Party newspapers encourage grassroots movements.

(Baonghean) - Throughout his three terms as Party branch secretary, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Bien (Hamlet 24 - Nghi Phu - Vinh City) has always been dedicated to the Party newspaper. Every day when the postman brings the newspaper, he takes the time to read it, understand the information, mark it down, and jot down necessary content in his notebook to use in Party branch meetings. He confided: Along with the internal newsletter of the province and the city, the Party newspaper not only provides official information but also guides public opinion.

Now, the local Party newspaper is changing daily, dedicating two special pages a week to Party building with diverse and rich articles and sections reflecting on Party and government building work. Thanks to reading and following the Party newspaper, Mr. Bien, along with the Party branch committee and Party groups, has held thematic meetings related to practical issues in the locality such as building cultural villages, advanced residential areas, civilized streets, improving environmental sanitation, leading mass organizations, etc. At the same time, they have applied appropriate methods and approaches to building resolutions that contribute to improving the quality of activities, capacity, and fighting strength of the Party branch in the neighborhood.

Mr. Nguyen Nhat Thang, former Party branch secretary of Block 12, Cua Nam Ward (Vinh City), Vice Chairman of the Association of Revolutionary Soldiers Imprisoned by the Enemy in Nghe An Province, and a 40-year Party member, affirmed: "Party members need to read the Party newspaper." This saying of President Ho Chi Minh is never outdated, especially in the current complex situation where hostile forces exploit many information channels, especially the Internet, to undermine our Party and State on the ideological front. Therefore, it requires cadres and Party members to know what to read, listen to, and watch to obtain necessary and useful information for fulfilling their duties.

While serving as the Party branch secretary, thanks to regularly reading the Party newspaper, Mr. Thang not only kept Party members updated on current events but also gained valuable experience in effective mass mobilization work. As a result, despite difficult economic conditions, the Party branch was able to mobilize people to support the construction of a community cultural center for Party and mass organization activities, and to pave the village roads with concrete for easier transportation.

Mr. Nguyen Nhat Thang and Mr. Nguyen Van Khang from Block 12, Cua Nam Ward, shared information on the Party building page of Nghe An Newspaper.

Speaking about the Party newspaper, Ngo Thi Hong, the Party branch secretary (Hamlet 6, Nghi Lam, Nghi Loc), expressed: “With timely, accurate, and highly directional information, the Party newspaper has equipped me with the theoretical weapons and management methods to confidently assume the leadership position of the Party branch. The Party branch of Hamlet 6 has the unique characteristic of having a large number of Party members (27 comrades), of which 2/3 are retired cadres and war invalids, people with high qualifications and training in the army, thus possessing high fighting spirit. 20 out of 27 comrades in the entire branch have previously held the position of Party branch secretary. Besides that, as a model for studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh, Ms. Hong also believes that “learning from Uncle Ho is not something far-fetched; let's start with the habit of reading books and newspapers, especially the Party newspaper...”

As a rural Party branch secretary, during the course of his duties, Mr. Bui Van Giap - Secretary of the Party branch of Hamlet 3, Quynh Luong Commune (Quynh Luu District) - realized that Party members in rural areas lack information, especially official sources, so the Party newspaper is essential for Party branch meetings. Therefore, in the first 30 minutes of each regular Party branch meeting, in addition to disseminating current events at the national, provincial, and local levels, Mr. Giap also shares stories of good deeds, exemplary models of successful economic development, and information about movements such as donating land for road construction, land consolidation, new rural development, science and technology sections, and guidance on policies supporting production so that cadres and Party members can understand and disseminate them to the masses for learning and emulation. Thanks to this, Hamlet 3 has become a leading unit in rural road construction and economic development in Quynh Luong Commune with over 40 hectares of vegetable cultivation. As a result, the number of wealthy households has now decreased to 75 out of 220, while the number of poor households has dropped to only 7.

Comrade Ho Chi Tung, Secretary of the Party Committee of Quynh Luong commune, Quynh Luu district, said: Recognizing the necessity of the Party newspaper for branch activities, the commune Party Committee has maintained a good system of subscribing to and reading the Party newspaper. It is considered an important document serving the leadership and guidance of the Party Committee and the administration of the local government. Currently, all village Party branches have the Party newspaper, and many management and economic models reflected in the newspaper have been applied in practice, bringing high social effectiveness. Quynh Luong is also a unit that has received commendations twice for its work in distributing and using the Party newspaper.

Recognizing the effectiveness of Party newspapers in the leadership and management of grassroots Party branches and villages, many effective models for reading and using Party newspapers have emerged in these branches. For example, the Party branch of Hamlet 1, Dien Thang commune (Dien Chau district) has the initiative of displaying the local Party newspaper at the hamlet's community hall for everyone to borrow and read. At the end of the month, the Party committee retrieves it for safekeeping and continues to distribute the new issue for the following month. The Party branch of Hamlet 2, Hung Tan commune (Hung Nguyen district) places the Party newspaper in the cultural bookshelf at the hamlet's cultural center so that not only cadres and Party members but also the general public can access the latest policy information in the Party newspaper…

This demonstrates the self-awareness and responsibility of each cadre and Party member, especially those in leadership positions, in complying with the Central and Provincial Party Committee's directives on purchasing and using Party newspapers. However, alongside this, some localities are using funds allocated for purchasing Party newspapers for other purposes. Others cite the reason that they already have online newspapers and therefore don't need to subscribe to print newspapers. Many school Party branches, despite not having Party newspapers, subscribe to various other types of newspapers. Some village Party branches have had their weekly newspaper subscriptions reduced, for example, cutting out Saturday and Sunday editions or the Nghe An Weekend newspaper.

In discussions with us, many Party branch secretaries openly expressed that, while we are focusing on implementing the Central Committee's Resolution No. 4 "Urgent Issues Regarding Party Building Today" in conjunction with the Politburo's Directive No. 3, it is crucial to strictly implement the Central Committee's Directive No. 11 and the Provincial Party Committee's Directive No. 3 on the distribution, subscription, and use of Party newspapers to serve Party branch activities. From disseminating information on Party policies to introducing many successful models and practices, Party newspapers have contributed to bringing the Party's resolutions into life, actively encouraging emulation movements for economic development, building new rural areas, and enhancing the capacity and fighting strength of grassroots Party organizations.

Text and photos: Gia Huy