Located in the coastal region in the southernmost part of Central Vietnam, Binh Thuan province is one of the localities that are home to a large number of ethnic groups (34 ethnic groups), which are interspersed and widespread in all areas. The Cham is one of the ethnic groups with the largest population, with 9,041 households and 39,656 people, accounting for 3.12% of the province’s population and 38.98% of the population of ethnic groups. They live mainly in 4 communes and 9 mixed villages in 6 out of 10 districts, towns, and cities (the largest population is in Bac Binh district with 57.28%). However, people’s intellectual is unequal and there are still difficulties existing in their lives. They follow 2 main religions: Brahmanism and Bani Islam and the religious activities are carried out according to traditional customs. In addition, there are some of them who follow Islam, which is an issue that hostile forces have been taking advantage of to increase their sabotage activities in order to divide the great national unity bloc in the province.

Mass mobilisation in general and mass mobilisation in the Army, in particular, is of strategic significance to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation. It is also an important condition for ensuring the leadership of the Party, consolidating the flesh-and-blood relationship between the Party, the State, the Army and the people, thus contributing to maintaining and strengthening the great national unity bloc to successfully realise the goal of “wealthy people, strong nation, democracy, equality, and civilisation”. Being well aware of that, over the years, the provincial armed forces have attached great importance to and well performed mass mobilisation in ethnic group areas in general and the Cham people in particular. On the basis of thoroughly grasping and strictly implementing Directive No. 49-CT/TW issued on 20^th October 2015 by the Secretariat of the Party Central Committee (the 11^th Tenure) on “Promoting and reforming the Party’s mass mobilisation in ethnic group areas” and Directive No. 16/CT-TTg issued on 16^th May 2016 by the Prime Minister on “Promoting and reforming mass mobilisation in state administrative bodies and all-level administrations in the new situation”, the provincial armed forces develop specific programmes and plans for implementation on a yearly basis. Accordingly, the armed forces at provincial, district, and commune levels have developed plans to protect national security and fight against the sabotage plots of hostile forces in ethnic group areas, regularly stayed close to the areas, propagated, and mobilised the people to raise their vigilance and fight against the sabotage activities of hostile forces aimed at undermining the great national unity bloc. Since 2018, in the Cham ethnic area alone, the provincial armed forces have supported the construction of 10 “Military - people gratitude” houses for households with extremely difficult situations, which helps tighten the military – people relationship in the new situation. The work of supporting and helping people is considered a political task of agencies and units in the provincial armed forces and is regularly and continuously implemented to help people improve their spiritual and material lives. Activities, such as: arts performances, exchanges, twinning, sponsoring students with extremely difficult situations, etc. are held on a regular basis. Additionally, the provincial armed forces also mobilise resources to repair inter-village roads, in-field canals, schools, and houses, etc.  

Binh Thuan Provincial Military Command present gift to Cham people on the occasion of Ramuwan festival

Besides, the party committees and commanders at all levels in the provincial armed forces attach importance to the propaganda and dissemination of the Party’s guidelines and policies, the State’s laws in ethnic group areas in general and in the Cham ethnic area in particular, in association with the National Target Programme on poverty reduction, new-style countryside construction as well as the Campaign to build cultural life in residential areas, etc. During implementation, agencies and units have promoted the role of Cham village elders, village chiefs, religious dignitaries, prestigious people, youth union members, etc. to propagate and mobilise the Cham people to participate in patriotic emulation movements, actively build and develop local socio-economy. At the same time, assigning officers to closely follow the locality to find out the thoughts and needs of the people to advise the local party committees and authorities to promptly solve pressing issues and legitimate needs of the people. Particularly, in the Covid-19 pandemic, officers and soldiers of the provincial armed forces was the vanguard force, presented “any time, anywhere” to support and help the people in the prevention and control of the pandemic. Meanwhile, they also coordinated with the Vietnam Fatherland Front, socio-political organisations, mass associations at all levels to call and mobilise benefactors to donate money, medicine, medical equipment, food, and necessities for the Cham people.

These above actions of the provincial armed forces have helped ethnic groups in general and the Cham, in particular, constantly improve their lives, thus changing the image of the Cham people in terms of economy, culture, society, national defence, and security; have maintained and developed the great unity bloc among ethnic groups, making the ethnic people absolutely believe in the leadership of the Party and the State.  

From the practice of carrying out mass mobilisation in the Cham ethnic area, the provincial armed forces have drawn some lessons to continue to improve the quality and effectiveness of this work in future.

First, regularly educating and fostering the quality and capability to carry out mass mobilisation for the assigned organisations and forces. In recent years, practice has shown that agencies and units have attached great importance to educating and fostering the quality and capability to carry out mass mobilisation for organisations and forces, which has made progressive changes in improving the quality and effectiveness of this work. However, in the face of complicated developments of practice, especially the impact, manipulation, and agitation of the hostile forces in ethnic group areas, it is necessary to regularly change the contents, forms, methods to educate and foster the quality and capability of mass mobilisation for organisations and forces to meet the increasing requirements of mass mobilisation in the new situation. Besides, promptly solving the situation in which a number of officers and soldiers have not actively studied and trained to improve their mass mobilisation skills, affecting the task performance of the units. At the same time, attention has to be paid to the factors affecting the perception and behaviour of the people, especially the ethnic groups in general and the Cham in particular.

Second, proactively and closely coordinating with local party committees and authorities and relevant forces to carry out mass mobilisation. Only when the coordination between agencies and units in the provincial armed forces with the party committees and authorities at all levels and other forces in the areas is close, synchronous, and scientific, will mass mobilisation in general and mass mobilisation in the Cham area achieve comprehensive results. On the contrary, if any of them does not attach importance to this coordination, obstacles, passivity, and overlap are unavoidable, making this work ineffective. Therefore, mass mobilisation of the provincial armed forces needs to be put under the unified leadership and direction of the party committees, authorities, and is coordinated with local agencies, departments, socio-political organisations. Promoting the role of a local military agency, both as an advisor to local party committees and a centre for coordination and cooperation with military units stationed in the area to conduct mass mobilisation.

Third, grasping the local situation in all aspects to choose appropriate contents, forms, and methods to carry out mass mobilisation. The Cham has a large population with many unique cultural features and unequal intellectual levels, unsound customs, and diverse and complicated religious beliefs, etc. Therefore, to improve the effectiveness of mass mobilisation in this area, leaders and commanders of agencies and units need to regularly coordinate with other forces to conduct surveys to firmly grasp the situation, especially in terms of ethnicity, religion, economy, culture, society, security, national defence, as well as the sabotage plots, tricks of hostile forces. Additionally, they need to understand the thoughts, needs, and spiritual and material life as well as the customs and cultural practices of the people and the village elders, village chiefs, dignitaries, etc. to choose the appropriate contents, forms, and methods to carry out mass mobilisation.  

Fourth, respecting and promoting the role of prestigious people in ethnic groups and in religions. In the ethnic group community of the province in general and the Cham people in particular, prestigious people are of paramount importance as their voices and deeds have great influence on the people. Therefore, when carrying out mass mobilisation in the Cham ethnic area, the provincial armed forces need to respect the role of family leaders and prestigious people in the community by proactively making contact with them and taking advantage of their role in propagating and mobilising their people to strictly follow the Party’s guidelines, the State’s laws and policies. Fighting against the enemies taking advantage of the national issues to oppose the national revolution and promoting the role of prestigious people in building core forces at grassroots level. At the same time, promoting the role of all the people and religious adherents in performing local political tasks and supervising the operation of organisations in the political system, etc., thus contributing to building the political system, developing socio-economy, ensuring national defence and security, and consolidating and strengthening the great unity bloc in the province.

Senior Colonel NGO MINH LUC, Political Commissar of the Provincial Military Command