Over the past months, our country has been hit by the 4th wave of COVID-19 with new variants and complex developments, particularly in Ho Chi Minh City and provinces within Military Region 7. With a sharp increase in infections and a high mortality rate, COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly negatively impacted on local socio-economic development and directly threatened the people’s lives and the Military Region’s combat strength. Against that backdrop, the Military Region’s Party Committee Standing Board and Command as well as all-level party committees and commands have focused their leadership and direction on enhancing party and political work during COVID-19 prevention and control with proper contents and steps; this work has been proactively carried out, and it even has “taken one step ahead” of the pandemic’s rapid developments. As a result, it has contributed to promoting synergy and encouraging cadres and soldiers to perform their task on the front line against the pandemic to deserve the trust of local party committees, authorities, and citizens and bolster the image of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period.

Commander of the Military Region inspecting pandemic prevention and control in a border area

Grounded on analyses and evaluations of the pandemic, the Military Region’s Political Department has advised the Military Region Party Committee Standing Board to issue a specialised resolution on COVID-19 prevention and control. At the same time, it has directed offices and units to develop and implement plans for party and political work during pandemic prevention and control to readily deal with possible situations. It has cooperated with offices, committees, and sectors of the Military Region in recommending the Military Region Command to establish steering boards and issue guiding documents on keeping the pandemic under control in each area and locality. Moreover, all-level party committees and commands have proactively deployed their cadres for COVID-19 prevention and control, with priority given to staffing field hospitals, quarantine zones, and units performing missions in difficult, dangerous places.

Offices and units of the Military Region have attached importance to conducting the work of political education and ideological orientation for troops and citizens, while closely combining oral propagation with other types of propagation. Rapporteurs, mass mobilisation teams, and mobile propagation groups have played a vanguard role on the front line to perform their missions. Besides, due attention has been paid to promoting the role of central, local, military press agencies and radio and television stations in opportunely providing information and disseminating measures, achievements, and effective approaches in COVID-19 prevention and control. Doing so has helped raise troops and citizens’ awareness of pandemic prevention and control, orientate public opinions, and proactively, effectively fight against distortions and wrong information relating to COVID-19 prevention and control.

To encourage cadres and soldiers to surmount all hardships and dedicate themselves to the fight against COVID-19, the Political Department has advised the Military Region’s affiliates to enhance the Determination to Win Emulation Movement and the Campaign titled “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers” in the new period as well as launch a special emulation movement entitled “combating the pandemic, rescuing the people” with specific measures relevant to each office and unit’s particularities. Mass organisations have always heightened their pioneering role, visited and given presents to cadres and youth union members on the front line, provided assistance for union members who had been infected with COVID-19, and collaborated with local party committees and authorities in conducting the work of propagation for key officials at all levels, religious dignitaries, village heads, persons with great prestige within ethnic minority groups, and all citizens. All-level military agencies have created a favourable condition for teams and stations to manage and protect the border, prevent illegal immigration, and combat the pandemic along the border and at sea. At the same time, they have quickly deployed personnel and means to reinforce localities’ COVID-19 prevention and control, guarantee food, and provide their farm produce for citizens within pandemic-hit areas, thereby making significant contributions to preventing the spread of COVID-19 and ensuring social security for citizens affected by the pandemic.

Furthermore, the Military Region’s Party Committee Standing Board and Command have directed offices and units to enhance mass mobilisation to create synergy for pandemic prevention and control. All-level party committees and commands have cooperated with Vietnam Fatherland Fronts, offices, and sectors in mobilising material and spiritual resources from enterprises, benefactors, localities, and military units for the Military Region’s armed forces to combat the pandemic and help the people. They have frequently visited and given presents to forces in charge of COVID-19 prevention and control along the border, reinforcements at localities, staff members of the Military Region’s hospitals, and families under preferential treatment policies. Thanks to their cadres and soldiers’ donation, the Military Region’s offices and units have cooperated with local authorities in organising creative, effective models to help the people, such as “free boarding house,” “zero dong booth,” “zero dong market,” “rice ATM,” “face mask ATM,” “charity rice jar,” “charity meal,” “free diet and soup,” “social welfare pack during COVID-19 pandemic,” and programmes of 1,000, 5,000, 20,000, and 100,000 charity gifts worth about 812 billion VND, thus making contributions to taking care of the pandemic combat force and the people so that “no one would be left behind.” It should be noted that due to the pandemic’s complex developments with a record number of deaths, cadres and soldiers of the Military Region have been assigned to preserve and cremate bodies, and hand over ashes of patients dying of COVID-19 to their families. Therefore, the Military Region’s Party Committee and Command have required all cadres and soldiers to perform this work in an extremely respectful, solemn, and careful manner. This work demonstrates the nation’s tradition of “compassion” and the responsibility and sentiment of cadres and soldiers of the Military Region’s armed forces, while contributing to alleviating the pain of unfortunate families during the pandemic and helping the dead to rest in peace.

COVID-19 prevention and control is an unprecedented task and “a combat mission of the Military in peacetime” with new, extremely complex consequences. However, under the close, creative, opportune, effective leadership and direction of the Military Region’s Party Committee and Command and all-level party committees, commanders, commissars, and political offices together with the serious, responsible participation of all forces and creative approaches, party and political work has brought into play the role and responsibility of all cadres and soldiers in the fight against COVID-19. In the process, the Military Region has drawn several lessons as follows.

First, it is necessary to promote all-level party organisations, key cadres, and political offices’ focalised, resolute, timely leadership and direction and enhance the work of inspection and supervision to ensure party committees’ routine, continuous leadership in the performance of this task. Military offices and units should closely cooperate with local authorities and sectors in implementing mass mobilisation plans to provide assistance for localities and citizens in epidemic prevention and control.

Second, contents, forms, and methods of party and political work should be flexibly, creatively employed in accordance with each unit’s particularities and epidemic prevention and control. Grounded on each office and unit’s assigned task and practical condition, all-level party committees, key cadres, and political agencies should adjust and supplement plans for party and political work and organise refresher courses to improve all-level cadres’ knowledge, competence, and skills in carrying out this important work. It is essential to step up the work of propagation and proactively collaborate with local party committees and authorities within units’ stationed areas in raising locals’ awareness and responsibility for localities’ epidemic prevention and control and in maintaining political security and social order and safety.

Third, military offices and units should proactively develop plans for party and political work relevant to each epidemic degree, strictly implement regulations on mass mobilisation work, promote the fine tradition of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers,” and settle all signs of bureaucracy and snobbishness. Due attention should be paid to carrying out reviews of party and political work to draw lessons, point out strengths, weaknesses, and causes, and especially propose effective contents, forms, and methods of conducting this important work and dealing with complex situations.

Fourth, military offices and units should proactively renew contents, forms, and methods of epidemic combat, opportunely provide support for local authorities and citizens to the best of their ability, and absolutely avoid letting the people fall into difficulty. Due regard should be paid to ensuring material and mental life and safety of forces in charge of epidemic prevention and control. Great value should be attached to closely cooperating with party committees, authorities, sectors, unions, and politico-social organisations in maximising all possible resources for epidemic prevention and control and for the people.

Fifth, it is vital to keep executing special emulation movements, such as “combating the pandemic, rescuing the people” across military offices and units, opportunely detect and multiply typical examples and creative, effective approaches, and promote the role of mass organisations and soldiers’ councils at grass-roots level units. Consideration should be given to commending individuals and collectives with remarkable achievements and seriously handling offences.

Maj. Gen. HOANG DINH CHUNG

Head of Military Region 7’s Political Department