Saturday, August 01, 2020, 11:54 (GMT+7)
The Military better implements the Statute on the political system’s mass mobilisation work in the new situation

On February, 25th, 2010, the 10th Politburo promulgated the Decision 290-QĐ/TW on the Statute concerning the political system’s mass mobilisation work (hereafter the Decision No.290). After 10 years in force, the Statute has proved its significance and importance. To meet the task requirements in the new situation, the entire Military should continue to grasp and implement the Statute, while enhancing its mass mobilisation work.

After the Politburo issued the Decision No.290, the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army gave advice to the Central Military Commission on directing and helping party committees within the whole Military to grasp and introduce the Statute to all cadres, party members and soldiers. At the same time, it released the Decision 03-QĐ/ĐU, dated January 4th, 2011 on “the Statute regarding the Vietnam People’s Army’s mass mobilisation work” and many documents on leadership and direction over this work within the Military. Besides, it promoted the role of party committees, commanders, commissars, political offices, mass organisations and soldiers’ councils at military offices and units in carrying out the mass mobilisation work. Since the inception of the Statute by the General Department of Politics, the mass mobilisation work has achieved many significant results.

Party committee heads were always fully aware of their duties and assigned party committee members to be in charge of the mass mobilisation work at all levels. The contents of mass mobilisation and the responsibilities for this work undertaken by party committees were clearly identified, combined with each office and unit’ political task, and stipulated in special or regular resolutions, regulations on the mass mobilisation work, and action plans/programs. Inspections and supervisions of mass mobilisation were also closely conducted.

Commissars, commanders, and political offices at all levels heightened a sense of responsibility for developing plans on mass mobilisation at their offices and units. They stepped up a reform in military administration, promoted democracy at grass-roots level, opportunely dealt with difficulties at grass-roots level, and carried out the mass mobilisation work in a serious, orderly, and effectively manner. They also renewed their working style and built a democratic, friendly, united working environment, green, clean, scenic barracks, and a healthy, diverse, civilised cultural environment within their offices and units as typical cultural examples in their stationed areas.

Mass organisations and soldiers’ councils always proactively, actively reformed their contents and modes of operation, while mobilising all of their members to create the synergy in the performance of their offices and units’ political tasks. They promoted the role of supervision and social criticism to make significant contributions to building the Party and improving the efficiency of commanders at all levels. Besides, they frequently cooperated with local unions and organisations in implementing movements, campaigns and social security policies, thereby contributing to maintaining political security, social order and safety, national defence and security in their stationed areas.

Border guards giving instructions on farming to people at Mu Chi village, Pa Hu commune (photo: VNA)

Up to now, the Military’s mass mobilisation work has obtained a lot of positive results. Thanks to the diversification of contents and methods of mass mobilisation, there have been many good, effective models and approaches spreading the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” within the society. Military offices and units have always encouraged the people to comply with the Party’s guidelines and the State’s law, while creating a sense of consensus within the society and cementing the national great unity block. They have effectively taken part in socio-economic development and cooperated with localities in executing national target programmes on sustainable poverty reduction and new-style countryside and civilised rural area construction. In this regard, due attention has been paid to closely combining economic development with defence-security consolidation. Offices and units have also actively participated in building political bases and worked with localities to settle complex incidents and “hotspots,” hence contributing to maintaining political security and social order and safety across the country. They have effectively built models of “clever mass mobilisation” in various fields. The Military has well performed its function as an army ready for combat, for work, and for production, promoted the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers,” and acted as the core force in building the all-people national defence and a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds,” and maintained peace and stability for the country’s development.

However, there have been weaknesses in executing the Statute and the mass mobilisation work. Some offices and units have yet to thoroughly grasp or effectively execute higher echelons’ documents. The contents and methods of mass mobilisation in several units have yet to be renewed. A number of cadres and soldiers’ experiences, skills and socio-economic, legal, ethnic, cultural and linguistic knowledge have not been great enough to conduct the mass mobilisation work, particularly in the areas mainly inhabited by ethnic minorities. Some of them have violated discipline when carrying out this work.

In the upcoming years, peace, cooperation and development will still be the mainstream of the world. However, the global situation will witness a lot of rapid, complex, and unpredictable developments. Our country’s combined strength and prestige in the international community will be raised. Nevertheless, it will be confronted with numerous difficulties and challenges especially when it has been more deeply and widely integrating into the world. The situation in the East Sea, the Southwest Sea and several strategic areas will face the risk of instability. Life of a section of people and military staff members will still be in difficulty. The hostile forces will continue enhancing their “peaceful evolution” strategy and taking advantage of the issues on “ethnicity,” “religion,” “democracy,” and “human rights” to incite separatism, undermine the national great unity block, and “depoliticise” our Military. Meanwhile, more investments will be made in the Military to increase its synergy. The Military’s organisational structure will continue to be streamlined, which will impose more new requirements on its task.

Against that backdrop, to improve the quality and effectiveness of executing the Statute on the political system’s mass mobilisation work and the Military’s Statute and mass mobilisation work, party committees, commands and political offices at all levels should focus on the following tasks and measures.

1. Frequently conduct propagation to raise the awareness and responsibility of military staff and members of the self-defence and militia force towards the Statute concerning the political system’s mass mobilisation work and the mass mobilisation work in the new situation. It is necessary to continue disseminating the Politburo’s Decision No.290 and the Party’s documents on the mass mobilisation work, especially the 11th Party Central Committee’s Resolution 25-QĐ/TW, dated June 3rd, 2013 and the Central Military Commission’s Resolution 49-NQ/QUTW, dated January 26th, 2015. Doing so will help make a positive change in party committee members, commanders, cadres and soldiers’ awareness and action when they carry out the mass mobilisation work. They will consider this work as their sentiment and responsibility. More importantly, they will be equipped with a thorough knowledge to fight against the hostile forces’ strategy aimed at undermining the national great unity block and divide the Party, the State and the Military from the people.

2. Strengthen party organisations’ leadership and a sense of responsibility of all-level commissars, commanders, and political offices for the execution of the Statute and the mass mobilisation work. Party committees and organisations should regularly review, adjust and supplement the Statute regarding the mass mobilisation work in accordance with their offices and units’ practical conditions. Due regard should be paid to developing action plans and mobilising the synergy of forces and organisations both inside and outside the Military for this work. Political offices and cadres at all levels should counsel, guide and monitor their offices and units’ performance of mass mobilisation work, while directing mass organisations to renew cooperation with localities in effectively implementing emulation movements and campaigns.

Furthermore, consideration should be given to overcoming weaknesses in the mass mobilisation work, carrying out reviews to draw lessons, building and multiplying models and typical examples, opportunely commending and rewarding individuals and collectives with outstanding achievements in implementing the Statute and the mass mobilisation work, and resolutely settling violations of mass mobilisation discipline.

3. Actively renew and diversify the contents and forms of mass mobilisation to make it relevant to reality. To that end, offices and units should regularly grasp the situation to identify the contents of mass mobilisation properly. Due attention should be paid to effectively executing twinning programmes, organising training marches associated with the mass mobilisation work, establishing mass mobilisation teams, and dispatching border guard cadres to work at grass-roots level. It is necessary to continue fostering cooperation with central and local sectors and socio-political organisations in the mass mobilisation work. Moreover, it is important to encourage organisations, individuals, and enterprises both at home and abroad and promote the role of religious dignitaries, village patriarchs, and persons with great prestige within communities to carry out the mass mobilisation work.

Offices and units should well conduct the mass mobilisation work in the building of economic-defence zones and strategic, key areas. It is essential to actively deal with arising issues, particularly in the border, sea, island areas, urban areas, industrial zones, and the areas mainly inhabited by ethnic minorities. Due regard should be paid to handling land disputes, environmental pollution, epidemics, and operations and negative religious practices by the hostile forces, political opportunists, and illegal organisations. Emphasis should be placed on promoting the role of competent offices and forces in conducting propaganda among the people and diversifying forms of propaganda, especially among the border people and neighbours’ citizens in order to facilitate socio-economic development and build the border of peace, friendship and cooperation for development.

4. Proactively improve the staff work and better cooperate with central and local governments, sectors and unions to create the synergy for the mass mobilisation work. In each area, units should give sound advice to localities on effectively performing the mass mobilisation work and strictly maintaining the Statute regarding the political system’s mass mobilisation work and the mechanisms for cooperation in this work. Programmes and plans signed by military offices and local organisations should be stringently executed. In addition, offices and units should grasp the situation, proactively develop and supplement plans and projects for cooperation to deal with situations, particularly the complex ones.

Mass organisations should cooperate with local unions in diversifying methods of encouraging and gathering the people to implement emulation movements and campaigns and combine socio-economic development with defence-security consolidation. Also, it is necessary to build both safe units and areas.

5. Promote democracy and renew the contents and modes of operation of mass organisations and soldiers’ councils to create a sense of consensus within offices and units. It is essential to maintain the order for dialogues between commanders and troops, listen to and respect opinions from the masses within offices and units. Controversial issues should be opportunely handled to achieve a sense of unity and contribute to raising the leadership and management efficiency of party committees and commands at all levels.

Great value should be attached to renewing the contents and modes of operation of mass organisations and soldiers’ councils in accordance with reality. Due attention should be paid to closely cooperating with local unions and organisations in carrying out the mass mobilisation work. Methods of mobilising members of unions and organisations and citizens should be diversified, while due regard should be paid to building the core force in charge of mass mobilisation, especially in the key areas. Besides, mass organisations’ roles of supervision and social criticism in implementing the Party’s guidelines, the State’s law, and regulations by party committees and commands should be heightened.

6. Frequently consolidate offices and cadres in charge of mass mobilisation, improve cadres and party members’ mass mobilisation knowledge and capacity, and make more investments in facilities to meet the task requirements. Emphasis should be placed on building offices and cadres in charge of mass mobilisation with political zeal, pure morality, good knowledge and experience in the mass mobilisation work. Offices and units should proactively update cadres and soldiers in charge of mass mobilisation on new knowledge and organise refresher courses to improve their skills in dealing with situations. It is vital to fight against the signs of subjectivity and disregard for the mass mobilisation work. Additionally, it is important to avoid assigning redundant or incompetent cadres to be in charge of the mass mobilisation work. Mass mobilisation cadres and soldiers must “respect the people, understand the people, and be responsible for the people.” Consideration should be given to enhancing the emulation movement of “Workplace Culture within the Vietnam People’s Army.” Moreover, it is necessary closely cooperate with localities in improving mass mobilisation skills of the core force and persons having great prestige within communities to keep raising the effectiveness of mass mobilisation.

Military schools should include the mass mobilisation work, the special propagation work, the ethnic work and the religious work in their training programmes. Last but not least, due regard should be paid to ensuring policies, entitlements and funds for mass mobilisation to satisfy the task requirements in the new situation.

The mass mobilisation work is of strategic importance to our country’s revolution and provides a solid foundation for maintaining the Party’s leadership and cementing the close-knit bond between the Party, the State and the people. The Military’s mass mobilisation work is part of the Party’s mass mobilisation work. It is also an aspect of the party and political work within the Military and a routine political task of all party committees, commands, offices, units, cadres, soldiers and national defence employees. Hence, all staff members and organisations within the Military should continue grasping and effectively executing the Statute regarding the political system’s mass mobilisation work in order to take the Military’s mass mobilisation work to a new height.

Sr. Lt. Gen. TRAN QUANG PHUONG

Member of the Party Central Committee

Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics, the Vietnam People’s Army

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