A synchronous solution is needed.

(Baonghean) -The quantity and quality of party members are decisive for the development and improvement of the leadership capacity and fighting strength of grassroots party organizations (GPUs). However, currently, the work of developing the party in rural mountainous and ethnic minority areas is facing many difficulties.

In addition to each Party Committee taking care of developing Party members, in two consecutive terms of the Provincial Party Congress, term XVI (2005 - 2010) and term XVII (2010 - 2015), the Party development work has been strongly led and directed by the Provincial Party Committee with a series of resolutions, projects and conclusions issued, such as: Resolution 17 on "Improving the leadership capacity, fighting strength of the Party organization, the quality of cadres and Party members"; project to establish Party cells in hamlets, villages and residential blocks without Party organizations or Party members; project to improve the quality of Party members; promulgation of Regulation 767 on conditions and standards for admitting people into the Party; Resolution No. 18 on strengthening the political system in religious and ethnic minority areas; periodically reviewing and summarizing, issuing conclusions to continue directing such as Conclusion No. 09 and Conclusion No. 10...

In addition, the Provincial Party Committee has also issued a number of specific policies such as increasing border guards to work in border communes and coastal areas; sending cadres and party members to villages, mobilizing the masses to create sources for party membership, and establishing party organizations when conditions permit. Thanks to that, in mountainous and ethnic areas, from having dozens of hamlets and villages that did not have enough conditions to establish party cells at the beginning of the previous term (2005-2010), up to now, hamlets and villages with "empty" party cells and party members have basically been eliminated.

Thanh Phong Commune (Thanh Chuong) is also in the general trend of the youth force staying in the locality after graduating from high school is getting smaller, but the Thanh Phong Commune Party Committee has been concerned, promoting the strength of a strong Party Committee, with a large number of Party members, the Party Committee assigned the responsibility to the organizations to create resources in each of its organizations, from there consider sending them to attend the Party awareness class. By that way, in 2012, Thanh Phong had 20 people sent to study plus some people from the previous year to admit 17 people (the district's target was to admit 10 Party members). “In the coming time, the work of developing party members in Thanh Phong commune will not be too difficult. In 2013, we have 17 people studying and 3 people studying in 2012 to recruit. Currently in Thanh Phong, the striving direction of youth and members of organizations is very good, they are very ambitious to join the Party, the problem is that we need to create an environment for the masses to join the Party to strive better” – Comrade Tran Ngoc Son – Standing Deputy Secretary of Thanh Phong Commune Party Committee is very optimistic.

In Tan Ky, the District Party Committee and each grassroots Party Committee are interested in finding out the causes, determining specific responsibilities, finding measures and solutions to overcome them. The Tan Ky District Party Committee has also issued a Resolution to strengthen mass organizations in a strong political system. Party Committees are interested in assigning tasks to party members in charge of each field so that party members can go deep and understand the masses, thereby discovering positive factors to nurture, train, and include in the source of party members; associated with the work of planning, training, arranging, and using grassroots cadres. At the same time, attention is paid to creating sources and recruiting party members for ethnic minority areas. With that approach, Tan Ky has gradually overcome difficulties and shortcomings in party development work, exceeding the set targets. The total number of new party members admitted in 2011 was 174/164, reaching 110% of the plan; in 2012, 160/144 were admitted as planned. Sharing his experience, comrade Bui Thanh Bao - Deputy Secretary of Tan Ky District Party Committee, said: "In the process of leading and directing the district, we always pay attention to the work of inspecting and urging the grassroots on the work of admitting new members to the Party.

Difficult, due to lack of resources

Located 15km from the center of Nga My commune (Tuong Duong district), Na Kho village is inhabited by 100% Thai ethnic people. Transportation is difficult, media is difficult to access and people are almost "isolated" from the outside. The general level and awareness of the people, especially political awareness, goals and ideals of joining the Party are very limited. A part of the youth who meet the conditions and standards to join the Party go to work far away, while the rest at home, many of them fall into addiction and social evils. This is the fundamental reason that hinders the work of admitting Party members in a village in this mountainous border area. "We are looking for an elite mass to be admitted as a successor but there is still none" - said comrade Le Van Toan - Secretary of the Party Cell of Na Kho village.



Tuong Duong district leaders work with Pha Khao village - Mai Son commune on measures to prevent illegal immigration. Photo: VH

Similar to Na Kho, the Xop Kho Party Cell has not been able to recruit any party members for many years. “Although the Commune Party Committee has continuously urged and reminded rural party cells to pay attention and develop plans to create sources for party development, the general situation is that party cells cannot find sources to train and recruit, leading to the increasing “aging” of party members” - Comrade Luong Hong Son - Secretary of the Nga My Commune Party Committee shared. Slightly better, in Tung Huong Party Cell, Tam Quang Commune, after 7 years of persistent efforts, it has now recruited 1 party member, Comrade Lo Van Tham, currently the village chief.

The admission of Lo Van Tham as party member is considered a great "achievement" of Tung Huong Party cell, eliminating the situation of "empty" party members in the core of the village, creating more favorable conditions for implementing resolutions of the Party cell and Party committee in the village. Not only in Nga My and Tam Quang, but also in the whole Tuong Duong district, in recent years, the work of developing party members has tended to decrease; there are Party cells that have not admitted any Party members for many years. In 2011, more than 200 rural Party cells in the whole district admitted only 96 Party members and 79 Party members in 2012. This situation inevitably affects the leadership capacity and fighting strength of the Party organization.

In the lowland district of Thanh Chuong, the work of developing party members is also facing many difficulties. In Thanh Lien commune, the number of party members admitted each year only reaches about 80% of the planned target. Among the admitted party members, mainly come from teachers in schools and staff at commune health stations. Specifically, in 2012, out of 10 admitted party members, 6 were teachers. "Although not too perfectionist, not demanding, but still could not admit any party members" - Secretary of Thanh Lien commune Party Committee, comrade Nguyen Xuan Vy shared.

It is more difficult for Thanh Thuy, Cat Van, Thanh Tien communes, which only admitted 2 party members in 2012; Thanh Mai, Thanh Hoa, Thanh Duc communes admitted 1 party member. "Although the Party Committee has paid attention to the work of developing party members and included it in the emulation criteria; improving the quality of party cell activities to create prestige and attraction for the Party, the work of developing party members in rural mountainous and ethnic minority groups is still at a standstill. This leads to the fact that in 2012, many groups did not meet the target of developing party members assigned by the Party Committee" - said comrade Tran Dinh Loan - Head of the Organization Board of Thanh Chuong District Party Committee.

Effective measures are needed.

Training and recruiting new party members is a regular task, of great significance in the work of Party building. However, the current difficulty in rural mountainous areas, ethnic groups, union members, and youth are considered the "backbone" force to develop new party members, but now this force has decreased a lot. For example, in Thanh Lien commune (Thanh Chuong), in 2011, the whole commune had 294 high school graduates, of which 107 continued to study at universities and colleges; 35 worked abroad; of the remaining 150 youth, more than half went to work in the South. In 2012, the commune had 191 high school graduates, of which 97 continued to study at universities and colleges; 40 worked abroad; only 54 remained, mainly working in Laos and the southern provinces, very few stayed in the locality. Due to the lack of youth force in the locality, there are branches like Lien Yen branch, although the branch secretary is over 30 years old, there is no one to replace him; or some branches have to take high school students to participate in activities to "feed" the movement in the locality. Accordingly, the source of young party members in the branches is also gradually decreasing, the phenomenon of "aging" party members is increasing.

That is the reality! The problem is that there must be a "fundamental" and strategic solution, creating a solid foundation for the work of developing party members in general and each specific locality in particular. Particularly for rural mountainous and ethnic minority areas, it is necessary to pay attention to socio-economic development, bring large-scale factories into the area, create jobs, take rural labor as the main force, "leave agriculture, do not leave home", limit the dispersion of labor force in rural areas. Particularly in remote and ethnic minority areas, due to great inertia and low educational level, it is necessary to strongly change their awareness so that they can rise up on their own, thereby creating factors and active masses with the capacity to complete assigned tasks to create resources for the Party. It is necessary to focus on training and developing party members among union members and members in the Front system such as women's organizations, farmers, veterans, etc.

Obviously, the work of developing the Party in rural mountainous and ethnic minority areas is posing difficulties. In addition to the lack of resources, the main reason is that some Party committees have not shown determination and diligence in directing, inspecting, and urging; taking part in propaganda and raising awareness of the Party among union members and members. Party organizations need to truly care for and consider the training and admission of Party members as a regular task, of great significance in Party building work, contributing to the development and improvement of the quality and fighting strength of grassroots Party organizations and the contingent of cadres and Party members, ensuring the inheritance and development of the Party.

Mai Hoa, Thanh Le