Lawmakers assess performance of NA appointed officials

The National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday held a formal review to assess the performance of state officials they have appointed as the government looks to speed up implementation of the 8th five-year national development plan.
At the event, which took place during the 8th session of the 8th legislature of the Lao National Assembly in Vientiane, the NA President, Mrs Pany Yathotou led lawmakers in placing completed assessment sheets on the performance of NA appointed officials into the arranged ballot boxes.
According to information obtained by Vientiane Times from the NA Secretariat Office, the performance of 69 state officials was assessed during this NA session. Some were from the legislature branch, 28 were from the executive branch and 11 officials were from the judiciary and inspection branch.

The NA used three criteria to assess the work of the appointed state officials: political value, leadership in implementing Party policies and state laws, and finally ability and knowledge to perform their duty.
The assessment of the NA appointed officials took place as the country is speeding up the implementation of the 8th Five-Year National Socio-Economic Development Plan, which the current legislature approved in its plenary session four years ago.   Next Year will be the final year of implementing the 8th national development plan.
Under the current five-year plan, the government has vowed to improve the business climate, aiming to diversify the economic base away from the natural resources sector. However, the translation of this initiative has been quite slow.
Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith said in an earlier session of the NA conference that the government would improve its working methodology through an update of public administration job descriptions as well as refining coordination between relevant sectors.
He said the government would push for the establishment and effective functioning of a one-stop service to facilitate investment in the country, adding that more personnel would be mobilised for this work. He also said that if the increased workforce failed to improve the function of the one-stop service, some officials would be removed from their posts.
The NA has been playing a greater role in state administration. During its session, NA members demanded that government officials work harder to ensure that they fulfil the aims of the five-year development plan as promised to the NA.

By Ekaphone Phouthonesy
(Latest Update December 6, 2019)