The image of Border Guard soldiers holding office in Party committees and authorities of Quang Nam's border communes has gradually become familiar to local authorities and people. Through concrete deeds, they have made practical contribution to improving the operation quality of the political system, socio-economic development, strengthening national defence and security in these localities, helping to beautify the dignity of "Uncle Ho's Soldiers-Border Guard Soldiers" in the new era.

1. Determined leadership and direction

The province of Quang Nam shares 157 km of border with Laos that runs along the districts of Nam Giang and Tay Giang. There are 14 border communes of extreme difficulty and 5,653 households with 23,157 people of which the majority are Co Tu and Gie Trieng ethnic minorities in the two districts. The local people possess brave revolutionary tradition, display steadfastness in the wars of resistance and great diligence in labour, and have traditional, united, close, friendly and special relationship with Lao people in border villages. However, in recent years, the local political security, social order and safety have witnessed latent issues. Trafficking and use of drug and explosives, illegal hunting, logging and mining are on the rise, causing environmental pollution and social evils. The hostile forces exploit issues of ethnicity, religion, democracy, and human rights to propagandise and distort the Party's guidelines and State's law with a view to inciting and sowing division among people, resulting in instability in the areas. Despite improvement, people's living standards in border communes still remain at low level with poor infrastructure, self-sufficient production, unstable income, high rate of poor households, low intellectual standards, limitations in the political system and the corps of cadres, and so on.

The seconded cadres have always kept close to the locals

Realising the guideline of Border Guard Party Committee and Command on seconding cadres of the Border Guard (hereinafter referred to as Border Guard cadres) to border communes, Quang Nam Border Guard Party Committee and Commanders consider this a long-term, permanent political mission that needs to be led and directed effectively. The Party Committee has issued many specialised resolutions on enhancing participation in socio-economic development and mass mobilisation in border communes, signed the Regulation 09/QC-PH, dated 12 January 2012, on "managing cadres sent to border communes" with the Party committees of Nam Giang and Tay Giang districts, and concluded coordination programmes with 10 departments, divisions, sectors, and unions of the province. In addition, the Party Committee has instructed Party cells at Border Guard posts to sign coordination regulations with 14 Party committees of border communes and local departments, divisions and sectors.

The Inspection Commission of the Provincial Border Guard Party Committee works closely with the inspection commissions of Nam Giang Party Committee and Tay Giang Party Committee to carry out regular inspection and supervision. Every quarter, they meet with each other to exchange information and assess the Border Guard cadres sent to communes. Every quarter, the Political Department has a meeting with these cadres in order to appraise their task fulfilment, laying the foundation for the Party Committee and Command to set direction for leading and directing the execution of tasks in a closer and more correct manner. Besides ensuring all policies regarding welfare of cadres sent to communes as provided by regulations, the Party Committee and Command have advised the Provincial People's Committee to subsidise each cadre VND1,000,000 per quarter.

The Provincial Border Guard Party Committee and Command have requested their higher echelons to send 34 cadres to 14 border communes since 1999. Most of these cadres had undergone basic training, reached intermediate level in politics, and been equipped with knowledge of state management and socio-economic development. During work performance, these cadres have brought into play their roles and responsibilities, grasped their assigned duties thoroughly, and advised the local Party committees and authorities to accomplish state management in various fields, contributing to building strong localities.

2. Achievements from practical deeds

From the standpoint of "respecting the people, staying close to the people, learning from the people, and holding accountability to the people" and the working principles of "listening to the people, making the people understand what is being said, gaining the people's confidence" and "eating together, living together, working together, and speaking ethnic dialects together," the Border Guard cadres sent to communes always "think, see, listen, walk, talk, and work." They stay close to the people, listen to legitimate aspirations of the people so as to make correct recommendations to local Party committees and authorities, and truly serve as the bridge between the Party committees, authorities, Border Guard soldiers and the people. In the building of the political system at the grass-roots level, given their regular, scientific working style, the Border Guard cadres sent to communes have advised local Party committees and authorities to enhance the operation quality of the political system, associations and unions in communes and villages. These efforts focus on improving the cadres' working styles and assisting the local Party committees and authorities in strengthening Party organisations and mass organisations, reforming administrative procedures, formulating resolutions, action programmes and working regulations, planning and training local cadres, educating and admitting new Party members to ensure that every village has Party members.

The Border Guard cadres sent to communes are the key force which helps localities to realise directives and resolutions of the Party and their vital tasks effectively. These cadres also conduct education and dissemination of law to raise people's awareness and successfully bring into play the roles of village chiefs and prestigious people, and build key forces in the masses. Additionally, they advise local Party committees and authorities to educate people in national defence and security knowledge and give training courses in handling issues in villages. During their task execution, the Border Guard cadres sent to communes always abide by the regulation on grass-roots democracy and take the promotion of direct democracy and the building of self-management mechanisms in communities as the key. In the spirit of "discussing with the people, asking for the people's opinion and experience, working with the people to devise plans suitable for local conditions in whatever matter," the Border Guard cadres sent to communes always listen to people's feeling and aspirations so as to address their urgent matters completely, thus improving the operation quality of the political system in the border communes of Quang Nam province.

The Border Guard cadres seconded to communes truly serve as the bridge between the Border Guard Soldiers and people. They advise and recommend the Border Guard Command to set forth measures to lead and instruct the successful implementation of economic, cultural, social development programmes and projects in border areas assigned to the Provincial Border Guard by the Provincial People's Committee. These programmes and projects include the development of infrastructure in Petapoot village, Dac Pring commune, implementation of the campaign "cosy houses for the poor in border areas and islands" and the programme "Truong Son sentimental attachment," and building of "houses of great unity," "houses of dreams for old-age people," civil works and cultural houses of villages, contributing to improving people's income, assisting people in hunger eradication and poverty reduction, and enhancing  the intellectual level and welfare of ethnic minority people in border areas. Deeply imbued with Uncle Ho's teaching: "Cadres and civil servants must set examples in every work. Depending on their circumstances, they should stay close to the people and help the people," on realising potential and advantages of each locality, the Border Guard cadres sent to communes have encouraged and instructed people to develop the economy of farms and households, carry out the VACR model, change seedlings and breeding stocks without fear, and attach importance to preserving and bringing into play traditional careers. Following Uncle Ho's teaching: "If we wish to advise other people to do things, we should set examples first," the Border Guard cadres sent to communes actively help people to construct facilities for concentrated breeding, wholeheartedly instruct people how to grow water rice and fruit trees, and patiently entrench themselves in people to propagandise and instruct people to build septic toilets, prevent and control epidemics and pandemics. In addition, they advise commune Party committees and people's committees to pay attention to healthcare and education, effectively implement the national sanitary programmes and goals for the effective prevention and control of diseases, epidemics, pandemics, and social evils, disseminate information on population and family planning, and encourage people conduct expanded immunisation, especially the campaign: "The whole people unite to establish cultural life," achieving families of culture. They also recommend developing many practical models for people's life such as "border reading rooms" and "libraries so as to timely provide people with update information and knowledge of encouraging agricultural expansion, afforestation, breeding, and farming. The model of "clubs of families with two children" is created to enable husbands and wives to share knowledge of family planning, skills in taking care of children, and methods to foster harmonious families. Moreover, they propose setting up "barbershops on Saturdays" and "rice jars of compassion" to offer free haircuts, learning equipment and soldiers' food to poor pupils who have will to surmount difficulties. Notably, many Border Guard cadres have overcome harsh customs of the ethnic minority people to become midwives to help pregnant women to give birth to babies safely. They have also successfully given first aid to tens of people committing suicide and hundreds of people with fatal illness. The image of the Border Guard doctors and teachers has engraved in the hearts and minds of people living in these border areas of extreme difficulty.

Advising and proposing practical solutions to strengthen national defence and security, realise sate management of national borders, and build the all-people border guard posture in association with the all-people national defence posture and the people's security posture is one of the key missions of the Border Guard cadres sent to communes. They actively advise the local Party committees and authorities to regularly exchange information with functional units and forces deployed in the areas about the fulfilment of national defence and security tasks. They mobilise the masses to participate in protecting Homeland security, self-management of boundary lines and border markers, and preserving security and order in border areas in the form of signing commitment between households, families, local authorities and Border Guard posts. The Border Guard cadres sent to communes also advise local authorities to carry out emulation movements in bodies and units in association with the emulation movements and campaigns in the Border Guard with the aim of promoting the effectiveness of propaganda on borders, stepping up twinning, sponsoring and assisting activities of levels, sectors, units, organisations, and individuals for border communes, bringing this work to become a regular, practical movement.

Good deeds of the Border Guard cadres sent to communes towards the Party committees, authorities and people in border areas of Quang Nam province have clearly demonstrated the fine dignity and traditions of "Uncle Ho's Soldiers" as well as the functions and missions of the Border Guards in the new situation.

Colonel Hoang Van Man, Political Commissar, Provincial Border Guards