To improve the effectiveness of studying and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle and transform this work into a routine need of cadres and soldiers, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Command of Soc Trang have concretised the 12th Politburo’s Directive 05-CT/TW into practical contents and actions relevant to each individual and organisation’s function and task.
When he was alive, President Ho Chi Minh ever said that “anything must be practical and words must match with action. You should do from small to big things and from easy to hard things. A small-scale programme that is carried out successfully is more valuable than a hundred of unsuccessful large-scale ones.” Being imbued with those words by Uncle Ho, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Command have directed all-level party organisations and commands to develop their action plans for the Directive 05, with the contents and criteria relevant to offices and units’ particularities, function and task. At the same time, they have been required to concretise and make the contents of studying and following Uncle Ho’s example in accordance with each group of troops, concise and easy to remember, realise and assess.
First of all, the Provincial Military Party Committee and Command have focused the study and following of Uncle Ho’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle on the Party building work. Offices and units have been asked to formulate their action plans for the Directive 05 in tandem with the implementation of the 12th Party Central Committee’s Resolution No.4 on the Party building and rectification and the Campaign entitled “promoting tradition, devoting talent, deserving to be Uncle Ho’s soldiers in the new period.” The Provincial Military Party Committee (PMPC) has directed all-level party committees to concentrate on enhancing their leadership and combativeness. Resolutions by party organisations and committees have been made relevant to offices and units’ function and task, together with proper measures for overcoming weaknesses. Party organisations within competent offices of the Provincial Military Command (PMC) have been required to enhance their capacity to grasp higher echelons’ resolutions and directives, improve their capability in giving advice, developing plans, and helping and instructing units. Party organisations within training and combat readiness units have focused on improving combat readiness capacity and raising the quality of military standard order building and discipline management. Grass-roots level party organisations within district and commune level military commands have been asked to give sound advice to local party committees and authorities on leadership and direction over the military-defence work, while well conducting the mass mobilisation work and helping the people with hunger eradication and poverty reduction, particularly in the key areas. To raise the quality of party meetings, party cells have included one or two stories about Uncle Ho’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle in their meetings. Monthly, each cadre and party member present their commitment to self-improvement before their party cell, together with their positive changes and existing weaknesses. Annually, units and offices organise reviews to draw lessons and combine the assessment of cadres and party members’ quality with their task performance and their study and following of Uncle Ho’s example in each piece of work.
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| A conference to review the implementation of the 12th Politburo’s Directive 05 |
The study and following of Uncle Ho’s example should start with specific words, deeds, attitudes and behaviours towards daily work. Following the motto of “learning one quotation of Uncle Ho every day” under the documents compiled by the Department of Propaganda and Training (the General Department of Politics), the PMPC has directed functional offices to advise units on the contents, duration, form, method, approach of study in accordance with the particularities of each office and unit. Before the working time, “one quotation of Uncle Ho” is read aloud slowly so that cadres and soldiers within offices and units could learn by heart and follow. Some offices and units have used their internal radio system or LED display to present Uncle Ho’s teachings. A number of units have included Uncle Ho’s teachings in exchange, cultural, artistic programmes, youth’s forums, field trips, while organising knowledge contests about Uncle Ho’s revolutionary life and career. On a quarterly basis, via documents on Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle and the propaganda and training work, Newspapers of Soc Trang Province and the Military Region 9, and the Party Building Magazine, party organisations select topics and contents relevant to each office and unit to disseminate the study and following of Uncle Ho’s example. By means of those approaches, each cadre and soldier have frequently read, listened to, felt, clearly understood and remembered Uncle Ho’s teachings; therefore, they have built up their determination, self-reliance, creativity and proactiveness in surmounting difficulties and successfully fulfilling their assigned tasks.
Following Uncle Ho’s instructions that “emphasis should be placed on performing the military work and particularly training troops,” the PMPC and PMC have always focused on organising forces and improving the quality of training. Great weight has been added to strengthening the leadership and direction over the building of the all-people national defence and the mechanism in which the Party would exercise leadership over the military-defence work. At the same time, consideration has been given to consolidating the organisational structure of the all-level military offices, the militia and self-defence force and the reserve force in a compact, strong fashion. In the training process, offices and units have adhered to the motto of “basics, practicality and thorough grasp” and organised synchronous, intensive training in accordance with each group of troops and missions, particularly the operational task in the coastal area. They have achieved many breakthroughs in training; professional offices have been in charge of training the ground-force militia force, for example. As for the coastal militia and self-defence force, emphasis has been placed on training militia platoons in the defence of the coast. Moreover, due regard has been paid to keeping raising the quality of defensive zone and defensive combat exercises, holding military contests and combining military training with the building of military standard order and discipline management.
Furthermore, offices and units have stepped up the emulation movement entitled “the Military Logistics Branch follows Uncle Ho’s teachings” in order to ensure logistics and financial support for training, combat readiness and regular missions. Units have made investments in building green, clean, scenic, standard barracks, actively constructed zones for large-scale agricultural production, adopted the model of clean vegetables, prevented and combated epidemics, protected the environment and ensured food hygiene and safety. As a result, they have improved troops’ life and the rate of healthy troops has always been over 99%. Units have also well carried out the Campaign entitled “managing and exploiting weapons and technical equipment effectively, sustainably, safely, economically and ensuring traffic safety.” Due attention has been paid to preserving and maintaining materiel and closely managing depots and stations to avoid fire, explosion and loss of weapons and equipment.
Following Uncle Ho’s teachings that “winning the people’s hearts and minds, you will have everything” and that “a sense of unity between the Military and the people will certainly lead to the victory of the resistance war and the national construction,” the provincial armed forces have actively executed the emulation movement of “good mass mobilisation unit.” Over the past 5 years, the PMC has counselled the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee to organise the “Military-People Tet Holiday” Programme, build and present 267 “Houses of Gratitude,” “Houses of Comradeship” and “Houses of Great Unity,” provide free medical examination and medicine for over 3,000 families under the preferential treatment policy and poor households, and hold 30 art performances for the people, thus cementing the close-knit bond between the Military and the people. Executing the emulation movement entitled “joining hands in new-style countryside construction - joining hands for the poor,” the provincial armed forces have cooperated with local committees, sectors and unions in helping the people to repair several public works and advising 19 communes on fulfilling criteria of national defence and security set by the “new-style rural area construction programme.” At the same time, they have realised the model of “building typical communes of solid national defence and joining hands in new-style countryside construction” at Tham Don commune, My Xuyen district. Up to now, 7 out of 19 communes have met the new-style countryside criteria. Emulation movements have helped raise cadres and soldiers’ awareness and responsibility. Via those movements, there have been typical examples. More specifically, the Military Command of Nga Nam Town has encouraged its cadres and soldiers to assist members of the militia and self-defence force and the reserve force under difficult circumstances and poor households with breeding animals and seedlings while the Military Commands of Vinh Chau Town and Ke Sach District have combined military training with the mass mobilisation work. Thanks to those efforts, a positive change in political security and social order and safety in the area has been made and the people have kept their mind on their work, thereby consolidating the unity between the Military and the people, building a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds.”
It can’t be denied that the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, ethics and lifestyle have acted as one of the determinants to the provincial armed forces’ successful fulfillment of their military-defence task. The provincial armed forces were given the title of Hero of the People’s Armed Forces in the new period and the Second-Class Fatherland Protection Order in 2015 as well as the Third-Class Fatherland Protection Order in 2018 by the State. They were also presented with many other noble rewards by the Ministry of National Defence, the Military Region 9 and the province. Those achievements will encourage cadres and soldiers of the provincial armed forces to continue better performing the Directive 05 and ensuring that the virtues of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers” always shine in the people’s hearts and minds.
Sr. Col. DO TIEN SY, Commissar of the PMC