The Third Ordinary Session of Laos’ National Assembly (Ninth Legislature) is underway, with delegations debating a variety of issues, and one representative is calling for an end to corruption.
One delegation of National Assembly representative, also Vice President of Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry(LNCCI), Ms. Valy Vetsaphong, made an impassioned speech during the meeting regarding issues that the nation is facing.
The representative stressed the importance of a complete overhaul of the financial sector and the investment environment. She also urged the government to begin taking real action against corrupt officials instead of issuing warnings, implying that they should be punished and demoted as in other countries.
“Government sectors should be able to select only high-performing individuals because otherwise problems cannot be resolved and laws are not fully enforced. This is all about human resources,” she said.
“Many laws have been passed, but none of them have been enforced,” she added.
She also mentioned that income from major project investments has not only been misreported but also miscalculated.
Ms. Valy also proposed all exchange shops be temporarily closed until the currency mess can be sorted out.
“The people face a bleak future, and all businesses are losing money due to the exchange rate,” she said to the central bank.
The representative mentioned at the end of her statement that in order to save the tourism industry, only the government should be allowed to manage train fares, rather than allowing a private company to do so.
