A
recent notice issued by newly appointed Transport Minister Dinh La Thang asking
ministry officials to stop playing golf to save time for work is “impractical,”
a Ministry of Justice official said Thursday.
Le Hong Son, chief of a department in charge
of inspecting legal documents, said that the new Transport Minister should curb
his enthusiasm and be aware of his authority, as well as that of others.
On October 17, Thang issued a notice banning
senior officials from agencies and companies under the authority of the
Transport Ministry from playing golf, which he said was an unduly
time-consuming activity.
“Over the last years, some leaders of agencies
and companies have showed their inattentive attitude at work, which has
affected the progress of public projects and developments,” Thang’s directive
said.
“One of the reasons for their loose management
is that they had spent too much time playing golf, even during weekends.”
“Playing sports in general and golf in
particular is good, but when our country is still poor, and the companies
themselves are struggling with financial problems, I think we should pay more
attention and save more time to work,” Thang told the VnExpress newswire on
Wednesday.
When asked whether the ban would constitute a
violation of personal freedom and supervisory authority, Thang said the ban
applies to the Transport Ministry only, and it is similar to the regulation banning
Party members from drinking and going to karaoke parlors during working hours.
Thang has assigned the Transport Ministry’s
Personnel Department to supervise implementation of the ban.
“The
transport ministry is quite different from other ministries because many
transport agencies have to work on weekends to finish construction projects on
schedule.
“Therefore, transport officials also have to
work on weekends. If they go playing golf, it may take them the whole day.
“The ban is quite appropriate in this case.
Instead of playing golf, they can play tennis or other sports during their
spare time.”
Son, however, told Thanh Nien the ban was not
practical.
“Why did he ban golf only? Does he think
playing tennis or badminton is not time-consuming?
“Some articles in Thang’s document violate the
rights of public servants, so we will ask the Transport Ministry to revoke the
ban.”
The Department for Inspection of Legal
Documents will also take a look at Thang’s recent instructions involving
restrictions on personal vehicles.
On October 17, Thang said in a meeting with
Hanoi transport authorities that he would propose that the government adjust
the working hours of government offices nationwide in an attempt to reduce
traffic congestion during rush hours in the capital.
Under the proposal, state offices and agencies
would start their workday at 9 a.m. and finish at 6 p.m., about one hour later
than the current timetable (8 a.m.-5 p.m.).
His proposal received mixed reactions from the
public. Nguyen Quoc Hung, director of the Hanoi Transport Department, agreed
that the time adjustment would avoid the overlap of school and work hours.
Since students accounted for about 80 percent
of bus passengers during rush hour, the time adjustment could ease the
overload, said Nguyen Phi Thuong, director general of the Hanoi Transportation
Service Company.
However, some experts said Thang’s solution
was previously applied in Ho Chi Minh City but did not work.
Many parents complained that such adjustment
would disrupt their daily lives. Currently, primary and secondary schools open
at 7-7:30 a.m. daily, so parents would have to take their children to school
and then wait two hours to go to work, they said.
By Thai Son, Thanh Nien News
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