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The 12 th National Assembly (NA) convened its fourth session in Hanoi on Oct. 16, focusing on measures to continue reining in inflation and the lawmaking programme.
The opening ceremony saw the presence of Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, State President Nguyen Minh Triet, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Huynh Dam, former Party General Secretary Le Kha Phieu and former State President Tran Duc Luong.
In his opening speech, NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong stressed the fact that the fourth session is taking place in the context of unpredictable and complex upheavals in the global economy, with financial turmoil affecting several powerful economies, resulting in many countries being forced to readjust their economic targets amid adverse effects upon their national economies.
However, those negative effects have been mitigated step by step, NA Chairman Trong said, referring to the determination of the entire political system, the aggregate efforts of the Party, the people, the army, industry, branches, localities, businesses and the Government’s prompt and flexible instructions.
“Although our economy still faces numerous difficulties and challenges ahead, encouraging outcomes have been recorded,” the NA Chairman said.
During the morning session, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung presented a report that reviewed the country’s socio-economic performance in 2008 and outlined tasks for 2009.
He said the Government will make continuing their efforts to rein in inflation a priority in order to ensure macro-economic stability, better social welfare services, maintain a sustainable and appropriate growth rate, and ensure political stability, security and social order for 2009.
To realise those goals, the PM outlined the need for relevant agencies to concentrate on implementing monetary, investment, and import-export policies effectively to provide more safeguards to the nation’s financial and banking systems, aiming to reduce the rate of inflation to below 15 percent in 2009 and to a single-digit figure by 2010.
Additionally, all of the country’s strengths and resources must be employed and international cooperation and integration processes need to be reinforced so that the country can maintain its growth rate at 7 percent and attract more foreign investment, PM Dung said.
According to the PM’s report, the drive to tame inflation and stabilise the macro-economy has reaped initial important results, helping the national economy maintain an impressive growth rate in the wake of raging inflation.
This year’s GDP growth rate is estimated at 6.5-7 percent off the back of estimated increases of 3.5-3.9 percent in agriculture, 7.3-7.5 percent in industry and construction, and 7.2-7.8 percent in services. Accordingly, GDP per capita is predicted to reach over 1,000 USD.
Despite the difficulties posed by natural disasters, livestock diseases, and the rising cost of imports, the agriculture sector still posted a 5.1 percent rise in its production values, with rice output rising by a record 2.6 million tonnes and seafood catches increasing by almost 9 percent.
Industrial production value is estimated to increase by 16.2 percent, while total commodity retail and services revenue is expected to rise 31 percent.
Over the course of this year, export earnings are estimated to rake in 65 billion USD, or a leap of 33.9 percent, the biggest increase in ten years.
PM Dung also stressed that due attention has been paid to social welfare policy and its implementation, in addition to education and training, healthcare, culture, information and environmental protection.
There were remarkable changes in administrative reform, the fight against corruption and wastefulness and thrift practice, as well as excellent results in matters of foreign affairs and international economic cooperation, the Government leader told NA deputies.
He also noted the current political and social stability and the maintenance of defence, security and social order as other achievements recorded by the country.
While affirming those initial important results, PM Dung pointed to the fact that inflation remains high, the trade deficit has not yet been reduced, the macro-economy remains unstable, the effectiveness and competition of the national economy remains low and economic growth rate targets can hardly be achieved.
He pointed out that low-income earners, the poor and people living in remote, rural and calamity-hit areas have been struggling against numerous difficulties while relevant agencies have been slow in settling pressing social issues.
In addition to examining the Government’s reports, the 12 th NA’s fourth session will focus on debating and passing the Special Consumption Tax Law (revised), the Law on State Officials and Civil Servants, the Law on Vietnamese Nationality (revised), the Law on Execution of Civil Judgments, the Law on Health Insurance, the Hi-tech Law, the Road Traffic Law (Revised), the Bio-diversity Law, and a resolution on the 2009 legislative programme.
The NA deputies will discuss six other bills and examine working reports tabled by the NA committees, the performance of the Supreme People’s Court and the Supreme People’s Procuracy, plus a host of other reports by relevant agencies.
During the session, the NA deputies will hear a summary of voters’ opinions on a range of subjects and engage in question and answer sessions with government cabinet members. They are expected to discuss and approve the NA’s oversight programme for 2009.
Projects relating to the trial removal of people’s councils at the district and ward levels and the direct election of the people’s committee chairman at the commune level are also due to be discussed.
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