Protecting the Party’s ideological foundation is a crucial, routine task of our entire Party, Military, and people; in this regard, heads of offices and units play a role of utmost importance. Therefore, encouraging the role and responsibility of heads of offices and units in this key task represents a matter of urgency that should be thoroughly studied both theoretically and practically.

Comrade Nguyen Trong Nghia, head of the Central Communication and Education Commission gives rewards to collectives for their outstanding achievements in organising the Writing Contest on Protecting the Party’s Ideological Foundation in 2024 (photo: dangcongsan.vn)

Heads of party committees, party organisations, authorities, political and social organisations, offices, and units from local to Central levels and within the armed forces (hereinafter referred to as heads of offices and units for short) are entrusted with the highest positions, being responsible for leading their offices and units to successfully fulfil all assigned tasks. In the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation, the role of heads of offices and units becomes more important. According to the 12^th Politburo’s Resolution 35-NQ/TW, dated 22 October 2018, “firmly protecting the Party’s ideological foundation and effectively combating wrong, hostile viewpoints are a vital part of Party building and rectification; it is a central task of the whole Party, Military, and people, with the communication and education force at all levels playing a core role; it is also a routine task of party committees, party organisations, authorities, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, political and social organisations, localities, offices, units, cadres, party members, and particularly heads of those offices and organisations”.

Realities have shown that amid hostile forces’ foxy plots and artifices, a section of cadres and party members, including heads of offices and units have yet to heighten a sense of responsibility for their leadership and direction over the fight against wrong, hostile viewpoints to protect the Party’s ideological foundation; some have displayed a lack of self-improvement, committed “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”, and violated the regulations on “things that party members must not do” and the State’s law. That has not only seriously negatively impacted on the credibility of our Party and State as well as the offices, organisations, sectors, and localities headed by those cadres, but also undermined the people’s faith in our Party, State, and socialist regime. On the contrary, wherever heads of offices and units heighten a sense of responsibility, preserve ethics, and match their words with their action, the operations of those offices and units are maintained effectively, discipline and law are upheld, and definitely the Party’s ideological foundation is firmly protected. Thus, researching and proposing solutions to promote the role of heads of offices and units in protecting the Party’s ideological foundation nowadays represent a matter of importance, both theoretically and practically. Within this article, we would like to put forward several basic solutions as follows.

First of all, encouraging the role and responsibility of heads of offices and units in rendering party members and the masses fully aware of the Party’s resolutions and directives on this crucial task. It is undeniable that accurate perception will lead to positive action; therefore, the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation necessitates each person’s accurate perception and deep knowledge in each field to obtain practical effectiveness. For that reason, heads of offices and units should further disseminate resolutions, directives, and plans of all-level party committees and commands as well as the importance, goals, viewpoints, mottos, tasks, and measures of protecting the Party’s ideological foundation. Emphasis should be placed on the 12^th Politburo’s Resolution 35-NQ/TW and the Secretariat’s Plan 14-KH/TW, dated 25 March 2019, for realising Resolution 35-NQ/TW on enhancing the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation and the fight against wrong, hostile viewpoints in the new situation. At the same time, it is necessary to unmask hostile forces’ plots, artifices, and especially distortions of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, the Party’s lines, the State’s laws, and Party’s leadership role. In the process, it is essential to soon detect hostile forces’ plots and sabotage operations as the basis for opportunely working towards methods of struggle. Due attention should be paid to providing information and ideological orientation, particularly against the issues of public concern. Doing so will help well handle ideological issues, achieve uniformity within offices and units, proactively prevent and push back all signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within.

Second, establishing the central role of heads of offices and units in designing programs and plans on fighting for protecting the Party’s ideological foundation. This solution acts as a deciding factor in the quality and effectiveness of the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation. Thus, heads of offices and units should actively exercise their leadership and direction over the development of plans in a close, detailed, scientific, feasible manner. In the process, heads of offices and units should adhere to higher echelons’ resolutions and plans, the practical conditions of their offices and units, and clearly identify the contents, forms, measures, manpower, and means of struggle in order to bring into play the synergy of all organisations, forces, and means. In the execution of those plans, it is necessary to avoid formalism and closely combine “building” with “fighting”; while “building” should be fundamental, “fighting” should be drastic and effective. Methods of education and persuasion should be combined with the strict handling of violations under the Party’s regulations and the State’s law. The contents, methods, and forms of protecting the Party’s ideological foundation should be actively effectively renewed in a proactive, vigilant, regular, persistent, resolute, and focalised manner. In the process, heads of offices and units should frequently carry out inspections and urge all inferiors to actively take part in the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation. Besides, preliminary and final reviews should be regularly conducted to bring into play strong points, settle weaknesses, and formulate more effective measures for the following period.

Third, fostering the example-setting responsibility of heads of offices and units. Setting good examples among its members is a method of leadership of our Party, a key component of our Party’s culture. Exemplary deeds performed by heads of offices and units will be a “wordless command” for all cadres, party members, employees, and soldiers to follow. When he was alive, President Ho Chi Minh emphasised that “a living example is worth more than a hundred propaganda speeches”. Thus, heads of offices and units should always train themselves into good examples in terms of political quality, morality, lifestyle, leadership, management, practising “diligence, thrift, integrity, honesty, public-spiritedness, and selflessness”, acting as a source of unity to encourage every individual to successfully fulfil all assigned tasks and especially firmly protect the Party’s ideological foundation. To that end, heads of offices and units should grasp and adhere to the Party Central Committee’s Regulation 08-QĐi/TW, dated 25 October 2018, on “the example-setting responsibility of cadres and party members, firstly members of the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Party Central Committee” and the 13^th Politburo’s Regulation 144-QĐ/TW, dated 9 May 2024, on “revolutionary moral standards of cadres and party members in the new period”. They should self-consciously improve their political qualities, morality, lifestyle, and professional competence, particularly their loyalty to the Party, the Fatherland, and the people. They should have a scientific, serious working attitude, showing a clear conscience to meet the increasingly high requirements of Fatherland building and protection in the new situation. They should actively encourage their families to take part in the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation and the fight against wrong, hostile viewpoints. Besides, they should effectively participate in specialised meetings and writing contests on protecting the Party’s ideological foundation.

Fourth, promoting the role of heads of offices and units in uniting forces and organisations and coordinating the task of protecting the Party’s ideological foundation. As an objective inevitability, this solution deeply demonstrates solidarity of forces and organisations to create synergy for the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation. Grounded on the zero-tolerance and confrontational nature of the struggle for protecting the Party’s ideological foundation, the entire Party and political system must always achieve unanimity in their awareness and action. To do so, heads of offices and units should promote their role and responsibility for leading, directing, and operating the involvement of forces and organisations, with the Communication and Education Sector, the Military, the Public Security, research centres, and press agencies serving as the core force. Special importance should be attached to maintaining synchronous, systematic, responsible coordination between committees, sectors, and agencies from local to Central levels and encouraging the flexible, proactive, persevering, and drastic participation of competent forces, units, experts, and scientists. Doing so will enable heads of offices and units to opportunely, proactively grasp hostile forces’ strategies, tactics, forms, methods, and means of sabotage and prove the practicality and effectiveness of coordination between forces in the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation and the fight against wrong, hostile viewpoints.

Furthermore, heads of offices and units should frequently exercise their leadership and direction over all-level Steering Boards 35, inspect the operating regulations of those boards, and attach great value to building and cultivating a contingent of staff cadres, experts, secretaries, and collaborators to facilitate the protection of the Party’s ideological foundation and the fight against wrong, hostile viewpoints. Heads offices and units should encourage the participation of enthusiastic top experts and regularly carry out preliminary and final reviews in order to multiply effective approaches and commend typical collective and individual examples.

Protecting the Party’s ideological foundation is a routine, difficult, and drastic task, a duty of all cadres and party members, with heads of offices and units playing a decisive role. Those above-mentioned solutions are introduced, as an initial research, for discussion with readers.

Sr. Col. NGUYEN VAN THANG, PhD

Infantry Officer College No.2