Lesson 1: Good practices and effective models

(Baonghean) - Implementing Directive No. 09-CT/TU dated December 1, 2011 of the Central Party Secretariat on "Strengthening the Party's leadership over the movement of the entire people to protect national security in the new situation", in recent years, Nghe An province has focused on building and replicating good practices and effective models in the movement, contributing to ensuring political security, social order and safety, creating conditions for local socio-economic development...

Officials of Thong Thu commune (Que Phong) disseminate the law to households. Photo: Dang Cuong

Hoa Lam Hamlet (Hung Hoa Commune - Vinh City) is a fishing village along the Lam River, with 68 households and 217 people. The lives of the people are closely linked to the small-scale fishing profession on the river, along the coast and estuaries. Previously, there were often phenomena that caused disunity in the hamlet, some people from outside came to organize gambling, use drugs, illegally buy and sell gasoline, oil, explosives, violate regulations on fishing bottoms, affecting maritime traffic routes; the people's fishing vessels mostly operated without ensuring safety according to the law... Since 2012, with the help of the Nghe An Waterway Traffic Police Department, the hamlet began to build the model of "Peaceful Fishing Village".

After 3 years of implementation, Hoa Lam has had a clear change. People have been trained in inland waterway traffic safety, strictly complying with legal regulations such as being fully equipped with life-saving and rescue equipment, boat drivers must have professional certificates, people participating in fishing must have fishing licenses and exploit the permitted fishing grounds... Mr. Dau Xuan Thuong - Head of Hoa Lam hamlet happily said: The model "Peaceful fishing village" has created in people a higher awareness and responsibility in building the community and hamlets; making Hoa Lam an area without social evils and criminal offenses, without people having third children, and without violating the Law on Waterway Traffic.

In Quynh Luu district, with the characteristics of a religious and coastal area, and also having ethnic minorities (500 households, 1,000 people in Tan Thang and Quynh Thang communes), in recent years, the movement of the whole people to protect national security has been materialized through the establishment of models with forms and methods of operation suitable to the actual conditions of each locality. As for coastal communes with advantages for tourism development such as Quynh Bang, the Party Committee and the government have built a model of Self-management Team for Security and Order of Beach Tourist Areas with the participation of 2 residential clusters of 15-20 households; the members of the self-management team are mostly households with business kiosks on the beach, in the spirit of "helping the locality is also helping oneself" in implementing security and order to attract tourists.

Cau Giat town is densely populated, prone to social evils; residential area block 3 is an area bordering Quynh Hong commune and has 21 Catholic households living there, chosen as a pilot unit to implement the model of "3 management, 4 preservation" (3 management includes: good management of the area, assets and construction activities, children's education, environmental sanitation; 4 preservation includes: keeping no crime and social evils; no higher-level complaints; maintaining village and neighborhood relationships; no superstition). After implementing the model, the security and order situation in the area was stable and the village and neighborhood relationships were more closely bonded. Since then, this model has been replicated in 12 blocks in the town. For rural communes, the Steering Committee for building the movement "All people protect national security" of the district has mobilized communes to build a model of self-governing clans in terms of security and order, contributing to building peaceful villages. Currently, in the whole district of Quynh Luu, there are over 2,000 clans that have established clan executive committees, nearly 1,800 clans that have built clan covenants and clan operating regulations.

There are many other outstanding models in other localities, such as the model "Erasing inferiority complex, making people smile, helping people who make mistakes" in Thai Hoa town; "Peaceful gong" in Hung Tan commune (Hung Nguyen); "Veteran members participating in people's patrol club" in Bao Thanh commune (Yen Thanh); "Hamlets without drugs and social evils" in some hamlets and communes of Dien Chau and Hung Nguyen districts; "Safe school" at Vinh University, "Crime reporting mailbox" in Do Luong, Quynh Luu"; "Friends helping friends", "Civilized urban block, no crime, no social evils" in Vinh City; "Peaceful parish" at Vinh Giang parish, Con Ca parish, Nghia Loc commune (Nghia Dan); "Peaceful parish, united to build new countryside" at Luong Khe parish, Thanh Hoa commune (Thanh Chuong)... In which, the self-governing people's group plays the role of the focal point of crime reporting sources, is the place to record all "movements" right in the masses, clearly grasp the situation of the area, households within the group's management scope, is the extended arm of the commune and ward police in residential areas. Thereby providing thousands of valuable information for the authorities to promptly handle, stabilize the security and order situation at the grassroots level...

Launching a movement for the entire people to protect national security in the self-governing group of Nua village, Yen Khe commune (Con Cuong). Photo: Xuan Thong

For the mountainous area, with a land border of 419m long, accounting for 1/4 of the total length of the Vietnam - Laos border, adjacent to 3 provinces of Xieng Khouang, Hua Phan and Bolikhamxay; there are 42 landmarks, including 35 main landmarks and 7 secondary landmarks, 2 main border gates (Nam Can International Border Gate, Thanh Thuy National Border Gate) and 2 secondary border gates (Tha Do Border Gate, Tam Hop Border Gate)... with many potential complicated issues regarding security and order, including illegal drug trafficking and use, free migration, illegal proselytizing, and human trafficking. Therefore, border security protection is determined to rely on the people's trust, building a people's security posture in the border area (including 27 communes with 305 villages, of which 83 border villages belong to 6 districts of Ky Son, Tuong Duong, Que Phong, Con Cuong, Anh Son, Thanh Chuong).

Models of people participating in protecting national security in border districts are having a great influence, playing an important role in people's lives, because the mentality of ethnic minorities in the highlands is that they must "see and hear" to believe and follow. Currently, in Ky Son district, 19 models have been built such as self-managed clans on security and order, self-managed committees on security and order. Among them, we must mention the security and order clan model of the Xong clan (Muong Long commune, Ky Son). This clan has more than 60 households scattered in many villages. Although the economic conditions of the households in the clan are still difficult, they know how to work together to build a healthy life. Mr. Xong Ga Vu - Head of the Xong clan said: In addition to encouraging children and grandchildren not to participate in social evils, not to grow opium poppies, buy, sell, store, or use drugs, the clan has established conventions that if any household has children or grandchildren who violate the law, they will be severely punished. Families in the clan also regularly help and exchange business experiences, so life is increasingly improving, limiting violations of the law.

In the mountainous district of Que Phong - where the situation of buying, selling, using and transporting drugs is still very complicated, some good models have been built such as "Drug-free village" in Huu Van village, Chau Kim commune (Que Phong) managed by the village's Veterans Association. This is a "hot spot" village for drugs in Chau Kim commune. Since the model was put into operation, 4 people have been successfully treated for drug addiction and they have received support from the government, organizations and unions in terms of loans, technical guidance on economic development and escaping poverty. As in the case of Mr. Lo Van Chung, from a long-time addict, thanks to the help of the village, he successfully treated his drug addiction, boldly borrowed capital to plant forests, raise livestock and has become a well-off household. Not only that, Mr. Chung has been admitted to the Party and is currently the Party Secretary of Huu Van village.

Based on Directive 34/CT-BTL of the Border Guard Command and Directive No. 12/CT-UB on organizing the movement "The masses participate in self-management of border lines, landmarks, and maintaining security and order in villages and hamlets in border areas", in recent years, the provincial border guard force has coordinated with Party committees and authorities to establish hundreds of models of self-management teams for border lines and landmarks in border villages, attracting thousands of people to participate. Lieutenant Colonel Le Nhu Cuong - Deputy Chief of Political Affairs (Provincial Border Guard Command) said: "Through the self-management teams for border lines, people in border areas have actively participated with the Border Guard in patrolling, clearing border lines and landmarks, promptly providing the Border Guard and local authorities with information and signs related to criminals, promptly detecting and handling incidents, preventing hot spots and complications on the border...".

Up to now, through surveys, in the province there are 480 models of the mass movement to protect national security being consolidated, built and put into operation (42 models were newly registered in 2014), of which 150 models are assessed as operating effectively... Depending on the characteristics of each region, area, religion, and terrain, each locality has had good and creative ways of doing things, promoting the spirit and responsibility of each citizen, together with all levels and sectors, making efforts to maintain security and order, protect the Fatherland to meet new demands in the current situation.

(To be continued)

Khanh Ly - Pham Bang