Located between the rivers of Tien and Hau, with a system of favourable waterways and great potential for industrial and agricultural development, the province of Vinh Long is a centre of connection of the Mekong Delta region, holding a position of importance to the Military Region 9’s socio-economic fields and national defence and security. Within the province, there are 11 groups of people, 5 major religions (Buddhism, Christianity, Protestantism, Caodaism, and Hoa Hao Buddhism) as well as several different folk beliefs. 32.85% of its people are believers. Citizens of Vinh Long always show their diligence, modesty, honesty, patriotism, and loyalty for our Party and revolution. In the resistance wars against imperialism and colonialism, the war for protecting the Southwest border, and international missions, the provincial armed forces stood shoulder to shoulder with the people and courageously fought enemies to make contributions to the whole nation’s victories. In the period of national renewal, the provincial armed forces have always promoted the tradition of “Uncle Ho’s soldiers,” given sound advice to the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee, closely cooperated with sectors and unions in executing programmes for socio-economic development associated with defence-security consolidation, and actively built a solid provincial defensive zone. To achieve such positive results, the Provincial Military Party Committee (PMPC) and the Provincial Military Command (PMC) have placed special emphasis on law education and discipline management and considered it as a top solution in order to maintain political security and social order and safety, build a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds,” and facilitate the province’s sustainable social, economic and cultural development.

Adhering to higher echelons’ direction, the PMPC and the PMC have enhanced their leadership and direction over law education and discipline management, while all-level party committees and commanders have adopted various measures to raise the quality of this work. The PMPC Standing Board has issued a specialised resolution on law education and discipline management. It has directed offices and units to seriously grasp legal normative documents according to instructions given by coordinating councils for law dissemination and education at military region and provincial levels. Besides, such councils at all levels have been opportunely consolidated under the Circular 42/2016/TT-BQP by the Ministry of National Defence. In the process, the PMPC has directed military party organisations and cells to correctly assess their units and offices’ law education and discipline management, regard this work as a criterion for the building of pure, strong party organisations and comprehensively strong, “exemplary, typical” units, and conretise it into targets of emulation movements within units and offices. In addition to assigning their members to take charge of law education at each level, coordinating councils for law dissemination and education have closely collaborated with the Provincial Public Security, the Regional Court, the Regional Procuracy, and criminal investigation bodies in grasping information, introducing the situation, and giving instructions on law education. On a yearly basis, councils proactively advise party committees and commands on implementing measures for law propagation, dissemination and education and developing work plans properly. Moreover, they have promoted the role of their members in directing and inspecting law education, while seriously conducting reviews to draw lessons, opportunely rectify weaknesses, and propose solutions to effectively carry out the work of law education and discipline management.

Self-defence force within the Ty Xuan Limited Liability Company              (photo: baovinhlong.com.vn)

The PMPC and the PMC have attached greater importance to renewing and making the method of law education relevant to cadres and soldiers’ daily life. More specifically, offices and units have organised discussions, dialogues, and club meetings to conduct the work of law dissemination and education, thus attracting the participation of a large number of troops. At the same time, they have combined law education with basic political education and other programmes, such as news briefing, law knowledge contest, and artistic performance. They have brought into play the role of “legal consultancy teams” to directly meet each individual’s need for legal knowledge. To better perform this work, offices and units have closely managed and effectively exploited “legal bookcases,” while diversifying documents of propagation, such as book, leaflet, DVD and CD. Meanwhile, all-level military offices have proactively cooperated with units stationed in the area and local party committees and authorities in holding forums to propagate the Party’s guidelines and the State’s law and policy, providing national defence and security education, and carrying out the mass mobilisation work. Moreover, the PMPC and the PMC have worked with central and provincial press agencies to conduct law education, reflect the observance of law and discipline within the provincial armed forces, and propagate “good people, good deed” examples by cadres and soldiers via the programmes, namely “law and life” and “television letterbox.” At the same time, they have directed offices and units to promote the system of radio, television, and legal bookcase at grass-roots level and diversify documents of propagation to attract attention from cadres and soldiers and improve their knowledge of law. As a result, pieces of information provided for cadres and soldiers have been more diverse and attractive, thereby contributing to raising all troops’ awareness of observing the State’s law and the Military’s discipline.

To achieve the law-abiding self-consciousness amongst cadres and soldiers, the PMPC and the PMC have required offices and units to maintain discipline, enhance military standard order building, and heighten cadres’ role model-setting responsibility. Offices and units have stringently maintained the order for study, work, training, and military etiquette, closely combined training and combat readiness with discipline management, resolutely prevented and strictly handled violations of discipline and law during training, combat readiness and daily life. All-level commands have enhanced inspection of their affiliates, particularly the units tasked with managing soldiers. Due attention has been paid to closely managing troops, especially during days off, rest hours, and national holidays, grasping bad elements to adopt proper education measures, and resolutely preventing cadres and soldiers from violating discipline and safety regulations during training, work, and travel. The Regulation on Democracy at grass-roots level has been strictly maintained, while internal solidarity and a sense of unity between the Military and the people have been cemented. The PMPC and the PMC have asked cadres at all levels, particularly the key ones to set good moral examples, match words with action, and act in conformity to the State’s law, the Military’s discipline, and units’ regulations. Doing so has helped create a serious but humane military cultural and legal environment and improve cadres and soldiers’ observance of the State’s law and the Military’s discipline.

Furthermore, the provincial armed forces have worked with other forces in the area to provide law education for locals. Offices and units have frequently cooperated with local party committees, authorities, and competent offices (Judiciary, Fatherland Front, Youth Union, Women’s Union, Veterans’ Association, and Peasants’ Union) in propagating the Military Service Law, the National Defence Law, and the Law on Drug Prevention and Control for young people, students and citizens. In the regions mainly inhabited by believers, the PMC has directed offices and units to cooperate with local party committees and authorities in holding forums and meetings to propagate the Party’s guidelines and the State’s law and policy on ethnicity and religion as well as encouraging religious dignitaries and believers to fulfil citizens’ duties and obligations. Units have proactively advised local party committees and authorities on well conducting the work of law education, while closely cooperating with local competent offices and units in grasping local practical conditions, opportunely detecting and well handling incidents relating to units, and maintaining a sense of unity between the Military and the people, thereby making contributions to building a firm “posture of people’s hearts and minds” within defensive zones. Besides, offices and units have regularly worked with one another to prevent and fight against social evils, such as loan sharking, betting, illegal gambling, and misconduct on social network, thus building a “safe legal corridor” and strong stationed areas. In 2020 alone, the provincial armed forces collaborated with others in conducting 180 sessions of propagation for 20,913 citizens; 345 sessions were included in national defence and security education courses intended for students. The provincial armed forces have worked with competent offices to expose 10 violators of the State’s law and local regulations. Doing so has positively impacted on the law-abiding awareness of cadres, soldiers, and locals.

In the upcoming time, the task requirements for the provincial armed forces of Vinh Long will be more demanding. In order that all units will successfully fulfil their task, the PMPC and the PMC will focus their leadership and direction on better raising the quality of law education and discipline management. Emphasis will be placed on improving the quality of councils for law dissemination and education, building and training a contingent of law reporters and lecturers on a par with their task requirements. Due attention will be paid to proactively cooperating with legislative offices in law propagation, dissemination and education as well as in discipline management. Offices and units will attach significance to renewing the contents, form, and method of law education, stringently maintaining the military standard order, and inspecting and supervising cadres and soldiers’ observance of the State’s law and the Military’s discipline so as to more practically perform the work of law education and discipline management. Doing so will make significant contributions to building a strong, pure Provincial Party Organisation and a comprehensively strong, “exemplary, typical” PMC.

Sr. Col. PHAM VAN KHIEM, Commissar of the PMC