The story of the whole family 'being officials': 'It's not natural to sit in that position'

"I affirm that I started from the ground up, was educated and trained properly, and have a bachelor's degree in economics and politics. I rose up with my own feet and head, not relying on my father, because when I was still a soldier, my father had already passed away," Le Ngoc Sang, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Kim Thanh District Party Committee (Hai Duong), affirmed when public opinion reflected the situation of "the whole family being officials".

Mr. Le Ngoc Sang. Photo: LD.

No one is as well educated as my son.

Faced with the phenomenon that many important positions in Kim Thanh district are held by family members, Tien Phong reporter had an interview with Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee Le Ngoc Sang about this situation. For his part, Mr. Sang affirmed that he was born and raised in a traditional family, both his grandfather and father were veteran cadres. Through his efforts, he has achieved the position he has today.

“I affirm that I started from the ground up, was educated and trained properly, and have a bachelor’s degree in economics and politics. I rose up with my own feet and head, not relying on my father, because when I was still a soldier, my father had already passed away. My family is a family with a revolutionary foundation, we had to strive and train to get to where we are today, it did not come naturally,” Mr. Sang expressed.

Talking about his son, Mr. Sang is proud that Le Ngoc Dung (born in 1982) is the most well-trained young cadre today. “At the time when the financial planning department did not have a Party Committee, the whole district did not have anyone in the right profession like Dung, so the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee considered and selected him to work. Since then, he has been evaluated as a cadre with good moral qualities and character, good working qualifications, and always completing assigned tasks well. If talking about the young generation, no one is as well-trained as him,” said Mr. Sang.

Regarding the family of District Party Secretary Nguyen Huu Tien, the district leader said that Mr. Tien himself has two part-time university degrees, has held many positions, and has been the district party secretary since July 2015. Explaining the impartiality and objectivity in the appointment, Head of the District Party Committee's Organization Board Nguyen Hong Cuong cited the case of Mr. Tien's brother, Mr. Nguyen Huu Huong, who, due to his qualifications and capacity, has so far only worked as a normal officer at the tax office. Similarly, Mr. Cuong's son, Nguyen Duc Trong (born in 1989), has so far only worked as a specialist at the district inspection agency and has not been "planned" as public opinion has reported.

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Regarding the appointment work, Head of the District Party Committee's Organization Board Nguyen Hong Cuong affirmed that all of the above cases were carried out in accordance with the regulations on the appointment process, from planning, reviewing and evaluating the planning, to organizing the vote of confidence and reporting to competent authorities for consideration. Each cadre strives to excel and be recognized.

Mr. Cuong affirmed that for the positions of members of the Standing Committee, including Secretary, Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee, the province will manage, review, and appraise the documents. Explaining the matter of "choosing talented people, not relatives", Mr. Cuong said that all must go through competitive exams organized by the province.

In response to the reporter's question, "Why don't district leaders arrange for their children to work elsewhere instead of focusing on their home district?", Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee Le Ngoc Sang said that everything has its roots and foundation.

“My father used to say that children must train, strive and mature, not rely on their father but must rise on their own two feet, so I am aware that I must train, strive and work for the people and the country, there is no such thing as “crawling” or being supported. It is also natural that children and grandchildren do not want to go far after finishing their studies, but want to return to their hometown to work near their family and parents,” Mr. Sang explained.

“If I thought I was striving to become a leader, I would have had better conditions if I were in the province at that time. My children are the same, they all have to go through a difficult learning process, and what they get is only natural. The family of Secretary Nguyen Huu Tien is the same, they also “worked their way up from the ground”, traveled everywhere and then rose up, not naturally sitting in that chair,” Mr. Sang expressed.

Mr. Sang also said that he is aware of the public opinion that is often buzzing about the situation of "the whole family being officials", but he believes that we must be fair in terms of viewpoints. "Our children must be better than others to be promoted, otherwise, that's it. If they are better and more trusted than others, there is no reason to eliminate them", the Deputy Secretary asserted.

According to TPO