"Any official who gets promoted through bribery or corruption must be brought to light."

Discussing recent developments in Party building and rectification work, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Giang - Deputy Director of the Institute of Party Building, Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, highly appreciated the role of the Central Inspection Committee in handling degenerate and corrupt officials.

Based on those specific results, Mr. Giang supports the reform and innovation of the organization of the inspection and audit agencies to increase the independence of these two agencies. Accordingly, the Party inspection agency should be elected by the Congress at the same level and the inspection agency should be independent like the State Audit.

The Party's inspection body should be elected by the Congress at the same level.

“Recently, everyone has noticed that the Party rectification work has made very encouraging progress. A series of officials with degraded political ideology and moral qualities have been brought to light. This answers the public's question: where is a large number of degraded officials? The new factor that is easy to see in the Party rectification work is the political determination and unity between words and actions, especially of the Party Central Committee and the Party leader,” Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Giang commented.

In addition, the Deputy Director of the Institute for Party Building emphasized: "We have heard public opinion in many localities highly praise the working style of the Central Inspection Committee, which is very serious, careful, and principled, leaving no opportunity for negative factors to intervene or influence. Therefore, the inspection results are very accurate and convincing, pointing out a series of Party members who have committed violations, especially high-ranking officials."

From that practical experience, to better control power, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Giang said that we should create a breakthrough in inspection and examination work: "Currently, in the research and proposals of localities, there have been a number of recommendations to the Central Government.

In the immediate future, we must improve and innovate the organization of the inspection and audit agencies to increase the independence of these two agencies. Only then will there be clear effectiveness. For example, regarding the Party's inspection work, there has been a proposal: the Party's inspection agency should be elected by the Congress at the same level to ensure its position, not dependent on the Party Committee.

The personnel of the Inspection Committee will be prepared by the superior Inspection Agency and not assigned to the Party Committee at the same level. Thus, the Inspection Committee will not be dependent on the Party Committee at the same level and will perform the inspection and supervision tasks more strongly and objectively. Under the current mechanism, the Party Committee elects the Inspection Committee and it is very difficult for "the son to inspect the father", emphasized Associate Professor Nguyen Van Giang.

Regarding the inspection agency, the Deputy Director of the Party Building Institute stated his opinion: “In my opinion, the inspection agency should also change like that. There are many proposals that the inspection cannot be the “Government Inspectorate” but must be the State Inspectorate like the State Audit.

If the inspection is under the Government and the People's Committee, it will be very difficult to work. Thus, the State Inspectorate can be transferred to the National Assembly for direct management, ensuring the objectivity of this agency. Recent reality has shown that the handling of inspection results in some localities is not convincing, causing public dissatisfaction.

Of course, according to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Van Giang, this change must await the decision of the Party Central Committee, specifically the upcoming Party Congress because it involves amending the Party charter. In fact, Mr. Giang said, since the 11th Congress, there have been some opinions suggesting that the Inspection Committee be elected by the Congress.

However, at that time, the Politburo believed that this content was not yet ripe. But now, many opinions believe that the conditions are ripe for this work, and it is even possible to merge the Party's Inspection Agency with the Inspection Agency in the style of "one house, two doors" like in some localities that have conducted a pilot (district level).

This is also in line with the spirit of innovation and streamlining of the political system's organizational structure to make it lean, effective and efficient (Resolution No. 18 - NQ/TW, 6th Central Conference).

This issue is not new at all. Dr. Nguyen Van Giang cited: In fact, a hundred years ago (1920), Lenin proposed: The Party's Inspection Committee must be elected by the Congress. The party members must be highly independent, have good qualities and no authority can hinder the activities of this agency. Before his death, Lenin proposed merging the Party's inspection agency with the Workers' and Peasants' Inspection Committee to make it operate more effectively and more strongly.

To fight corruption, it is important that the leader is "clean"

We have many directives and resolutions on Party rectification, but why does the degeneration show no signs of stopping?

Responding to this concern, Deputy Director of the Institute for Party Building Nguyen Van Giang said: “We had resolutions on Party innovation and rectification very early, such as Resolution 3 of the 7th Party Central Committee in 1992, or Resolution 6 of the 2nd Party Central Committee in 1999 “Some basic and urgent issues on current Party building work”… But it was not until Resolution 4 of the 11th Party Central Committee and especially Resolution 4 of the 12th Party Central Committee this time that we saw clear changes.

The problem is not the Resolution or Directive, but the main thing is the high political determination, especially the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee and the Party leader. In the fight against corruption, if the initiator is not "clean", it will never be implemented because this is an internal struggle, a struggle between comrades who know each other very well.

Therefore, if those who fight corruption are not "clean", their instructions will immediately be neutralized and ineffective," Dr. Nguyen Van Giang affirmed.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Giang continued: "In the recent cases that were disciplined, there were also comrades who had a history of striving, leadership style, and certain achievements, so whether or not to discipline them is not an easy matter for the Party leader.

In the past, when Uncle Ho dealt with Colonel Tran Du Chau (former Director of the Quartermaster Department), he spent a sleepless night to come to a decision. I think that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, in dealing with a number of cadres like the recent one, will probably have to spend many sleepless nights, it is not simple.

But I believe that the General Secretary has maintained a spirit of handling the matter according to Uncle Ho's principle: Even though he has this merit, even though he has that working process, but now he is like a branch with worms, we must cut that branch to save the tree or deal with one person to save thousands of people, as the General Secretary said. That handling is both emotional and reasonable, based on principles, and in line with the Party's guidelines. If we continue to make concessions, it will endanger the mission and life of the Party."

Looking back at the historical experience of our nation, the Deputy Director of the Institute of Party Building pondered: “Feudal dynasties were all built from glorious feats of arms. Some dynasties lasted for several hundred years, some only lasted two generations and then declined… In the causes of collapse, there is a common denominator, which is the degeneration of the ruler. Sometimes the father is very heroic but when it comes to the son, he is corrupt, leading to the collapse of the entire dynasty.

The Party's life could be completely threatened if we cannot fight against degradation. The current state of degradation in morality, lifestyle, and especially in political ideology is considered extremely worrying. If we are not resolute and serious in rectifying the Party, the Party's life will face challenges."

Second, in the past, we have also dealt with a number of high-ranking officials, such as the execution of the Director of Dong Nai Police for corruption (1988), or a number of high-ranking officials in the Nam Cam, La Thi Kim Oanh, Vinashin, Vinalines cases... However, recently, we have dealt with them more intensively and aggressively. All officials who show signs of corruption need to be purged.

Those officials who have risen through bribery and corruption need to be brought to light. The 7th Central Conference of the 12th tenure will discuss the strategic-level cadres so that we can feel secure when thinking about a new generation of leaders.”./.