Strengthening Cooperative Alliance’s role as an “extended arm” at grassroots level

With the two-tier local government model now in operation, the role of economic affairs officials, including those responsible for cooperatives (Co-ops) at the commune and ward levels, is becoming increasingly important. They are not only responsible for handling registration procedures and managing cooperatives and cooperative groups, but also serve as a bridge bringing policies to the grassroots while conveying cooperatives’ practical difficulties and needs to specialized agencies.

Officials of the Dong Nai City Cooperative Alliance and Trang Bom Ward conduct a field survey and encourage local residents to develop the collective economy.

Making effective use of this role across 95 wards and communes will help the Dong Nai City Cooperative Alliance stay closely connected with the grassroots and provide more substantive support for the collective economy sector.

Supporting cooperatives from the grassroots

The reality of collective-economy operations shows that many administrative procedure issues require support from local officials for cooperatives and cooperative groups. These may involve residents who want to establish a cooperative but do not know where to begin, a cooperative group that needs guidance on a cooperative contract, or a cooperative that has ceased operations for many years but has yet to complete dissolution procedures.

In such cases, economic affairs officials at the commune and ward levels are the first to make contact, provide guidance and subsequently monitor the situation. Meanwhile, many officials at commune and ward economic affairs divisions are required to take on multiple areas of responsibility, ranging from agriculture and trade to household businesses and the collective economy, resulting in a substantial workload.

At a professional exchange and dialogue between the Dong Nai City Cooperative Alliance and officials responsible for the collective economy at communes and wards on September 3, this issue was brought into clear focus. Following the reorganization of administrative units, the areas managed by communes and wards have become larger, while the number of cooperatives and cooperative groups requiring monitoring has increased. At the same time, there have been considerable changes among the personnel responsible for this work. This places demands not only on the professional capacity of grassroots officials but also on coordination between local authorities and the Cooperative Alliance.

When commune and ward officials are provided with adequate information and timely support, they can better address problems as they arise. Nguyen Thi Kim Thoa, a specialist with the Economic Affairs, Infrastructure and Urban Management Division of Dau Giay Ward, said grassroots officials still face difficulties in receiving, appraising and issuing registration certificates for cooperatives and cooperative groups, as well as managing and dissolving cooperatives that have been inactive for many years. Therefore, guidance and access to information are essential to enable grassroots officials to provide better advice to cooperatives and cooperative groups.

Turning the “extended arm” into a two-way bridge

Officials responsible for the collective economy at communes and wards should not be viewed simply as people carrying out state management duties. They should be considered the Cooperative Alliance’s “extended arm” at the grassroots level, helping the provincial-level Cooperative Alliance understand what cooperatives need, what difficulties they face and how policies are being translated into practice.

Officials of the Dong Nai City Cooperative Alliance conduct a field survey in Trang Bom Ward.

This is particularly important given the large number of cooperatives and cooperative groups in Dong Nai City and the wide range of sectors in which they operate. The Dong Nai City Cooperative Alliance cannot maintain a regular presence in every locality, but through officials responsible for the collective economy at the commune and ward levels, information from the grassroots can be conveyed more quickly and more closely reflect actual conditions. Building a team of local officials who truly understand cooperatives also means building the most accessible support network for the collective economy sector.

According to Nguyen Thanh Hien, Vice Chairwoman in charge of the Dong Nai City Cooperative Alliance, when commune and ward officials assigned to develop the collective economy have a firm grasp of regulations, understand cooperatives and have a specialized contact point for consultation and exchange, the gap between policy and practice can be narrowed, enabling the Cooperative Alliance to remain closely attuned to the realities of the collective economy at the grassroots level.

By Vuong The – Translated by Mai Nga, Minho