III. Enhance our Party’s ruling capacity

The ruling role of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) has been specified by the Constitution of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The CPV’s leadership over the State and the society has been entrusted by the people. Throughout revolutionary realities and historical contemplation, our people have always believed in the CPV. They have been self-aware to honour and see the CPV as their leader. They hope that the CPV will always be a really “pure, strong, moral, civilised” Party to deserve to be the navigator of the Vietnamese revolution to glory and happiness.

Being fully aware of the status, value, prestige and mission of a party that rules the State and the society, in his Testament for our entire Party, Military and people, our beloved President Ho Chi Minh wrote: “Ours is a party in power. Each Party member, each cadre must be deeply imbued with revolutionary morality, and show industry, thrift, integrity, uprightness, total dedication to the public interest and complete selflessness. Our Party should preserve absolute purity and prove worthy of its role as the leader and very loyal servant of the people.” Such profoundly meaningful and humane words by the President have become the ideal of life, the guidelines for action, and the ideological foundation for the CPV to carry out the country’s renewal and the Party building and rectification, while enabling the Party to preserve its faith and respect for the people. Thanks to those words, our CPV has set out sound guidelines and policies to enhance its leadership and ruling capacity and realise the aspirations of development, renewal, and creativity to turn Vietnam into a developed, high-income, socialist-oriented nation.

Illustrative photo (vksndtc.gov.vn)

Reality has showed that the CPV’s knowledge, faith, morality, and ruling capacity have acted as a determinant to all victories of the Vietnamese revolution, especially against difficulties and challenges and at the turning points of our revolution. Those elements have allowed the CPV to opportunely, effectively handle new, complicated issues directly relating to the survival of our Party and regime, the national benefits, and the people’s happiness. And that has proved the CPV’s “mindset, vision, knowledge,” honour, prestige, and status before the whole people and nation.

In the upcoming time, our country will have many opportunities, while facing a lot of challenges. New strategic issues will have to be settled. It is anticipated that the situation on a regional and global scale will be complex. Global challenges, such as climate change, natural disaster and epidemic as well as scientific and technological advance, particularly the 4^th industrial revolution will strongly, profoundly impact on our country’s economy, politics, social development, defence, and security. Meanwhile, cadres, party members, and citizens are pinning their hopes on the CPV’s ruling and leadership capacity together with its sound, drastic, creative policies and strategies to exploit resources, take advantage of opportunities, overcome all challenges, promote the strength of the national great unity block, continue the cause of renewal, industrialisation and modernisation, and maintain rapid, sustainable development for the goal of wealthy people, strong nation, democracy, equality, and civilisation. Therefore, in order to improve the CPV’s ruling and leadership capacity and status, there should be sound, proper guidelines and measures so that the Party will exercise its leadership over major, demanding but glorious missions entrusted by our people and nation.

First of all, enhance the CPV’s political zeal, theoretical level, knowledge, and capacity to satisfy the more demanding requirements set by the country’s renewal and the Homeland construction and protection. In the past 90 years of the CPV’s leadership over the Vietnamese revolution, the more difficult its mission has been, the more perfect its knowledge and faith have been proved, the more important its ruling and leadership capacity have become, and the more clearly our people’s sentiment towards it have been expressed. Such qualities have been obtained by the CPV as it has always improved its political zeal, renewed its thinking, broadened its mind, developed sound, creative guidelines and policies in accordance with the task requirements in each revolutionary period, and fulfilled its major programmes as the theoretical and practical foundation for exercising its leadership over the State and the society and meeting the people’s expectations for the country’s development and renewal. In the current situation, the political zeal and knowledge of the CPV as a ruling party are manifested in its creative application and development of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, in its steadfastness in the goal of national independence and socialism, the renewal policy, and principles for building the Party as well as in its protection of the national interests on the basis of international law, equality, and cooperation to construct and defend the Homeland. At the same time, it is necessary to improve the quality of scientific researches and strategic forecasts and the development of guidelines and policies in accord with the country’s condition, the trend of the times, and the people’s wishes. Besides, it is important to opportunely institutionalise and implement the Resolution of the 13^th National Party Congress, while due attention should be paid to developing theories, drawing lessons, overcoming weaknesses, and adjusting issues irrelevant to the development trend. Cadres and party members shall proactively, actively improve their knowledge and work experience, renew their thinking and work method, express their confidence in leadership and direction, and deal with conservatism and inertia.

Second, build a contingent of cadres with great political zeal, pure ethics and lifestyle, and good professional competence in a close-knit bond with the people. Since ours became a ruling party, cadres and party members have held most of the key positions within the state apparatus; therefore, they will possibly commit corruption, bureaucracy, and “group interest.” Hence, the Party shall place emphasis on building and consolidating a pool of cadres, particularly at strategic level with sufficient qualities, capabilities, and prestige on a par with their task requirements. To that end, first of all, it is vital to complete regulations on the personnel work, criteria for job titles, and mechanisms for personnel evaluation. Due regard should be paid to training and screening cadres to ensure that all cadres, especially the key ones will have great political zeal, pure morality, and a sense of unity. Doing so will prevent them from abusing power and committing corruption, wastefulness, and negative practices. Cadres of the Party shall “dare to think, dare to speak, dare to do, dare to take responsibility, dare to face challenges, and dare to take action for the common benefits.”

Cadres and party members shall be role models before the people and match their words with action. According to President Ho Chi Minh, “Party members shall do first, the people shall follow them,” “the people must know, the people must discuss, the people must do, the people must inspect, the people must supervise, and the people must enjoy,” “we must do good things and avoid bad things for the people.” In addition, it is essential to closely manage cadres right at grass-roots level and opportunely settle violations of law and the CPV Charter in order to purify the Party. At the same time, consideration should be given to perfecting mechanisms and policies as a motivation for cadres to keep their mind on their work, while it is vital to resolutely prevent and fight against the signs of factionalism and “group interests” in the personnel work.

Third, renew the CPV’s ruling method. Being a ruling party does not mean that the CPV will do all jobs for the State or stand above the State. The CPV only exercises its leadership over the State to institutionalise its political power into the State’s power so that the State will effectively use the legislative, executive, and judicial powers to realise the Party’s goals and leadership contents. To that end, the CPV shall frequently renew its ruling and leadership over the State and the society. It is necessary to be aware that the CPV exercises its leadership over the State via political platforms, guidelines, and resolutions, while state agencies develops action plans and programmes to ensure that the Party’s guidelines will be quickly translated into life and become an incentive to the development in all aspects of social life. The CPV will give directions to the National Assembly on formulating the system of policies and laws to meet the requirements of development in each period, on deciding major issues relating to the State’s functions, tasks, and socio-economic development targets, and on implementing domestic and foreign policies, major plans and programmes, and strategies of socio-economic development. The CPV will set up institutions and mechanisms to use the legislative, executive, and judicial powers to realise its will and power within the society, while establishing specific regulations on party committees’ leadership over authorities. At the same time, the Party will play a key role in the personnel work, particularly for leaders and managers within state agencies, train and appoint cadres to key positions of the state apparatus, and develop mechanisms for inspecting, supervising, and controlling powers so as to ensure that all operations of the State will be in accordance with the CPV’s viewpoints and guidelines.

Fourth, frequently renew and rectify the CPV, enhance the work of internal political protection, and fight against wrong viewpoints and distortions of the Party’s ruling and leadership role. Reality always develops and changes constantly. Therefore, the CPV shall regularly self-renew and self-rectify to keep developing itself and deserve the status of a ruling party. First of all, the CPV shall renew its theoretical thinking, raise public awareness of its ruling and leadership role, and improve the quality of building and issuing resolutions. More specifically, resolutions must be really necessary, appropriate, practical, short, and feasible, while due attention should be paid to renewing the personnel work to ensure that this work must be “key step” of the Party building. Cadres and party members, particularly heads of offices shall renew their thinking, work method, and leadership and management style to be really “loyal servants of the people,” while setting good examples in their words and action. Furthermore, the CPV shall focus on rectifying and purifying itself, and combating corruption, wastefulness, negative practices, the degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle as well as “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” in order to cement the people’s faith in the Party. At the same time, it is important to well carry out the work of internal political protection to make the CPV really pure and politically, ideologically, morally, organisationally strong. Great value should be attached to fighting against wrong, hostile viewpoints and distortions of the CPV’s leadership over the State and the society so as to contribute to raising the prestige, status and honour of the CPV as a ruling party.

Since the CPV was founded, developed, and especially came to power over the State and the society, it has been clear for us to see that enhancing the Party’s ruling and leadership capacity acts as a determinant to the success of national construction, development and protection. In the process of development, in spite of a lot of difficulties and challenges, we still put our faith in the Party’s ruling role. Under the CPV’s leadership, our country will certainly achieve new miracles in the construction and defence of the Socialist Vietnamese Homeland. (The end)

Maj. Gen., Associate Prof. NGUYEN BA DUONG, PhD*

Maj. Gen. DO HONG LAM, PhD**

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* Member of the Central Theoretical Council

** Editor-in-Chief of the National Defence Journal