Land petitioners in Thu Thiem are very angry with senior communist officials in Ho Chi Minh City

Người dân  bức xúc về sai phạm dự án Khu đô thị mới Thủ Thiêm.
People are upset about the project of Thu Thiem new urban area.

They are very angry when the senior officials of the communist party Committee in Ho Chi Minh City decided not to impose disciplines against the officials committed wrongdoings in Thu Thiem urban project, saying the case was old.

In fact, giving a “critical” handling level to some of the incumbents like Tat Thanh Cang is a very light punishment for their wrongdoings.

According to the accusation of lawyer Dang Dinh Manh, “Thu Thiem’s ​​land petitioners have repeatedly complained and denounced over the past 20 years, it is impossible to say that the government does not know the crime to handle it and finally said the time was over for punishment? So who has delayed, creating conditions for Cang to escape is still a question mark.”

Surely the two questions are just a form of rhetoric. Everyone is too clear with the most radical answer, the most “true of the Constitution” is clearly stated as evident in Article 4, the 2013 Constitution: “the Communist Party of Vietnam is the force leading the state and society” and “be accountable to the people for their decisions” as well as “The Party’s organizations and the Communist Party of Vietnam operate within the framework of the Constitution and the law.”

First, the Politburo and the HCM City Party Committee work together as “city leaders,” so the wrongdoings over the past 20 years at the Thu Thiem new urban area project, the default responsibility is none other, it is the general secretaries and the city party committee’s secretaries in the period.

Next, the retired general secretaries and the incumbent one, together with the secretaries of the city party Comiittee, take all responsibility for personnel mobilization decisions, leading to these personnel formed a group to demolish the project of Thu Thiem new urban area during the past 20 years; and so far this faction has not been punished in accordance with the regulations of the state laws.

Third, the Constitution states that everyone is equal before the law. However, this rule was not respected as state and party officials committing wrongdoings have not been punished.

There is an example to clearly see the reasons why Thu Thiem people are very angry:

Regarding the results of consideration and disciplinary action for the case at the Thu Thiem new urban area project, the Inspection Committee of the City Party Committee said: implementing the notice of the Central Inspection Committee’s conclusion on the inspection results when there are signs of violation related to the leadership, direction and implementation of the Thu Thiem New Urban Area Project, the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee directed to review the responsibilities of 66 party members who violated in the case.

Specifically, the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee reports in writing, proposing to the Central Inspection Committee to consider under its authority for a comrade.

For 3 members of the city party’s Committee of the 2015 – 2020 term: Phan Thi Thang who is also a vice chairman of the City People’s Council and former director of the Department of Finance, Bui Xuan Cuong- party secretary, and director of the City Railway Management Board, and former director of Department of Transport, and Tat Thanh Cang- former director of the Department of Transport have committed wrongdoings that require disciplinary actions, but as their wrongdoings were for long time ago, so the City Party Committee cannot impose adequate disciplines on them but just criticized them.

(Excerpt from “Results of consideration and discipline of party organization and party members for the case at the Thu Thiem New Urban Area Project and 8 units“, posted on the website of the Party Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, date Aug 7, 2020).

Speaking of mistakes in the process of implementing Thu Thiem urban area associated with the name Tat Thanh Cang – Bui Xuan Cuong – Phan Thi Thang, it is impossible not to mention the investment project to build 4 main roads in a proper form. BT (build – transfer). The 4 routes are: Vong Cung Boulevard (R1), central lakeside road (R2), Saigon riverside road (R3) and Delta road, Delta road, riverside road – residential area (R4 ).

In the announcement of the 31st session from November 12-14, 2018, the Central Inspection Committee announced the content related to the inspection when there are signs of violation against Mr. Tat Thanh Cang – standing deputy secretary of HCM City Party Committee.

According to the Central Inspection Agency, on December 1, 2014, the director of the HCM City Department of Finance signed a BT contract to build these 4 roads. However, a year earlier, in November 2013, the appointed enterprise signed off the BT contract with the leaders of the city and the project was started in early 2014 to meet the progress of completion in 2017. This short-term contract signed by Mr. Tat Thanh Cang, who was then the director of the Department of Transport) on behalf of the City People’s Committee. The contract was signed and stamped “confidential.”

This contract represents the project of 4 “ribs” roads of Thu Thiem urban area including Arc boulevard (route R1, 3.4 km long); central lakeside road (route R2- 3km long); Saigon riverside road (Road R3- 3km long); delta roads, delta roads, riverside roads – residential areas (route R4- 2.5 km long). There are also 10 bridges including 2 viaducts, 4 roads with a total length of nearly 12km, width from 11.6 meters to 55 meters with a total investment of more than VND8,265 billion. If including the provisioning cost due to price slippage and interest (VND3,917 billion), the total capital is more than VND12.2 trillion.

Thus, on average, each kilometer of road in Thu Thiem urban area costs nearly VND700 billion- 4 times the investment rate of the North-South expressway approved by the National Assembly (nearly VND182 billion/km) and more than 3 times of Hanoi – Hai Phong expressway (about VND250 billion/km).

In return, the company that signed this contract was assigned 79 ha of land in Thu Thiem new urban area (Thu Thiem ward and An Loi Dong ward) to develop real estate projects. Land allocation price at that time (2013) was only an average of VND26.7 million /m2.

However, the above signing is not authorized under the provisions of Decree 108 2009 of the Government on investment in the form of build – operate – transfer contract, build – transfer – operate contract. , build-transfer contracts. According to the decree, the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City is only approved for total investment in BT projects with a total investment of less than VND1.5 trillion.

And the current results? “Due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for disciplining the party, the City Party Committee has unanimously concluded criticism.”

How can they not be very angry?

Thoibao.de (Translated)

Source: https://vietnamthoibao.org/vntb-dan-thu-thiem-lai-phai-ua-gan-voi-may-ong-dang-cua-tp-hcm/

Kasse animation 7.8.2023