Political commissars and junior commissars play a core role in units’ political affairs and directly take part in developing and implementing units’ action plans. To fulfil their mission, they must have good political qualities, knowledge and capability as well as frequently study and follow President Ho Chi Minh’s exemplary working style.

When he was alive, President Ho Chi Minh said that "A junior commissar must exercise his leadership by his action, not only by words”, and that “In the eyes of soldiers, a junior commissar must act as an intimate sister, an impartial brother, and a knowledgeable friend”. Being imbued with Uncle Ho’s teachings, particularly since the issue of the 12^th Politburo’s Directive 05 on studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics, and lifestyle”, the contingent of political commissars and junior commissars within the Military have unceasingly improved their working style and method, adhering to the principles, promoting democracy, respecting discipline, heightening their responsibility, sticking with cadres and soldiers, being the centre of the unity block within their units, and contributing to making their units strong politically, ideologically, and organizational, and enhancing the Party’s leadership over the Military. However, a section of political commissars and junior commissars have yet to be really responsible for their self-study, self-improvement, and the reform in their working style to meet the task requirements. Some of them have yet to stick with their soldiers or match their words with their action. In their work, they have still been inflexible, passive and submissive. The settlement of their relationship with commanders has yet to be in line with their function and authority. Those weaknesses have greatly impacted on the task performance of this contingent and units.

To make the studying of Uncle Ho’s working style relevant to political commissars and junior commissars’ practical work, first of all, it is necessary to achieve a consensus on the reform in their working style. At present, a number of offices and units only pay attention to enhancing cadres’ capability and ethics instead of renewing the working style of political commissars and junior commissars, thereby leading to the poor task performance. Thus, achieving a consensus on this issue is of importance to building up organizations and forces’ attitude and responsibility towards the reform in political commissars and junior commissars’ working method and style. To that end, each office, unit, political commissar, and junior commissar should grasp and strictly execute the resolutions and directives by the Party, Central Military Commission (CMC), and Ministry of National Defence, particularly the 12^th Politburo’s Directive 05, the CMC Standing Committee’s Directive 87-CT/QUTW on studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle within the Military Party Organization and the Military”, the Resolution of the 12^th Party Central Committee’s 4^th Plenum on the Party building and rectification, and the 12^th Party Central Committee’s Regulation 08-QĐi/TW, dated October 25^th 2018, on cadres and party members’ role model-setting responsibility. Besides, it is vital to introduce measures to raise the awareness and renew the contents and methods of propagation and education to make organizations and forces, especially political commissars and junior commissars clearly understand the necessity of renewing their working style according to Uncle Ho’s example. Doing so will help raise this force’s responsibility for improving their working method and style in a scientific, democratic, effective manner. Each political commissar and junior commissar must be aware that renewing their working style is an objective, routine demand and important part of the studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle. Based on their function and task and the preset criteria, each one must “self-review”, “self-correct”, and strive to study and follow Uncle Ho’s working style.

In addition, it is essential to frequently supplement and complete the system of standards for the working style of political commissars and junior commissars. This is the yardstick for evaluating and supervising their working method and style. Grounded on functions and tasks of political commissars and junior commissars, units’ particularities, and resolutions, directives and regulations by the Party and the Military, it is necessary to continue supplementing and completing the system of standards for political commissars and junior commissars’ working style. In the process of task performance, it is vital to draw lessons and adjust the system of standards flexibly, scientifically, and properly; to encourage democracy and raise the effectiveness of supervision and criticism by all soldiers. Units should create a democratic environment for soldiers to supervise and give their opinions to political commissars and junior commissars’ working method and style. Obviously, political commissar and junior commissars should receive good, constructive opinions, opportunely adjust their working style, and frequently exercise “self-review” and “self-criticism”, thereby building up a practical, elaborate, serious, correct, and active working style.

Political commissars and junior commissars should be active and proactive in self-study and self-improvement, enhance their ability comprehensively, and renew their working style to meet the task requirements. The process of building the Military reveals that if political commissars and junior commissars possess scientific, standard working style, their task performance will be good, their working relationships will be well managed, their prestige within their organization will be raised, and they will be able to promote a sense of unity within their unit. It also shows that in the units where political commissars and junior commissars are impotent or have bureaucratic working style, their leadership and direction over the party and political work will be ineffective, and they will lose their position and role in their organization and among cadres and soldiers. Therefore, each political commissar and junior commissar should be fully aware of their role, responsibility and task to create their own motivation for self-study and self-improvement in terms of capability, ethics, lifestyle, and working style.

Following Ho Chi Minh’s style, political commissars and junior commissars must have a close-knit bond with and love their soldiers as well as ensure their soldiers’ mental and material life. In addition to acting as a leader, they must be a comrade, brother, sister, and friend of cadres and soldiers. In their work and daily life, political commissars and junior commissars must be righteous, respect and listen to cadres and soldiers’ opinions and aspirations to employ proper methods of propagation and education. Moreover, they should “match their words with their action” and always show their modesty and honesty in their life and the settlement of their relationships. They must know how to educate soldiers and render them fully aware of the Party’s guidelines and the working class ideology, encourage them to successfully fulfil all assigned tasks, and make them “loyal to the Party, pious to the people, and ready to sacrifice themselves for the Homeland’s independence and freedom and socialism”. At the same time, in their work and daily life, political commissars and junior commissars must always set examples in uniform, manners, words, and action for cadres and soldiers in their unit to follow.

To study and follow Ho Chi Minh’s working style, political commissars and junior commissars must keep improving their revolutionary ethics, resolutely fighting against individualism, and devoting themselves to their work. Doing so will help each political commissar and junior commissar perfect their working style scientifically and effectively to really become the core in their unit’s unity block and leadership and contribute to building pure and strong party organizations and comprehensively strong units.

Le Gia Dong

Political Officer College