The political signals sent by the Vietnamese government in recent national elections are boosting hopes for a stronger campaign to cure corruption, a social ill reflected in continued media reports exposing officials accused of wrongdoing.

One of the clearest signals for people here is the expulsion of three senior Communist Party members, accused of corrupt acts ranging from nepotism to links with known offenders, from the list of candidates for the election of the single-chamber National Assembly, just three days before the May 19 vote.

On that day, more than 50 million voters turned out to elect 498 delegates to the assembly, a body that is now also expected to restructure the country's legal system and plug loopholes that lead to poor and inefficient social and economic management.

Indeed, many Vietnamese say that the election is the right time for the country to make a thorough examination to find the best treatment for red tape, waste and corruption. Corruption, be it taking bribes or ''robbing socialist property'', is considered the most serious illness in this list.

"Corruption is a national disaster,'' remarked Nguyen Van Lap, who voted at District 3 here in this southern Vietnamese city.

"Only small fish have been caught," said Tran Thi Hoa, 49, mother of three children. Hoa said the media have uncovered numerous cases of corruption, such as poor-quality construction, but so far not many high-ranking officials have been asked to account for their behaviour.

Declare assets

It was against the backdrop of such sentiments that the weekend election was held — and then highlighted by events that reflected both public and government concern for the corruption problem.

For instance, one of the criteria for candidates for the National Assembly is to be ''exemplary in observing the law''. Voters were also urged to cast ballots for good deputies that will help construct a strong legal infrastructure for Vietnam.

For the first time, too, National Assembly candidates were required to declare their assets worth more than 50 million Vietnamese dong (US$3,300). The assembly will be composed of a minimum of one-quarter full-time members, resulting in more productive working time for the body.

It will also become more 'qualified', having more delegates with legislature and judiciary qualifications.

These changes reflect Vietnam's eagerness to improve its legal and judicial systems to comply with a bilateral trade pact with the United States, and to prepare for the World Trade Organisation.

When the new assembly finishes reconstructing the country's legal infrastructure, Vietnam would be shifted from a state governed by decrees to a nation ruled by transparent laws, government officials say.

"We need to build a strong and transparent government system, fighting against corruption and bureaucracy," Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said after casting his vote Sunday in Hanoi.

The general secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party, Nong Duc Manh, said tens of thousands of party members and civil servants had been disciplined for graft, but acknowledged that "corruption has not declined. It's not easy to discover".

Indeed, Tran Van Tru, a 76-year-old party member and war veteran, pointed out that although top party cadres and officials were asked to declare their assets, no one seems to be taking this measure seriously.

''The Party keeps on sticking to the old way of washing dirty clothes at home,'' Tru said.

National assembly candidates are required to declare assets, but these declarations have not been made public.

Rejected candidates

Election rules actually state that candidates should be of high moral standing. That is why Le Cong Minh and Tran Trung An were removed from the list of candidates for the National Assembly by the Fatherland Front, a mass organisation managed by the Communist Party, with the presumed agreement by the party's powerful Central Committee.

Minh, deputy party secretary of Quang Binh central province, was removed for falsifying his personal history, and An, the chairperson of the People's Committee of northern Nam Dinh province, for allegedly arranging a civil service job for his son.

A third candidate, Vietnam's Communist Party Central Committee member and director of Radio Vietnam, Tran Mai Hanh, suffered the same fate for his links with Nam Cam, a notorious underworld gang leader.

The Nam Cam scandal broke out when the nation was preparing for the National Assembly election. He was first arrested in 1995 for leading a gang specialising in gambling and usury, but was rapidly — and mysteriously — released from detention.

Early this month, the local Thanh Nien newspaper published documents proving that candidate Tran Mai Hanh, at that time general secretary of Vietnam's Association of Journalists and editor-in-chief of a magazine, had lobbied for Nam Cam's release.

The newspaper also showed that Cam had very close relations with police leaders in Ho Chi Minh City. So deep were these links that officials say they were only able to crack the case by sending in police from other provinces.

Cam was arrested in December on charges of murder. He was accused of ordering the slaying of a rival gang member from northern Vietnam who attempted to encroach on his business ''empire'' — which include several hotels, restaurants, discos and gambling dens in Ho Chi Minh City.

Police, journos arrested

Since then, more than 60 people have been arrested for links to the underworld king, including dozens of police officers and two journalists.

Police Senior Lt Col Duong Minh Ngoc and two other police officers in this city — a former district police chief and former chief of anti-prostitution and gambling unit — were arrested last week for links to Nam Cam. Also last week, police arrested a prosecutor in Hanoi for allegedly helping protect Cam.

This scandal has captivated the public, which follows the event with excitement in local newspapers. The arrest of Nam Cam's expert lobbyist, Thuyet buon vua (Thuyet, trader of kings), has especially attracted their attention because they were anticipating that Thuyet would disclose more "big heads" involved in the case.

Vo Van Kiet, who was prime minister when Nam Cam was arrested and released for the first time, told Tuoi Tre newspaper this week that he had not received any report of this case during his tenure. "If I had known, I would have never let it happen," he said.

But Kiet affirmed that the Politburo has ordered that everyone, even top party cadres or high-ranking officials involved in Nam Cam scandal would be punished under the law. "We are not afraid of losing cadres. If corruption was an ulcer, we should operate it so as to keep the body healthy," he said.