Inspection and supervision represent a leadership function of the Party and an important solution to well performing the personnel work, contributing to qualitatively and quantitatively building a pool of military cadres who are absolutely loyal to the Party, Homeland, and people, ready to combat and sacrifice for national independence and freedom and the people’s happiness, have a sense of discipline and combativeness, meeting the requirements for building revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern armed forces.

Cadres are the root of all work, and the personnel work plays a key role in the Party building. Thus, enhanced inspection and supervision of the personnel work is a central task of the Party in order to build a contingent of cadres with good qualities and capabilities on a par with the assigned mission and make the Party politically, morally, ideologically and organizationally strong and deserve its role as the leading force of the State and society.

Sr. Lt. Gen. Luong Cuong, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Director of the General Department of Politics, Head of the CMC’s Inspection Commission chairs the 7th meeting of the CMC’s Inspection Commission in the 2015-2020 tenure

Perceiving that, party committees and organizations and inspection commissions at all levels within the Military have grasped and well performed the task of inspecting and supervising the personnel work under the preset plans. Focuses of the inspection work have been placed on implementing viewpoints, principles and regulations on the personnel work, on the observance of the Regulations 30 on implementing the Chapters VII and VIII of the Party’s Statutes, the 12^th Party Central Committee’s Regulations 102-QĐ/TW on “taking disciplinary action against party members having violations” as well as on cadres’ fulfillment of their responsibilities. Party committees and inspection commissions at all levels have combined this process with the Resolution of the 12^th Party Central Committee’s 4^th Plenum on the Party building and rectification, the 12^th Politburo’s Directive 05-CT/TW, the Directive 87-CT/QUTW by the Central Military Commission (CMC) Standing Committee on studying and following Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morality and lifestyle. The CMC Standing Committee has directed the CMC’s Inspection Commission, party committees and inspection commissions under the CMC Standing Committee to cooperate with provincial-level party committees and inspection commissions in carrying out inspection and supervision of the personnel work. In the first half of 2018, the CMC’s Inspection Commission and inspection commissions at all levels have advised the CMC and all-level party committees on conducting inspection of the personnel work of 248 party organizations. Military party committees and organizations have inspected 7.39% of military party members. The CMC’s Inspection Commission has cooperated with competent offices for the Party building in proposing contents for self-review of 18 individuals and 13 party committees and attending the year-end meeting of 26 party committees under the CMC. It has carried out special supervision of 4.66% of party members within the Military Party Committee. Inspections and supervisions have been conducted under the regulations, achieved the goal and met the requirements. As a result, the personnel work has been closely led and directed in accordance with regulations and procedures on a democratic, open, transparent, objective basis, thereby creating a sense of unity within units. At the same time, it has helped effectively combat and prevent negative phenomena and contributed to improving the quality of the personnel work and party organizations’ leadership and combativeness as well as self-study, self-improvement, capability, morality and working style of cadres, particularly party committee heads and commanders at all levels.

However, to some extent, the work of inspecting and supervising the personnel work has yet to meet the requirements. The effectiveness of inspecting cadres’ signs of violation has been low. Supervision of party committee members at the same level and cadres at junior levels has been still limited. The rate of violations of discipline among cadres and party committee members has been high. Complaints and denunciations have been still complex. Those have been mainly attributed to several party committees and commanders’ limited responsibility and capability in inspecting and supervising the personnel work while the role of inspection commissions has yet to be promoted effectively. Against that backdrop, it is necessary to more concentrate inspection and supervision on the personnel work via the basic measures as follows.

First, stepping up propagation and education to raise the awareness and responsibility of party committees and inspection commissions, particularly party committee secretaries, commissars and commanders towards inspection and supervision of the personnel work. Party committees should continue to grasp and implement higher echelons’ resolutions and regulations, with a focus on the Resolution of the 12^th Party Central Committee’s 7^th Plenum on “building cadres at all levels, especially at strategic one with sufficient qualities, capabilities and prestige on a par with their mission”, the CMC’s Resolution 504-NQ/QUTW on “leading the inspection and supervision work in the Military Party Committee in the 2015-2020 tenure”. It is necessary to heighten the role and responsibility of party committees, inspection committees and commanders at all levels in leading, directing and performing this work. To do so, party committees, secretaries of party committees and organizations must grasp the Party’s guidelines, resolutions and regulations on the personnel work, and function, task, goal, importance, regulations of the Party’s inspection and supervision work while seriously directing and effectively carrying out inspection and supervision of the personnel work.

Second, closely combining inspection with supervision in the personnel work. Party committees should be fully aware that “supervision must be open, and inspection must be focalized”, and focus on inspecting and supervising the task performance, responsibility, morality, living and working style of party committee secretaries and commanders. The implementation of viewpoints, principles, and procedures related to the personnel work as well as criteria for self-improvement and exemplary role of cadres must be further inspected and supervised. During the process of inspection and supervision, it is important to grasp the personnel-related situation, proactively detect and quickly inspect cadres when they show the signs of violation; to opportunely settle complaints and denunciations; to resolutely deal with cases of violation and the screening of weaknesses in the personnel work; to well implement the plans for inspection and supervision of the personnel work, particularly key cadres and those who have low prestige and task performance.

The Inspection Delegation of the CMC Standing Committee headed by Lt. Gen. Ta Nhan works with the Military Party Committee of Thai Binh Province

Third, improving the effectiveness of inspecting and supervising the personnel work. Party committees should regularly review, amend, supplement, and complete regulations, procedures and guiding documents on supervision, inspection and disciplinary action as well as settlement of complaints and denunciations towards cadres and personnel work in accordance with the Party’s Statutes, guidance by the CMC’s Inspection Commission and units’ characteristics. It is vital to further lead, direct and guide party committees and organizations, cadres and party members to conduct inspection and supervision of the personnel work. Inspection commissions at all levels should improve the quality of giving advice to party committees at the same level on leading, directing and performing the task of inspecting and supervising the personnel work under the plans on a tenure and yearly basis. Besides, focuses should be placed on units where cadres, particularly commanders show the signs of violation of discipline and regulations on the personnel work. Significance should be attached to inspecting and supervising the results of overcoming the exposed weaknesses in order to make a real change in building a pool of cadres. Higher inspection commissions should enhance direction over inferior party committees and inspection commissions and improve the effectiveness of coordination between the Party’s supervision and inspection of personnel work and the functional offices’ investigation, inspection and control. Inspection commissions should closely cooperate with local party committees and inspection commissions in inspecting, supervising and settling cases related to the personnel work by military party committees and the Border Guard Force. They should actively perform their task under the Party’s Statutes and the mission assigned by the party committees, strengthen supervision of party committee members at the same level and cadres under the party committee’ management. It is necessary to grasp and closely follow the viewpoint on the Party’s inspection and supervision: “proactiveness, combat, education, effectiveness”; to stay close to the situation at grass-roots level, promote the role of competent offices, particularly political offices and mass organizations; to detect and opportunely inspect the signs of violation in the personnel work and among cadres; to resolutely fight against the avoidance and fearfulness of inspection. The process of considering and taking disciplinary action against cadres must be in a close, procedural, open, accurate, timely, highly educational manner. The settlement of complaints and denunciations must be timely, objective and under the regulations and authority to achieve a sense of unity.

Fourth, improving the task performance of units and cadres in charge of inspection work at all levels. Party committees should devote attention to consolidating inspection commissions and inspection commission offices under the Central Inspection Commission’s Guidance 12-HD/UBKTTW  on “the organizational structure and quantity of members of the inspection commission in grass-roots level party committees and higher ones under the Military Party Committee” and the CMC Standing Committee’s Decision 122-KL/TVQU on “the structure of heads and standing deputy heads of the inspection commissions from grass-roots level to those under the CMC in the 2015-2020 tenure”. Emphasis should be placed on selection and rotation of cadres in charge of inspection work and on improving their political zeal, professional competence, morality and working style. Cadres in charge of inspection work at all levels must have political stuff, absolute loyalty to the Party, Homeland and people, good morality, and comprehensive, deep knowledge while being supported and trusted by party committees and organizations, cadres, party members and the masses. Moreover, due regard should be paid to ensuring facilities, equipment and means for inspection commissions and inspection commission offices to fulfil the assigned task.

Strengthened inspection and supervision of the personnel work is a task of utmost importance in the Party building. This is a political task of every party organization and member, particularly party committees, commanders, inspection commissions, and cadres in charge of inspection work at all levels within the Military Party Committee. Effective implementation of this work will contribute to building a contingent of “both red and expert” cadres as the core force in successfully performing all missions and building the pure, strong Military Party Committee and the revolutionary, regular, elite, gradually modern Army to accomplish the task in all situations.

Lt. Gen. Ta Nhan, Standing Deputy Head of the CMC’s Inspection Commission