Beware of arguments that distort our Party's fight against corruption.

The fight against corruption is inevitable.

It is necessary to be consistent that in a society with class divisions and a state, the existence of corruption is inevitable. In fact, the specter of corruption covers the entire globe. Not only causing heavy economic damage, corruption also corrupts morality and social lifestyle; and undermines people's trust in the ruling party and the social regime. Therefore, every country and nation that wants to develop; every party that wants to assert its leadership role; every regime that wants to affirm its sustainability must inevitably step up the fight to prevent and repel corruption.

Views of our Party and State on corruption andfight against corruptionis very clear. In Vietnam, corruption is identified as a "national disaster", an "internal enemy", one of the four dangers threatening the survival of the Party and the regime. The policy of stepping up the fight against corruption is an inevitable requirement of the revolutionary cause. The fight against corruption in Vietnam is for the benefit of the nation and people, not due to subjective will, for the benefit of any individual or group of people.

The 18th meeting of the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption. Photo: Tri Dung/VNA

Reality has shown that the fight against corruption in Vietnam is conducted democratically, objectively, and transparently.no forbidden zones, no exceptionsand "has become a movement, a trend" that has been supported and responded to by a large number of cadres, party members and people. The results of the public opinion survey by the authorities show that the vast majority of Vietnamese people believe in the leadership of the Party in the fight against corruption. Our Party also determined that: preventing and fighting corruption is a long-term struggle; facing countless difficulties and complications... therefore, it is necessary to do it regularly, resolutely, persistently, and persistently, and this is the cause of the entire people.

At the 13th Congress, when determining the direction, tasks and solutions for socio-economic development in the 5 years of 2021-2025, our Party continued to affirm its determination and proposed many fundamental and drastic policies and solutions to promote the fight against corruption, emphasizing: "Effectively and synchronously deploy legal provisions on corruption prevention and control. Improve the effectiveness of recovering corrupt assets, ensuring compliance with the law. Resolutely, strictly and effectively implement the fight against corruption".

The results of the fight against corruption are undeniable.

Consistently implementing the above viewpoints and policies, throughout the process of leading the revolution, our Party and State have always attached importance to the fight against corruption and waste and have achieved important results. Especially in recent years, the fight against corruption has achieved positive and comprehensive results in all fields, contributing to political stability, serving socio-economic development, creating trust for the people and being recognized and highly appreciated by the international community.

At the conference summarizing the work of preventing and combating corruption in the period of 2013-2020, the authorities said that from 2013 to 2020, 131,000 party members were disciplined, many of whom were related to corruption. Also from 2013 to 2020, 110 officials under the Central management were disciplined for corruption. From 2013 to 2020, the authorities prosecuted, investigated and examined more than 1,900 corruption cases with 4,400 defendants, including 18 officials under the Central management who were criminally prosecuted.

Officers of the Economic Police Department deliver decisions to prosecute suspects related to violations at the Yen Thanh Protective Forest Management Board. Photo courtesy

The above information shows that the work of detecting and handling corruption has been focused on by our Party, with leadership and direction, and has been coordinated synchronously and consistently from the Central to the grassroots levels. The Party's inspection and supervision activities and the State's inspection and examination have been strengthened. Many violations have been discovered and strictly handled, contributing to tightening the Party's principles and discipline; the Constitution and laws of the State, and improving the effectiveness of the fight against corruption.Investigation and prosecution, adjudicating corruption cases, especially those that are particularly serious and complicated, attracting public attention, are directed decisively, accelerated, timely and strictly, having the effect of effectively warning, deterring and preventing corruption.

Along with focusing on directing the work of detecting and handling corruption, the Party and State have strengthened leadership and direction in building and perfecting the legal system, especially institutions on socio-economic management and corruption prevention and control... The results of the fight against corruption have significantly contributed to consolidating people's trust in the Party, State and regime, while raising awareness and responsibility of cadres, party members and people, creating unity, high determination, and promoting combined strength in the fight against corruption.

Actively fight against false arguments

We do not deny that, besides many important results, the fight against corruption in a number of fields, in a number of ministries, branches and localities is not very effective, there are still signs of serious and complicated developments, causing a lot of public outrage.

Although it has been contained, in the coming years, the fight against corruption is forecast to continue to face many difficulties and challenges; the situation remains complicated, at many levels, in many sectors, in many fields, with different scales, natures and degrees.

To overcome these shortcomings, we need to continue to implement synchronous measures. One of the contents that we cannot ignore is to promote propaganda and education on corruption prevention and control. In the direction of innovation and diversification in forms and methods, propaganda and education work needs to focus on affirming and widely spreading the results that the Party, State and people have achieved in corruption prevention and control. Along with that, propaganda and education work needs to disseminate good experiences and effective methods, especially discovering, encouraging and replicating typical examples in the fight against corruption. Propaganda work must focus on thoroughly understanding and disseminating viewpoints, guidelines, policies and laws on corruption prevention and control, especially the viewpoint of taking "building" to "fighting", closely linking the fight against corruption with innovation, socio-economic development, improving people's lives, maintaining political stability, strengthening and consolidating the great national unity bloc; create unity in awareness, determination and action of all levels, sectors, localities and the whole population in the work of preventing and combating corruption.

Taking advantage of the fact that our Party is stepping up the fight against corruption, hostile forces and political opportunists continue to distort the truth in order to cause internal division.

At the same time, it is necessary to promote the strength and accompanying role ofpress and media agencieswith the Party, the State and relevant agencies in the fight against corruption. Not only detecting and exposing corruption cases and acts, the press and media need to better promote their role in providing timely official information, creating public opinion and orienting public opinion on the fight against corruption, especially sensitive and complicated cases and issues.

In particular, in the current situation, hostile forces are attempting to take advantage of the fight against corruption to distort, falsify, and deny revolutionary achievements; defame and slander, thereby undermining people's confidence in the Party's leadership, the State's management in general, and the fight against corruption in particular. The responsibility of propaganda and education work in general; of the press and media in particular is to make people clearly identify such plots and tricks, thereby raising vigilance, proactively fighting to defeat all plots and activities of taking advantage of anti-corruption to sabotage by hostile forces. Leaders of press agencies need to clearly understand that this is their political responsibility, right and obligation to the fight against corruption, contributing to building our Party increasingly clean and strong, meeting the requirements of new tasks of the revolution.