu Ba: When I was appointed as Deputy Minister of Justice, I was already an NA deputy, so I understood that the NA has to supervise government agencies on behalf of the people. Having served in both roles, I clearly understand that the legislative oversight requires understanding, austerity and also an objective and comprehensive view, so that things don’t get too tense. Sometimes ministries are frustrated by circumstances; we need to understand that. We’ve found that Government agencies respond positively when the Justice Committee makes comments – last year more than 90 percent of our suggestions were accepted.
VietNamNet: Which is harder, being a deputy minister or a deputy?
Thu Ba: A deputy minister is just an assistant to the minister. The deputy is hardly noticed because the spotlight’s on the boss. In the NA, I head a committee, so there’s a spotlight on me, too. My responsibility is higher and more direct. Constituent pressure on deputies and NA committees is very heavy.
VietNamNet: The Justice Committee is new in the 12th Assembly (it was split from the NA’s Committee for Laws – VNNB). Are things going well for you?
Thu Ba: I have had an opportunity to build the mechanism and set a working style for the new committee at the beginning, and I’m not compared to predecessors.
My committee had lengthy discussions before we reached agreement on how we should supervise the handling of citizens’ complaints in the committee’s areas of competence. Many members worried that the committee couldn’t solve a large number of complaints and wondered if the committee should attempt to do so. I had to convince others that if the committee only supervises in general and doesn’t deal with specific cases, it cannot protect the rights and interests of constituents.
Moreover, if we don’t consider specific cases, the committee would not have evidence to evaluate the work of judicial agencies. The experience of addressing specific complaints helps the committee when we review the annual reports of judiciary agencies.
Other members agreed to try it as I proposed. After three years, I think everyone agrees that our decision was correct.
VietNamNet: It is said that congressmen should pay attention to big issues, not specific cases. Does that lead to a gap between constituents’ opinions and your own concerns?
Thu Ba: I’m an NA deputy; that means I ought to deal with constituents’ concerns. They elect me to defend their basic rights. They don’t know about macro-level issues. They have the right to speak if their rights and interests are violated.
I don’t agree that NA deputies should only pay attention to big issues. I always remind Justice Committee members not to divide the people’s complaints into big and small issues. We have to pay attention to all mistakes.
VietNamNet: You don’t speak a lot in plenary sessions. Why’s that?
Thu Ba: Because I’m both the chairperson of the NA’s Committee for Justice and a member of the NA Standing Committee, I limit my remarks to appropriate places and times. Typically, I have already made comments on inspection and other reports or have expressed my opinion at the Standing Committee meetings.
VietNamNet: Is that a loss for you because, though you do a good job, your constituents don’t know it?
Thu Ba: No, not at all. What’s important is the quality of my work. Whenever the Standing Committee recommends a draft piece of legislation, it has already discussed it carefully. As a Standing Committee member, I make comments during the whole process of law making. Other NA Standing Committee members generally refrain from speaking at general sessions, too. Committee vice chairmen are not members of the Standing Committee so they make speechs.
VietNamNet: What do you do in your free time?
I usually go home at six or seven p.m. After I watch the news on TV, read some newspapers and have dinner, I’m so tired that i only want to go to bed. I have to work on Saturday and don’t have much time for relaxation.
Actually, since assuming chairmanship of the Justice Committee, I feel more pressure. We only have eight full-time members and 20 staff to do a mountain of work. I’m asking the Assembly to increase the number of full-time members of the Justice Committee in the next term.
Khanh Linh
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