Good examples set by cadres and party members contribute to both building a strong Party and consolidating the people’s faith in the Party. Thus, bad examples shown by cadres represent a sign of “self-degradation” that should be actively fought against.

The Communist Party of Vietnam is affectionately called “Our Party” by the people. The reason is that in any circumstance, members of our Party always heighten the role model-setting responsibility and set outstanding examples for the masses to follow. However, at present, a section of cadres and party members, including senior officials of our Party and State have committed degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle, thereby causing frustration amongst the people. More specifically, those cadres and party members have shown bad examples and the sign of “self-degradation.”

The Communist Party of Vietnam fulfils its glorious mission only when cadres and party members uphold the role model-setting responsibility, put the benefits of the Party and the working class above their individual ones, and readily sacrifice their lives when necessary. From revolutionary realities, President Ho Chi Minh believed that setting good examples and using good deeds to educate each other are one of the best measures to build the Party, revolutionary organisations, new people and new life. According to the President, “a living example is more valuable than a hundred of propaganda speeches.” It means that a cadre will fail to persuade other people if he/she does not set a good example, no matter how talented he/she is. Without showing good examples, cadres and party members will deprive themselves from their leadership over the masses. Therefore, our Party has always placed emphasis on raising the role model-setting responsibility and considered it as a leadership style. All cadres and party members must heighten the role model-setting responsibility to translate the Party’s guidelines into life. Uncle Ho ever instructed us that: “the masses only adore cadres with pure morality. To give instructions to the people, cadres must set good examples for the masses to follow.” Good examples shown by cadres and party members will make contributions to realising the Party’s leadership style and cementing the people’s faith in the Party. The most important thing is that cadres and party members must manage to win the people’s affection and trust. Only by doing so could the Party mobilise the masses into a coherent whole with the invincible strength to surmount all difficulties and fulfil its glorious revolutionary cause.

With its political vision, President Ho Chi Minh soon realised the risks of degradation in ethics and lifestyle amongst high-powered people. He warned that “there are some people who fought bravely in the resistance wars against foreign invaders, but in peacetime they are tempted into evils by money or beauties. Thus, we should be aware that bombs and ammo by enemies are not as dangerous as sugar-coated bullets as they could destroy us without any sign.” According to the President, “a nation, a party, and a man who were great or attractive yesterday will not certainly be praised by the people today and tomorrow if they are turned into evil or fall into individualism.” Those warnings of President Ho Chi Minh reveal that cadres and party members’ poor examples which lead to violations of the Party’s discipline and the State’s law and undermine the people’s faith in the Party will inflict considerable harm on the country and the socialist regime. To heighten the role model-setting responsibility and push back the risk of “self-degradation” amongst cadres and party members, it is necessary to well implement several basic measures as follows.

First, each cadre and party member must be self-aware to set good examples at any moment and anywhere. With the spirit of facing the truth, our Party has pointed out reasons for the degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle amongst a section of cadres and party members: “as those cadres and party members lack self-improvement, being impacted by the outside and tempted by material benefits, falling into selfishness and individualism, they fail to fulfil their responsibilities and duties before the Party and the people.” To overcome those weaknesses and restore the people’s faith, each cadre and party member must show good examples in terms of political ideology, morality and lifestyle. They must be absolutely loyal to the Party, the Homeland and the people and sacrifice everything for the people’s interests. They must exercise revolutionary ethics of industriousness, thrift, integrity, uprightness, public-spiritedness, and selflessness, while leading a pure, healthy, simple lifestyle as instructed by President Ho Chi Minh. It is important to study and follow Uncle Ho’s moral example and well manage relationships with oneself, other people, and things. Those are fundamental requirements for cadres and party members so that they would set good examples and win the people’s hearts and minds. Setting good examples must be the nature of each cadre and party member, and it must not be a transient action. At the same time, cadres and party members should encourage their relatives to set good examples so as to avoid “putting your foot in your mouth” and gain the people’s belief.

Second, resolutely, persistently comply with the regulations on the role model-setting responsibility. In fact, our Party promulgated a number of specific regulations to promote cadres and party members’ role model-setting responsibility, such as the 11^th Party Central Secretariat’s Regulation 101-QĐ/TW, dated June 7^th, 2012 on the role model-setting responsibility of cadres and party members, particularly the key ones, and the 12^th Politburo’s Regulation 55-QĐ/TW, dated December 19^th, 2016 on several urgent actions to heighten cadres and party members’ role model-setting responsibility. Notably, on October 25^th, 2018, the Party Central Committee issued the Regulation 08-QĐi/TW on the role model-setting responsibility of cadres and party members, particularly members of the Politburo, the Party Central Secretariat, and the Party Central Committee. Those regulations have specified the duty to set good examples amongst cadres and party members, especially the key ones. Good examples shown by key cadres and party members will have a positive effect on inferiors and the society, while cementing the people’s faith in the Party. However, those regulations must be executed in tandem with the Party Central Committee’s Resolution No.4 (11^th and 12^th tenure) on the Party building and rectification and the 12^th Politburo’s Directive 05-CT/TW on “acceleration of studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle.” Party committees and organisations should regularly render their cadres and party members fully aware of the importance and significance of implementing the regulations on the role model-setting responsibility. Besides, there should be action plans/programmes for those regulations.

Third, frequently exercise criticism and self-criticism and multiply “good people, good deed” examples. Self-criticism and criticism represent a rule for the development of our Party and a measure to make our Party pure and politically, ideologically, morally, organisationally strong and build a contingent of cadres and party members on a par with their task requirements. Thus, to effectively encourage cadres and party members to set good examples, it is vital to seriously exercise self-criticism and criticism, opportunely commend and reward cadres and party members with the successful implementation of the regulations on the role model-setting responsibility. At the same time, due regard should be paid to detecting and stringently handling violations of discipline and regulations established by the Party and organisations.

Party committees and organisations should closely maintain the order for self-criticism and criticism, while promoting the responsibility of cadres, party members, and especially heads of party organisations, authorities, and unions during their missions. It is important to align the evaluation and classification of party members and organisations as well as the assessment, use and appointment of cadres with self-criticism and criticism. Each cadre and party member should regularly “self-review” and “self-correct” at any moment and anywhere so that they could realise and overcome their own weaknesses.

Fourth, inspect and supervise cadres and party members’ fulfilment of the role model-setting responsibility. The reason is that inspections will encourage and educate cadres and party members to fulfil their duties for the Party and the State and set good examples for the people to follow. Moreover, inspections will certainly help reduce weaknesses. Well conducting the work of inspection and supervision will contribute to bringing into play strong points, detecting and preventing weak points from negatively impacting on organisations and individuals, and ensuring the purity of the state apparatus. Therefore, party committees and organisations should focus their leadership and direction on the work of inspection and supervision. There should be plans for inspecting and supervising cadres and party members’ responsibility to set good examples in political ideology, morality, lifestyle, and task performance. Due attention should be paid to promoting the role of party committees, party cells, inspection commissions, cadres, party members, and the masses within units. Besides, it is necessary to encourage the role of socio-political organisations, Fatherland Fronts, and the people in supervising cadres and party members’ role model-setting responsibility.

To push back “self-degradation” in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle, each cadre and party member must heighten a sense of responsibility to set good examples in both task performance and daily life. Cadres and party members’ setting of good examples represents their political commitment to the Party, the Homeland, and the people and their contribution to making our Party politically, ideologically, morally and organisationally strong.

Sr. Col. NGUYEN HUY HOANG, PhD

Deputy Commandant of the Political Officer College