Nguyen Huu Que, the top Party official of Ia Grai District in Gia Lai, said the regrettable incident happened to him during a surprise inspection trip on June 19.

Curious to see how public officials were behaving in front of citizens, Que dressed casually and didn’t reveal his identity during the trip.

“When I entered an office inside the headquarters of the administration of Ia Pech Commune, I saw an employee sleeping on duty with his legs stretched out on top of the desk,” he recalled.

Que said he questioned another employee about the unacceptable behavior, which was when the sleeping man woke up.

The sleeping public servant, later identified as land and construction employee Nguyen Canh Thang, reportedly glowered at Que and shouted, “What is it?”

“I was astounded by the reaction, so I told him that as a civil servant he should take his job seriously and not be sleeping on duty, to which he responded by mumbling ineligible words,” Que recounted.

After Que reported his forgettable encounter to the local administration, the employee has received a reprimand for his behavior.

“It is unacceptable that civil servants display such attitude at work in front of citizens,” Que said.

“Without strict disciplinary actions, these kinds of behaviors will ruin the public image of officials,” he added.

Que has been known for his dedication and no-nonsense style of governing during his past positions before becoming the Party chief of Ia Grai District in April 2018.

In 2015, he was lauded by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, who was deputy PM at the time, for his selfless actions to restore order on Gia Lai roads as director of the provincial transport department.

Nguyen Huu Que (R) as director of Gia Lai Province's Department of Transport. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!