Trịnh Thế Khiết, National Assembly deputy of Hanoi (Photo: Doãn Tấn/VNA)

(VOVworld) – The National Assembly’s deputies on Wednesday discussed in groups the revised Law on Cooperatives. Most deputies agreed that the basic difference between a cooperative and a business is simply that no individual has overall control or ownership. Some proposed clarifying the new-style model, in which members voluntarily give each other mutual support. Le Dac Lam is a deputy from Binh Thuan province ‘The social worth of a cooperative is bigger than that of a business in terms of job generation and vocational training. I propose that cooperatives should have the right of self determination in the supply of products and services to the market. I agree with one proposal to outline an incentive on tax for cooperatives, especially in disadvantaged areas’.

The deputies also debated the revised Lawyers Law and amended the Electricity Law. Most deputies said that officials should not tamper with legislation as this affects the Law’s objectiveness. Some officials can practice law but those officials should be teaching law instead. There were calls to increase the training course for lawyers from 6 to 12 months. Deputy Tran Thi Hoa Sinh from Lang Son province says ‘Lawyers must improve their qualifications and abilities. Our lawyers have not yet taken part in high-profile international lawsuits. Some of the content in the 2006 law is no longer suitable, so it needs to be amended and revised to expand lawyers’ rights and the new lawyers’ model’.

Regarding the Electricity Law, most deputies said that the electricity sector is still a monopoly and most agreed to keep local authorities responsible for electricity development planning. Calculating electricity prices to recoup the sector’s costs is causing difficulties to remote areas and islands that are not connected to the national grid. Nguyen Long Binh, a NA Deputy from Yen Bai province, says ‘Electricity development planning must be in line with socio-economic development demands and we should be planning 10 years ahead. I agree that the cost of electricity needs to be adjusted in line with market mechanisms and be under state management. It is also necessary to justify electricity prices’.