Mass mobilisation, a fundamental working aspect of the Party, contributes to the consolidation of the intimate relation between the Party and the People and the building of the solid “people’s hearts and minds” posture to meet the requirement of safeguarding the Fatherland in the current context. As for Military Region 4, mass mobilisation has been greatly valued by the Party Committee and High Command with multiple synchronous and appropriate measures.

Once in his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh emphasised that “Clever mass mobilisation results in all successes”. Deeply imbued with His teaching, over the years, the Party Committee and High Command of Military Region 4 have concentrated on leading and directing the implementation of mass mobilisation in a synchronous, comprehensive, appropriate, and practical manner. Noticeably, mass mobilisation has made an immense contribution to popularising and mobilising all cadres, soldiers, and people from all social strata to perform the Party’s guidelines, the State’s laws and policies, and the political tasks of units and localities; building all-strong localities and strengthening national defence and security in the current context. All units in the Military Region have actively participated in programmes and projects on the development of economy, culture, and society, hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, as well as movements. They also take the lead and function as the core forces in preventing and surmounting the consequences of natural disasters and fires, conducting search-and-rescue operations, and searching for martyr’s remains. Coordination with local authorities has been made to promptly address complicated issues, especially about “ethnicity” and “religion” to stabilise the political system and build a solid “people’s hearts and minds” posture. As a result, the close tie between the Army and the People has been constantly strengthened and the image of “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” has been beautified.

Armed forces of Military Region 4 in disaster relief

Currently, the region that the Military Region takes charge of has been witnessing the escalation of subversive activities in terms of religion triggered by hostile and reactionary forces, political opportunists, and extremists; the political security situation in industrial zones and the key areas having ethnic and religious factors is a likely threat that leads to instability. Meanwhile, the borderline in the West of the Military Region witnesses complicated occurrences of illegal migration, trade, and drug smuggling; socio-economic development in remote areas encounters numerous difficulties; natural disasters and epidemics become unpredictable, etc. Accordingly, the armed forces of the Military Region must heighten their political responsibility to enhance the overall quality and combat power and bring into play their principal roles in executing mass mobilisation. The focus is placed on the following major contents and measures.

First, enhancing dissemination and education to raise the awareness of party committees, commanders, and political agencies at all levels toward mass mobilisation. Party committees, commanders, and political agencies at all levels must continue strictly grasping and implementing resolutions of higher echelons and the Military Region on mass mobilisation, particularly Conclusion No. 483-KL/ĐU issued on February 11^th, 2022 by the Standing Committee of the Military Region’s Party Committee on developing the Project entitled “Enhancing the quality of mass mobilisation in particular areas of the Military Region’s armed forces in the 2022-2027 period and the next”. On the foundation of grasping the guidelines, viewpoints, objectives, principal points, and directions of mass mobilisation, it is necessary to perceive that mass mobilisation is a fundamental, long-term, and imperative task in the building of a “people’s hearts and minds” posture and that it is a political spearhead in preventing “peaceful evolution” in order to propose appropriate, practical and effective measures. Coordination with local party committees, authorities, and organisations must be made to address complicated and sensitive issues as well as renovate methods of propagating and mobilising the people. Simultaneously, emphasis must be placed on bringing into play their responsibility in leading, directing, and improving the ability to evaluate and forecast situations to map out projects, programmes, and plans. The Political Department of the Military Region must direct its functional agencies to research, compile documents, provide guidance to units to select contents and foster the awareness of party committees, commanders, political agencies, and political cadres at all levels. This contributes to a seismic shift in awareness and actions of party committees and the political systems on mass mobilisation.

Second, concentrating on fostering the improvement of competence for cadres specialising in mass mobilisation. On the foundation of assessing the actual competence of cadres as well as thoroughly grasping the requirements and tasks of mass mobilisation in the current context, party committees at all levels are required to determine appropriate contents, forms, and methods of training. The emphasis is placed on the Party’s directives and resolutions, documents and instructions of departments, branches, the Central Military Commission, the Ministry of National Defence, and the General Political Department on mass mobilisation. In particular, importance must be attached to fostering cadres' skills in researching, evaluating situations, grasping the customs of communities, propagating and mobilising the masses, and communicating in a particular language of ethnic groups to satisfy all assigned tasks. For great effectiveness, all units, especially Military Commands of provinces and Economic – Defence Corps are required to apply methods of training. It is crucial for the armed forces of the Military Region to implement the Strategy for Ethnic Work in the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2045. An in-depth and effective implementation of the motto of “three-stick” and “five-together” must be fully achieved. The contingent of cadres should be encouraged to bring into play the spirit of cultivating the qualities of ethics and manners and the spirit of “sticking to the people, trusting the people, respecting the people, understanding the people, learning from the people, relying on the people, and being responsible to the people”. They should equip themselves with civilised conduct and promote their role model and work performance to satisfy all assigned tasks.

Third, flexibly and creatively applying all practical and effective contents and methods of mass mobilisation. On the foundation of sticking to grass-roots levels, keeping track of all situations and the characteristics of the areas, party committees at all levels are required to select the contents of propagating the Party’s guidelines, and the State’s policies and laws that have a direct effect on the local residents. The focus is placed on the development of economy, culture, and society in remote areas to build the people’s confidence in the Party and the State. It is necessary to accelerate practical activities to eradicate hunger, alleviate poverty, build new-style rural areas; participate in search-and-rescue operations and prevention of natural disasters and diseases. On the foundation of the signed Coordination Programme on the implementation of military-defence tasks between the High Command of the Military Region and 6 provinces in the region, agencies and units must pay immense attention to the implementation of Project entitled “Enhancing the quality and effectiveness of mass mobilisation of the armed forces of Military Region 4 in the region in the 2023-2030 period and the next” to bring about a seismic shift in the implementation of military-defence tasks in general and mass mobilisation in particular. Agencies and units must keep abreast of grass-roots levels and accurately assess all situations, especially in complicated areas; advise, propose, and directly tackle all tasks in accordance with their functions and tasks so that the areas cannot be a “hotspot”; closely coordinate with all forces in struggling and undermining activities that take advantage of ethnicity and religion to separate the great national unity bloc. Emphasis must be placed on thoroughly grasping the viewpoints on foreign affairs of the Party and the State, diversifying propagation methods, and mobilising the people of countries in border areas to preserve friendship and cooperation on safeguarding the national territory and security. Furthermore, it is required to accelerate the operation of working groups to help the people with economic development; and effectively implement the programme on Combining Military-Civilian Medical Service to improve the people’s health, thereby stepping up mass mobilisation.

Fourth, accelerating the emulation movement entitled “Clever mass mobilisation” and building a “Unit of good mass mobilisation”. Party committees at all levels must concretise appropriate emulation movements into leadership resolutions in accordance with the characteristics of units and local authorities; integrate the “Clever mass mobilisation” emulation movement and the building of a “Unit of good mass mobilisation” with the campaigns launched by the Party, the State, the Army, and local authorities. Close coordination with local party committees, authorities, departments, branches, organisations, and units must be made to intensify activities; in which, divisions provide assistance to districts, regiments aid communes, and battalions help villages (hamlets) to ensure practicality, improve the people’s lives, and forge a close link between units and local authorities. Units in border areas must coordinate with the Border Guard to renovate methods of propagating, mobilising, and gathering people from ethnic minorities and those following religions to participate in the Patriotic emulation movement, thereby building a solid great national unity bloc. Importance must be attached to performing the motto “listen to the people, speak in the way the people understand, guide the people’s actions, win the people’s trust” and building up an image of friendly cadres and soldiers in the armed forces of the Military Region who are responsible to the people and ready to protect the people. Inspection and supervision must be intensified to address the issue of not keeping track of the situation at grass-roots levels, and ensure that actions go hand in hand with words. It is necessary to conduct effective after-action review, commendation and duplicate typical models of “Clever mobilisation”; and promptly rectify any deviations during the implementation of mass mobilisation.

Bringing into play the tradition of courage, resilience and indomitable spirit of the land people of Military Region 4, the cadres and soldiers of the Military Region’s armed forces will continue to intensify mass mobilisation, foster unity and high consensus among the people on the Party's guidelines, the State’s policies, laws, and various programmes on socio-economic development and the reinforcement of national defence and security, thereby creating a stable environment in each locality. They deserve the trust of the ethnic groups and shine as “Uncle Ho’s Soldiers” in the hearts of the people.

Lieutenant General TRAN VO DUNG, Political commissar of Military Region 4