Over the past years, the Party Executive Committee and the Command of the Military Region 9 (MR9) have worked with local party committees to enhance leadership capacity and combat strength of commune-level military party cells, making contribution to strengthening the Party leadership over the military work at grass-roots level.

Major General Ngo Van Ba delivering speech at the Conference on reviewing “Determined to Win” Emulation Movement 2016 (photo:bchqs.dongthap.gov.vn)

MR9 is located in a strategic area, consisting of 12 provinces and cities with 1,432 communes, wards and towns. To strengthen the Party leadership over the armed forces and improve the quality of the military work at grass-roots level, the MR’s Party Executive Committee and Command have advocated building commune-level military party cells in the area. Grasping the 11th CPV Secretariat’s Directive No.16-CT/TƯ, dated October 5th 2002, on strengthening the Party leadership over militia and self-defence force and reserve force in the new situation, and the Guidance No.35-HD/BTCTW of the Central Commission for Organization, dated October 15th 2009, on organization and operation of commune-level military party cells, the MR’s Party Executive Committee and Command have worked with provincial party executive committees in the MR’s area to build commune-level military party cells and improve their quality. Up to now, all the communes in the area has formed military party cells. Most of them have successfully performed their function as an advisory organ for local party executive committees and authorities, making contribution to fulfilling the task of building strong all-people’s defence, all-people’s defence posture and people’s security posture right at grass-roots level.

The MR’s Party Executive Committee and Command have worked with local party committees and authorities to step up the work of admitting new party members among militia cadres and members, particularly commanders of commune-level military command and mobile militia platoon, while attaching great importance to the task of training party members and improving the quality of party cells. Also, they have paid attention to inspecting and supervising the quality of managing and training commune-level military command party members, with a focus on military party cell’s leadership capability. Monthly and quarterly, district-level military party executive committees assign their members to attend commune-level military party cell meetings to grasp the situation and timely direct them to overcome their difficulties and shortcomings, particularly in the practice of the principles of Party organization and meeting as well as the implementation of military and defence tasks.

Party cells have all built up working regulations and concretized duties of secretary and deputy secretary. With the participation of levels, sectors and organizations, the military and defence task performance has dramatically improved, and the status of commune-level military command thus has been raised. Resolutions of military party cell meetings have been made relevant to functions and assigned political tasks. Many party cells have been active in renewing their meeting’s content and form. Several of them have organized specialized and ideological meetings to understand their members’ expectations and difficulties. As a result, the efficiency of party cell meeting has gradually been enhanced, and the Grass-Roots Level Democratic Regulations have been promoted. Commune-level military cadres have better performed their functions and tasks. More than 95% of commune-level military party cells and party members have successfully fulfilled their task. Reality shows that thanks to the leadership of commune-level military party cells, local military work has made progress in all aspects, such as combat readiness, social order maintenance, conscription, military student recruitment, militia building and training, reserve force management and mobilization as well as the collaboration with sectors and organizations on implementation of military tasks. Militia and self-defence forces have actively taken part in socioeconomic development programs, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, campaigns and movements, natural disaster recovery as well as the collaboration with the public security and other relevant forces to effectively handle grass-roots level complicated incidents, making contribution to maintaining local political security and social order and safety, particularly in the focal area of defence and security.

To further enhance the leadership capacity and combat strength of commune-level military party cells, in the time ahead, the MR’s Party Executive Committee and Command advocate grasping and successfully implementing the Resolution of the 9th MR Party Congress of 2015 - 2020 tenure, focusing on building strong and pure commune-level military party cells, consolidating party executive committees, stepping up the work of admitting new party members, improving the quality of party cell meetings, and making drastic changes in leadership capacity and combat strength. The Department of Politics should be active in giving advice to the MR’s Party Executive and Command to collaborate with local party executive committees and authorities on the following points.

First, continuing to grasp and seriously follow directives and guidance on commune-level military party cell building; raising awareness and responsibility of party committees and commanders, local party committees and authorities towards commune-level military party cell’s organization and operation. In this regard, it is necessary to be fully aware that commune-level military party cell is the core and the bridge between the Party and the masses to facilitate the building of “people’s heart and mind posture”, strengthening the defensive area’s political and spiritual potential, and maintaining political stability, social order and safety for socioeconomic development.

Second, timely building the staff of party executive committee members, secretaries and deputy secretaries with sufficient quantity, high quality, and proper structure; associating the building of party executive committees with that of key cadres. In this regard, it is important to train party executive members, particularly party cell secretaries and deputy secretaries, the capability to realize the Party’s guideline and policy, resolutions and directives of the higher authorities, the method to mobilize the masses to conduct the tasks, and especially the skills in managing, building and training the militia and self-defence force and the reserve force.

Third, frequently innovating the content, form and method of party cell meeting in accordance with local realities. In this regard, it is necessary to step up the implementation of the Central Resolution No.4 (12th tenure) on Party building and rectification, prevention and expelling of degradation in political ideology, ethics, lifestyle as well as manifestations of “self-evolution”, “self-transformation”, and the 12th Politburo’s Directive No.5-CT/TW on the acceleration of studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s thought, morals and lifestyle; build and make cadres of the commune-level military command, militia and self-defence force, and reserve force politically strong, highly vigilant, and ready to take and successfully fulfil all the assigned tasks.

Fourth, the Department of Politics should proactively supplement and complete the Regulations on collaboration with provincial party executive committee’s organization commissions in the area; focusing on the work of Party building, cadre work, and the work of internal political protection, the building of political system, particularly that of commune-level military party cells. It is necessary to direct and guide commune-level military party cells and organs to strengthen their leadership capacity and firmly grasp the situation.

Fifth, attention should be paid to policies for commune-level military commands, militia and self-defence force and reserve force, particularly the allowance for militia and self-defence force; encouraging localities and units to improve material and spiritual life of cadres and party members.

It can be affirmed from the reality of the MR9 that enhancing the leadership capacity of commune-level military party cells is of utmost importance. The successful implementation of this work will strengthen the Party’s leadership over local armed forces and military tasks, meeting the requirements set by the task of building strong all-people’s national defence in the new situation.

Major General Ngo Van Ba

Standing Member of the MR Party Committee

Head of Political Department of the MR