Before passing away, Uncle Ho left a testament for the whole Party, people and troops in which the first matter mentioned is the Party building. 45 years have gone by, his words are still of value. The Party can still apply those words in the new situation to build our Party on a par with its mission’s requirements, deserving people’s trust and love.
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President Ho Chi Minh (file photo) |
As a founder and educator of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), during his revolutionary life, Ho Chi Minh always attached special importance to Party building and rectification. In his historic will, with his great responsibility and strategic view, President Ho Chi Minh wrote: “ First, on the Party – thanks to solidarity, wholeheartedly serving for the class, for the people, for the Fatherland, since its inception, our Party has united, organized and led people to victories by victories in their energetical struggle”. This has shown clearly the goals, ideal, revolutionary nature and great contribution of the Party to the Vietnamese revolutionary. His words affirmed that all actions of the Party are for the country, for the people, wholeheartedly serve the class, the people and the Fatherland. Fighting for national independence and unification, building the country towards socialism is the primary mission. Besides that goal, the Party pursues no private or other interest. The Party’s nature comes from the worker class, unify with that of the nation and the people. Hence, the Party has united, organized and led people in the struggle. The strength of the people being concentrated in the national unity, under the sound leadership of the Party has brought about victory of the revolution. In his supplement in May 1968, he wrote, when the resistant war against the American end: “ In my opinion, the first thing to do is to rectify the Party, making each party member, each member of the youth union, each party cell try to fulfill their mission assigned by the party, wholeheartedly serve the people. If so, we will surely accomplish no matter how hard the mission is”.
To regularly conduct the Party building in accordance with Ho Chi Minh’s will is an critical task demanding good perception and implementation. With this spirit, at present, the whole Party are boosting the implementation of the Resolution 4 (XI tenure) on Party building in association with the implementation of the Directive 03 CT/TW of the Politburo (XI tenure). This is considered a deep and comprehensive political meeting throughout the whole Party in order to make the Party truly strong and clean, capable of accomplishing the mission of leading the State and society. Thereby, a variety of solutions for rectification have been proposed on self-criticise and criticise, on setting pioneering and exemplary model of the superior cadres, on the party’s organization, human resource and meeting; on mechanism and policies, on political and ideological education. This huge political meeting has been conducted with seriousness by the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, by each party organization at grassroots level and by each cadre and party member and made initial important changes concentrating mainly on long lasting inaccuracies which degrade people’s trust, on strengthening the Party’s disciplines and on educating party members and cadres. Party building and rectification have been perceived and conducted with increasing practicality and effectiveness right at the time when we celebrate the 45th anniversary of implementation of his will. Accordingly, the following matters should be dealt with thoroughly:
First, to build the unity and consensus in the Party. This decides fighting and leading capability of the Party. In his will, Ho Chi Minh stressed: “ Unity is an extremely precious tradition of our Party and people. All Party members, from the Central Committee to cells must preserve the Party’s unity just like protecting the pupils of their eyes”. Communists and communist parties must rest on an ideology and protect firmly that ideology. This means they must be equipped with a doctrine, have clear and reasonable political platform and goal, strict disciplines on which the Party’s solidarity and unity are based. For many times President Ho Chi Minh stressed that ideology, politics and actions in the Party must be unified. Communist party ruling and leading cannot accept separation or factions. To strengthen solidarity and unity in the Party, we must agree on perception, ideology, and action, be consistent with socialism, be loyal to and apply and creatively develop Marxism – Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s Thought; maintain and uphold the leadership of the Party, the management of the State. At the same time, we have to perfect and strictly abide leading regulations and principles, especially the principle of concentrated democracy, collective ruling and individual being in charge; proactively fight against corruption, wastefulness, bureaucracy. Each cadre and party member must put national and Party’s interest on top priority, be ready to sacrifice private interest for sacred mission. On the other hand, we have to prevent those who have deterioration in political ideology, “group interest”, degradation in belief and fighting morale; do not care for the country, the people, do not accomplish their missions and responsibilities, support for wrong arguments of hostile forces.
Second, to promote democracy, self-criticise and criticise in the Party. One matter of importance mentioned by Ho Chi Minh in his statement is: “To exercises democracy widely in the Party, regularly and strictly self-criticise and criticise is the best way to consolidate and promote the unity and consensus of the Party. There must be comradeship and mutual love”. President Ho Chi Minh paid special attention to exercising democracy in the Party to uphold collective intellect and initiative and prevent bureaucracy, arbitrariness, autocracy, subjectivity. For this reason, leaders of the head offices of the Party and State need to listen to their subordinates and ideas of the people to make sound policies and decisions. Democracy in the Party is the primary requirement when exercising leadership and it converges the power of the collective. This is the leading method and also the working style of Ho Chi Minh. The more extensive democracy is the more good ideas and sound initiatives it can gather. Democracy and concentration has a close and organic relationship. So we have to prevent bureaucracy along with extreme democracy, unconstructive opinions.
The issue of self-criticise and criticise was mentioned by Ho Chi Minh right at the time he founded the CPV. When the CPV became the ruling party, the matter need to be paid special attention. In his will, Ho Chi Minh reminded and also wished that self-criticise and criticise is the best way to preserve solidarity and unity in the Party. He required that the Party and each party member know how to correct their faults. So self-criticise and criticise must be conducted seriously to correct shortcomings. Self-criticise and criticise must be done on the basis of comradeship, genuinity, straightforwardness; criticise work not person. Cadres with high ranks should be exemplary in self-criticise and criticise. Only by this, can self-criticise and criticise be substantive, shortcomings be pointed out and corrected.
Third, to build a staff of cadres and party members with good revolutionary virtues. President Ho Chi Minh wished that the Party be truly pure. This means the Party consists of outstanding, faithful and disciplined members with good morals. Requirements for a ruling Party were set out clearly by Ho Chi Minh in his testament: “Our Party is a ruling one. Each party member and cadre must be deeply imbued with revolutionary morals, be truly hardworking, thrifty, honest, righteous and impartial. We must keep our Party truly pure, deserving the leader and faithful servant of people”. In the condition that the Party rules, Ho Chi Minh places revolutionary ethics on top. This demands that all party members strive for the Party, for the revolution; be hardworking and disciplined; implement guidelines and policies of the Party; wholeheartedly serve the people; study Marxism – Leninism; conduct self-criticise and criticise to upgrade ideology, improve their work; be absolutely loyal to the Party and people; “to put public affairs on top”. To enhance revolutionary ethics, all party members need to counter and say no to individualism as this is the root of all shortcomings and inaccuracies. According to the Central Resolution 4 (XI tenure) and “Regulations on things party members must not do”, we need to prevent and fight against degradation in moral, lifestyle manifested in individualism, selfishness, opportunism, pragmatism, corruption, wastefulness, jealousy, disunity, bureaucracy, luxury. At the same time, we need to monitor party member both at work and at their resident place; concretise regulations, rules for party members carrying out their responsibilities and missions; strengthen disciplines, supervision, monitoring; promote the role of the mass in Party building to opportunely unveil and prevent wrong doings. Studying and following Ho Chi Minh moral example, we have to understand and follow his desire of personality and ethics of a party member manifested in his will, therefore setting out plans for striving and training substantially, effectively contributing to consolidate people’s belief in the Party and socialism.
Fourth, to regularly rectify and renovate ruling method of the Party, making the Party truly strong, clean, exemplary deserving to be the leader and faithful servant of the people. Accordingly, the Party and each of its member must study, grasp theory, objective rule and reality; set out sound guidelines, policies and orientations; encourage and organize people in realizing goals, missions of revolution. At the same time, the Party must have good plan for economic and cultural development to enhance people’s life. The 2013 Constitution stipulates that CPV leads the State and society. To do that, the Party must renovate its ruling method in order that its capability and effectiveness are enhanced towards the orientation of: the Party conduct all round leadership over the society, promote managing and operating role of the State, the Government but not to act as a pooh-bah. The Party leads through its orientations, guidelines, policies and introducing eligible cadres to state agencies. Cadres of the Party must always study to improve their expertise; listen to desire and wishes of the people; not to be bureaucratic, emotionless to people’s difficulties and outrage.
Quality and effectiveness of the leadership of the Party are manifested in the result and achievements in the present renovation when the whole Party people and troops are fostering the country’s industrialization and modernization and international integration, fulfilling the strategy for socio – economic development (2010 – 2020); building all people’s defence posture associated with people’s security posture, firmly protecting independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity. Building the Party comprehensively strong, enhancing its leading capability and fighting capacity in accordance with Ho Chi Minh’s will is the primary factor deciding victory for the Vietnamese revolution and the cause of building socialism and firmly protecting the country.
Assoc Prof Nguyen Trong Phuc, Ph.D