Experts highlight Vietnam's determination in corruption fight

Sydney, August 12 (VNA) – Thanks to strong political determination demonstrated by the Communist Party of Vietnam and its General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Vietnam has recorded significant results in fighting corruption, said Dr. Nguyen Hong Hai, a researcher at the Centre for Policy Futures under the University of Queensland in Australia. In a recent interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Hai stressed that this determination is manifested through the commitment to handle corruption without “any forbidden zone and exceptions”, and mechanisms to achieve the goals of "not wanting to, not daring to, not being able to, and not needing to commit corruption". General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has also repeatedly emphasised that the fight against corruption and other negative phenomena has now become an irreversible trend, Hai said, adding that the resolve to combat corruption has its origin in three points, first of all is to safeguard the regime. Second, the fight against corruption is closely linked to the goal of a strong country, wealthy people, and a democratic, fair and civilised society, therefore it will be hard to genuinely achieve these objectives without effectively combating corruption, Hai stressed. And third, the fight is for the prestige and honour of the Party. The expert expressed the belief that if there were an index to assess public confidence in the anti-corruption work, that index would certainly increase year by year. He said that the more corruption cases are openly and transparently addressed, the higher level of trust in the Party and State’s political determination will be. Dr. Chu Hoang Long from the Australian National University said that Vietnam's upward movement in the corruption perceptions index (CPI) report by Transparency International indicates that Vietnam's efforts in combating corruption have resulted in significant changes recognised by international experts. Vietnam is one of the 25 countries that saw an improvement in its ranking, gaining 3 points and moving up 10 places compared to the previous ranking. Looking at the index, it can be said that Vietnam is a bright spot in the fight against corruption, Long said. Combating corruption is a long-term and complicated process that demands steadfast belief in principles and theories, along with resolute determination and political strength, he stressed. The primary cause behind corruption is the lack of transparency, so it is essential to further increase transparency in the exercise of authority and responsibilities by management agencies, Long went on./.