"Individualism makes people go downhill without brakes"

50 years ago, when the Party turned 39 and President Ho Chi Minh, the beloved leader of the Vietnamese people, also entered his 79th spring, he wrote a famous work titled: "Improving revolutionary ethics to wipe out individualism" with the purpose of serving as a study material for the entire Party.

Professor, Dr. Hoang Chi Bao.

The past 50 years have further confirmed that “individualism” causes people to become corrupted and go downhill at breakneck speed. Therefore, taking diligence, thrift, integrity, impartiality and selflessness as the way of life; strengthening education for the entire Party on communist ideals, on the Party’s guidelines and policies, on the duties and ethics of Party members… are the guidelines to follow Uncle Ho’s teachings, uphold revolutionary ethics, and wipe out individualism.

50 years ago, on the front page of Nhan Dan newspaper on February 3, 1969, President Ho Chi Minh wrote the work “Promoting revolutionary morality, wiping out individualism”. When initially drafting the outline, President Ho Chi Minh named the work “Sweeping out individualism, promoting revolutionary morality”. He also did not use the words “anti-individualism” but clearly stated “sweeping out individualism”.

According to Him, individualism is: Thinking of one's own interests first in everything. Not worrying about "being for everyone" but only wanting "everyone for oneself". Afraid of hardships and difficulties, falling into corruption, decadence, waste, and extravagance. Greed for fame, profiteering, liking positions and power. Arrogance, conceit, disregard for the collective, contempt for the masses, authoritarianism, dictatorship. Also noteworthy is being far from the masses, far from reality, suffering from bureaucracy and commandism. Not having the spirit of striving to improve, not willing to study to progress... These manifestations highlight the tasks of "building" and "fighting" in building and rectifying the Party. This is an issue that He is constantly concerned about in the process of building and training our Party.

Professor, Doctor Hoang Chi Bao - former member of the Central Theoretical Council, Senior Lecturer of the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics affirmed: Individualism corrupts people, makes people go downhill without stopping: "If the Party falls into degradation and degeneration, this is the biggest worry of President Ho Chi Minh when the Party is in power. So why does Uncle Ho focus on fighting bureaucracy, corruption, and more deeply, fighting internal invaders and individualism like that? A party must be clean to be strong, and cleanliness is a condition of revolutionary ethics".

Over the past 50 years, President Ho Chi Minh's work "Improving revolutionary morality, wiping out individualism" has truly entered life and become a guiding ideology for Party building and cadre work, and a motto for action and training for each cadre and party member. According to him, to fight against signs of degradation and wipe out individualism, the Party must strive to strengthen education for the entire Party on communist ideals, on the Party's guidelines and policies, and on the duties and ethics of party members. We must take diligence, thrift, integrity, uprightness, impartiality and selflessness as the way of life. This must be the core foundation for building a clean and strong Party.

According to Associate Professor, Doctor Nguyen Quoc Bao - former Head of the Ho Chi Minh Thought Department, Academy of Journalism and Communication: Political and ideological education, self-criticism and criticism are the central and continuous tasks and the most important solutions to build and rectify the Party. Concerns about party members holding positions of power, if their ideals fade, they deviate from the ideal goals and individualism, the consequences will be unpredictable.

“The issue of ideals and political enlightenment is extremely important, especially in the current context of integration, with the negative aspects of the market economy, individualism, selfish lifestyle, profiteering, and chasing after money. Or as the 4th Central Conference pointed out: the desire for fame, title, and power. Those things can easily be corrupted if we do not have a stance, do not have courage, and do not cultivate our political ideals, then it is very easy to be corrupted” - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Quoc Bao said.

With the sensitivity of a great politician and thinker, half a century ago, he warned about individualism - the root cause of degradation in political ideology, morality, lifestyle, "self-evolution", "self-transformation" in a not small number of cadres and party members.

It is noteworthy that, in the past, individualism was expressed as greed, selfishness, rivalry, jealousy, etc. among a very small number of cadres and party members, but now it is becoming a way of life, creating "simultaneity" and "succession" among a large number of cadres and party members, especially among those with positions and power. Before, it was small personal interests, but now it is large group interests, benefiting the whole group.

Dr. Nguyen Viet Chuc - former Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children said: Each party member must re-examine himself, educate, train, and cleanse individualism, fight against "self-evolution" and "self-transformation". Implementing well the 4 solutions of the 12th Central Resolution 4 are guidelines to follow Uncle Ho's teachings, uphold revolutionary ethics, and wipe out individualism.

“The degradation of morality and lifestyle is “self-evolution”, not evolution through words but evolution through actions when party members no longer play the role of leaders, are no longer exemplary role models in life, are no longer good people, then that is “self-evolution”. Obviously, being clean and strong is the most profound measure to prevent self-evolution from the root” - Mr. Nguyen Viet Chuc shared.

Looking back over the past 50 years, we see more and more that Ho Chi Minh's thoughts on Party building and rectification - "Improving revolutionary morality, wiping out individualism" has extremely great theoretical and practical significance for the Party. Reflecting on the issues that the Party is urgently raising in the work of Party building and rectification, we see more and more that what he raised not only has the value of a stern warning for the situation at that time but also has the value of a warning for the current situation. That is the meaning of the times that every Party member needs to imbibe and always consciously follow./.