NA shows strong performance in 2018: top legislator

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency ahead of the upcoming Tet (Lunar New Year), the top legislator said that the NA debated and passed 16 bills, including the revised Law on Corruption Prevention and Control and the Law on Cyber Security.

During the sixth session, with a high percentage of votes, the NA elected General Secretary of Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong as the new State President of Vietnam. This was an important political event for the country which was highly valued by voters and the public in general, noted the NA leader.

Meanwhile, the NA ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and related documents, making Vietnam the seventh country to do so with the deal and showing the political determination of the Party and State in actively integrating into the region and the world, she said.

The sixth session, taking place during October and November last year, was the mid-term meeting of the NA. At the session, the NA deputies cast votes of confidence on 48 officials holding positions elected or approved by the NA.

NA Chairwoman Ngan underlined that this was an extremely important supervision content demonstrating the recognition of and level of confidence in the officials subjected to the vote from the beginning of the tenure, as well as of the fair assessment of their efforts and performances.

Last year was also a successful year for parliamentary external activities in both bilateral and multilateral aspects. The NA showed its active engagement in and made important contributions to inter-parliamentary forums in the region and the world, contributing to the achievements in the country’s foreign relations.

In 2018, Vietnam assumed the position as Vice Chair of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU). This was the second time Vietnam had undertaken this position since it became a member in 1979.

To further increase the effectiveness of diplomatic activities and international integration in 2018, the Vietnamese NA attended the 138th and 139th IPU Assemblies in Geneva, Switzerland; the 39th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) General Assembly in Singapore; the third Meeting of Speakers of Eurasian Countries' Parliaments (MSEAP 3) in Turkey; and the Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Meeting, Ngan stated.

At the meetings, the Vietnamese legislative body made responsible contributions to their working agendas, with their successes praised by participating countries. Vietnam proposed that participating countries continue implementing the UN’s Sustainable Development Programme by 2030 and join hands to tackle the impact of climate change; and emphasised that parliaments hold a responsibility in fostering governments to intensify regional connectivity and multilateral trade to contribute to the growth of each nation and region.

Last year, the Vietnamese NA successfully organised the 26th Annual Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF-26) under the theme of “Parliamentary partnership for peace, innovation, and sustainable development”. The highlight of the meeting was the Hanoi Declaration, which set forth a new vision for Asia-Pacific parliamentary partnership and earned high praises from member parliaments. 

Last December, it also coordinated with the IPU and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to hold a meeting themed “The National Assembly and sustainable development goals” in the central city of Da Nang to introduced a self-assessment toolkit developed and issued by the IPU and UNDP in the Vietnamese language.Vietnam was selected as one of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region to popularise the toolkit to deputies of the Vietnamese NA and all-level People’s Councils, she added.

In the coming time, the top legislator stressed the need for Vietnam to fully implement the international commitments it has signed. The NA will work to complete the law and policy system to act as a foundation for the implementation, she stated.

Regarding the freshly-ratified CPTPP, which is expected to bring about both opportunities and challenges for businesses, Ngan said that the legislature will complete necessary conditions and institutionalise CPTPP regulations.

It will help to speed up the signing and ratification of the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, she added.

The outcomes of the NA operation last year helped increase confidence in the public’s votes, creating motivation for the NA to continue to complete all targets and missions set for 2019 and the remaining years of the 14th tenure, stated the NA leader.