Improving the  quality of commune-level military party cells' operations has been put at the forefront of Kon Tum Provincial Military Party Committee’s leadership and direction. As a result, commune-level military party cells have been capable of advising local party committees and authorities to lead and direct the performance of military and defence tasks at grass-roots level, greatly contributing to the province’s stability and development.

Kon Tum is a mountainous province located at the T-junction of Indochina, bordering the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and the Kingdom of Cambodia, holding a position of strategic importance in military and defence to the Central Highlands. Over the years, its Party Organisation, authorities, and armed forces have focused their leadership and direction on well performing military and defence work and building solid defensive zones, thereby contributing to protecting national sovereignty and maintaining defence and security within the province. To obtain those achievements, the province has taken breakthrough measures to build strong, efficient commune-level military party cells capable of giving advice to local party committees and authorities on leading and directing the performance of military and defence tasks at grass-roots level.

In fact, before 2012, there had been no basic plan on developing commune-level military party cells, while their party members’ knowledge, capability in staff work, and task performance had been limited. Against that backdrop, grasping and executing higher echelons’ resolutions and directives on strengthening the Party’s leadership over military and defence tasks and the building of a strong, extensive militia and self-defence force and a powerful reserve force in the new situation, the Provincial Military Party Committee (PMPC) has issued a Resolution on developing commune-level military party cells with synchronous measures, thereby making a huge positive change in this work.

Up to now, military party cells have established in all communes, wards, and townships of the province; 90.2% of the military party cells have formed their standing boards. All military party cells have been founded under the Party’s Charter and higher echelons’ guiding documents; their work regulations have always been seriously maintained; their resolutions have always made been relevant to localities’ particularities and political tasks. Via military party cells’ meetings, all party members have joined in discussions to reach agreement on individual accountability and guarantee the Party’s leadership over military and defence work and the building of the armed forces at grass-roots level. The acceptance of new members into the Party in the provincial armed forces has achieved encouraging progress and exceeded pre-set targets. The rates of party members in the militia and self-defence force and the reserve force have reached 22.7% and 10.65% respectively. Over 90% of military party cells have been rated pure and strong, while 95% of their party members have successfully fulfilled their tasks on a yearly basis. It should be noted that military party cells have advised local party committees and authorities to lead and direct the performance of military and defence work, improve the quality of military call-up and training, and develop combat villages and communes. Besides, they have cooperated with forces in the fight against hostile forces’ “peaceful evolution” artifices, natural disaster and epidemic prevention and combat, socio-economic development, mass mobilisation work, and the building of a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds” to maintain politico-social stability at grass-roots level.

However, as Kon Tum is a mountainous, border province facing various difficulties in socio-economic development, the organisational structure of several commune-level military party cells within itself has yet to be appropriate. The quality of Party building work at military party cells has yet to be high. Regulations on work and coordination with local organisations have yet to be effectively implemented by military party cells, while the work of party member education, management, training, and development in some military party cells has not been close or reached their targets. Staff work by a number of military party cells for local party committees and authorities in the performance of military and defence tasks has yet to be really effective.

In order to  consolidate and complete organisational models, and improve the quality of  commune-level military party cells' operations, it is necessary to well implement several measures as follows.

First, strengthen all-level party committees’ leadership and competent offices’ role in the organisation and operation of commune-level military party cells. This measure acts as a determinant to the quality, efficiency, and operation of military party cells in each area and across the province. Thus, all-level party committees under the PMPC should continue grasping and effectively executing the Party’s directives and resolutions on the organisation and operation of commune-level military party cells. All-level party committees should enhance the work of propagation and education to render cadres and party members fully aware of the necessity, role, functions, tasks, and authority, and work relationships of military party cells. At the same time, emphasis should be placed on maintaining military party cells’ regular meetings, strictly adhering to the principles of democratic centralism, collective leadership, and individual accountability, promoting democracy, heightening self-criticism and criticism during party meetings, and intensifying higher echelons’ supervision and inspection work to opportunely detect and settle issues, strictly keep the Party’s discipline and improve military party cells’ leadership efficiency and combativeness. The PMPC should proactively collaborate with all-level organisation offices and party committees in conducting surveys and making plans on building and duplicating effective military party cells at commune level.

Second, frequently consolidate commune-level military party cells and their standing boards both qualitatively and quantitatively in accordance with localities’ particularities. This is a matter of principle and foundation for commune-level military party cells to enhance their leadership capacity and combativeness to successfully fulfil their assigned tasks. Therefore, all-level party committees and organisations should keep grasping and seriously implementing higher echelons’ directives and guiding documents, particularly the Central Organisation Commission’s Guidance 35-HD/BTCTW on commune-level military party cells’ organisational structure, functions, and tasks. Due attention should be paid to raising the quality of commune-level military party cell secretaries, deputy secretaries, and standing board members with political steadfastness, pure morality, comprehensive knowledge, and skills in concretising and effectively realising the Party’s guidelines and higher echelons’ resolutions and directives on military and defence work and the building of militia and self-defence and reserve forces, and pure, strong military party cells in tandem with the building of “exemplarily, typically” comprehensively strong commune-level military commands and strong political bases.

Third, attach importance to well managing work relationships and improving the operational quality of commune-level military party cells. Grasping and well managing relationships in the operation process will enable commune-level military party cells to properly perform their functions and tasks, remain proactive in coordination work, and promote synergy created by organisations and forces in the implementation of military and defence tasks and the building of the armed forces at grass-roots level. At the same time, doing so will help party committees to bring into play responsibility of key cadres, especially party cell secretaries and deputy secretaries and minimise weaknesses in party cells’ organisational structure, meeting regulations, and leadership contents. Thus, in addition to further introducing higher echelons’ directives, resolutions, and guiding documents to cadres and party members, particularly party committee members and key cadres, superior military party committees should deploy their cadres experienced in Party building work to give instructions on the organisation and operation of commune-level military party cells. Due attention should be paid to organising refresher courses for military party cells’ secretaries, deputy secretaries, and standing board members on functions, tasks, and meeting regulations of a party cell as well as the development and release of resolutions, work regulations, and statutes on relationships between commune-level military party cells, commune-level party committees, and superior military party committees and political offices. Simultaneously, it is necessary to enhance supervision and inspection of military party cells to opportunely detect and settle arising issues, particularly on party cell standing boards’ organisational structure and budget, with a view to improving the quality and  effectiveness of commune-level military party cells' operations.  

Fourth, frequently pay due regard to training, cultivating, and preparing human resources for commune-level military party cells. To that end, all-level military party committees should proactively cooperate with commune-level party committees in making personnel preparations for commune-level military commands. In addition to on-the-job training, it is important to send cadres to military and local training institutions and encourage self-study and self-training amongst party members so that they will be eligible for commanders and deputy commissars of commune-level military commands. All military party cell secretaries and deputy secretaries must be trained in party work and local military work. All heads of commune-level military commands must hold military and political intermediate degrees; they must be elected as deputy secretaries of commune-level party cells with great capacity to fulfil their assigned tasks. Last but not least, localities should be active and proactive in initiating new members into the Party and developing young party members with good political and military knowledge in the militia and self-defence force so as to improve the quality of party members of commune-level military party cells and make significant contributions to improving the quality of commune-level military party cells' operations in the new situation.

Sr. Col. HO ANH TUAN, Commissar of Kon Tum Provincial Military Command