There are still gaps in the 'whitewashing' work.

Part 1: Paradox in difficult areas

(Baonghean)-Finding and nurturing the elite masses is not too difficult. But getting these cores to have the motivation and voluntarily strive to join the Party's ranks is a difficult problem in special regions.

Therefore, in recent times, the implementation of Project 01 in "difficult areas" has still been a concern for Party committees at all levels. Especially when many villages and hamlets do not have Party cells or Party members, and many places are even at risk of having "empty" Party cells again.

The masses actively participate in the mass movement.

Comrade Hoang Trung Thong - Secretary of Nghi Phuong Commune Party Committee (Nghi Loc) said: Nghi Phuong has 16 hamlets/8,300 people, of which up to 54% of the people are Catholic (including 7 all-Catholic hamlets; 3 mixed Catholic hamlets).

Up to this point, in Nghi Phuong there are still 6 hamlets without party cells; 2 hamlets without party members. Immediately after Project 01 was issued, the Commune Party Committee organized a "Dien Hong" conference and decided to establish reinforced working groups in hamlets 6 and 15.

Comrade Nguyen Van Cong - Vice Chairman of the Fatherland Front was the leader of a special working group (consisting of 3 people) assigned to "stick with" the people in hamlet 6. The biggest concern at that time was how to propagate and mobilize the people to change their thinking and way of doing things?...

Hamlet 6 has 110 households/476 people. Previously, because there was no Party cell, mobilizing people to implement economic and social development policies and strategies encountered many difficulties.

For example, the village cadres did not explain thoroughly the policy of mobilizing people to build roads, leading to disagreement among the people. However, since the working group was present, the people gradually agreed when their thoughts, feelings, and aspirations were expressed...

Understanding the people's thoughts, comrade Cong decided to directly meet the Pastoral Council of My Yen parish to ask for help. The first thing to do was to build a volleyball court so that people could have a place to participate in sports activities and cultural exchanges.

Next is to implement socialization to build stadium walls and make roads in the neighborhood. With the trust and support of the people, everything has been smooth. In previous years, Nghi Phuong only achieved 30-40% of the funds and fees; now it has reached 90%.

People of Son Hai commune (Quynh Luu) enjoy tug of war on the occasion of National Day September 2. Photo: Ho Ha

With a similar approach, in Nghi Van commune, at the Party cell of hamlet 16, previously agricultural land was abandoned, many children dropped out of school and went to the South to work for hire, but since the establishment of the Party cell, under the direction and guidance of the Party cell, the solidarity and collaboration of the organizations, the movements have developed.

Mr. Ngo Van The in Party Cell 16, Nghi Van Commune said that the hamlet currently has 1 youth and teenage men's soccer team, 1 women's volleyball team, and a very active arts movement...

Tan An hamlet, An Hoa commune (Quynh Luu) has 1,200 people, is a Catholic hamlet, belongs to Phu Yen parish.

The hamlet has a developed economy, people mainly work in seafood exploitation at sea, going out to sea by large ships. When people actively participate in community and social activities, mass organizations in the hamlet also operate very well: The hamlet Women's Union is interested in developing the association movement, cleaning the village, receiving and processing documents and procedures for borrowing capital from the social policy bank for members.

When the head of the women's association in the hamlet resigned, the members immediately met with the head of the hamlet to request the reorganization of the association and to elect a new head of the association, so as not to interrupt the activities of the association. Or in January 2017, the hamlet also launched a veteran association with 20 members...

To encourage the grassroots movement in Nghi Phuong commune, the Party Committee of Nghi Loc district's residential blocks donated loudspeakers to hamlet 6. Photo: Ho Ha

Mr. Duong Ha Nam, the head of Tan An hamlet, shared: “For more than 10 years, I have been trusted by the villagers to be elected as the head of the hamlet, responsible for disseminating the State's policies for farmers and fishermen in economic development as well as community cultural activities. What I am most concerned about now is the construction of the hamlet's cultural house. Previously, the old cultural house was demolished to move to a new, more spacious area with a more central location, but the construction funding was not yet available... When the cultural house is built, it will attract the participation of many villagers, thereby strengthening solidarity and the cultural lifestyle of the hamlet.”

Difficulties in training and developing new party members

In practice, it can be said that people really need associations and unions and actively participate. However, mobilizing and searching for outstanding people to train and recruit to the Party is still very difficult. According to comrade Ho Anh Dung - Secretary of the Party Committee of An Hoa Commune (Quynh Luu):

In the past 10 years, the hamlet has not yet built an elite mass, and has not recruited any new party members. There was a special case of a kindergarten teacher who was a party member, recruited into the party at the school party cell, but after getting married and moving to Tan An hamlet, due to pressure from her family and many other reasons, she asked to leave...

Recently, the commune has also established a Party cell to strengthen its activities in Tan An hamlet, but the activities have not had clear results. The main reason is that the masses are not interested and do not have a strong motivation to join the Party.

“It is really difficult, stemming from the beliefs and religions of the people here, who are not interested in and want to strive to join the Party. Currently, although 14/14 hamlets of An Hoa commune have Party cells, since the beginning of the year, the commune has not been able to admit any new Party members,” said comrade Ho Anh Dung.

For example, the hamlet chief of Tan An hamlet, although very active in all socio-economic activities of the hamlet, and was trained to become an outstanding citizen, has not yet clearly demonstrated his determination to strive to join the Party.

A party cell meeting in hamlet 8, Quynh Yen commune (Quynh Luu). Photo: PV

In Nghi Van commune (Nghi Loc), implementing Project 01 of the Provincial Party Committee, the commune established 1 party cell and developed 2 new party members in 2 party cells. In addition, socio-political organizations have discovered 12 union members and association members who are positive factors to nurture and create a source for party development in the coming time...

Up to now, Nghi Loc district still has 11 hamlets without party cells, 22 hamlets without local party members; 34 hamlets have established party cells but must increase party members in activities, of which 12 party cells do not have local party members and 4 hamlets are at risk of no longer having party cells.

The hamlets that do not have party cells are all Catholic hamlets, many hamlets still do not have cultural houses for activities; the quality of activities of some political and social organizations in some Catholic localities is still limited.

Comrade Nguyen Van Cong - Vice Chairman of the Fatherland Front of Nghi Phuong commune also shared that the biggest difficulty and concern at present is the work of developing new party members in religious areas. There is no other way but to re-energize mass movements to discover and nurture core members, because only these elite masses can become core cadres who play the role of a bridge between religion and life, between mass organizations and dignitaries, officials and young Catholics.

The process for the Party to "take root" among the people

Since implementing Project 01, in Quynh Luu district, 1 new strengthened party cell has been established; 5 party members who are teachers have been admitted; 1 hamlet without a party cell has been reduced and 1 hamlet without party members has been reduced.

The image of comrade Bui Huy Thang, a strengthened party member, has become familiar to the people of hamlet 8, Quynh Yen commune. Photo: Ho Ha

As a long-time party member, having worked as a cadre for a long time in a special hamlet, comrade Bui Huy Thang - Party Cell Secretary of Hamlet 8, Quynh Yen Commune (Quynh Luu) shared: Previously, the hamlet's activities were irregular, and people's awareness and thinking were limited.

People's understanding of the Party is still very vague. When I and other comrades went to establish the Party cell, people were still distant and reserved. After that, at each Party cell meeting, we invited representatives of organizations such as the Farmers' Association, Women's Association, and Youth Union to participate. At the meeting, the content of propaganda about the Party and State's policies was directly related to the production and daily life of the people, security, order, and the environment. Gradually, people gained confidence and responded to the movements launched by the Party cell.

“I remember once attending a wedding at Mr. Nguyen Que’s house, he stood up and respectfully introduced the “party cell” who came to attend and take the bride. At that time, we were very moved, feeling that we were close to the people, living and having a place in the hearts of the people” - comrade Thang said.

The most commendable thing is that Hamlet 8 is also the unit assigned by the commune to take the lead in the new rural construction movement; the hamlet has completed 1,900m of concrete road, and was chosen to pioneer in building a cultural house.

Talking about the work of Party building and promoting the role of grassroots Party organizations in the locality, comrade Nguyen Thi Thanh - Secretary of the Party Committee of Quynh Yen commune, said: The commune has 5/12 Catholic hamlets accounting for 58% of the commune's population with 5,132 people; there are 20 Party cells, of which 5 are strengthened.

Cadres and party members must lead by example, must be decisive and take the lead, must do what they say, and people must see and see what is good and right before they follow. They must speak and act so that people see the Party as an organization whose activities only benefit and serve the people.

Reality shows that although training and fostering new party members is still difficult, this is not a hasty task. The Party also needs to select people with prestige, qualifications, capacity and political courage to join its ranks...

As in Nghi Loc district, there are 75 grassroots party organizations with 10,106 party members, of which 118 are Catholic party members (accounting for 1.1%). Comrade Nguyen Ngoc Bien - Deputy Head of the Organization Board of Nghi Loc District Party Committee proposed:

Along with enhancing the role of grassroots party cells, it is necessary to step up propaganda to change people's awareness, link new rural construction with the movement of the whole people uniting to build cultural life in residential areas; develop infrastructure, attract investment to create jobs for young workers in the locality... then the discovery, training and nurturing of elite masses to become party members will be more favorable.

BTG Author Group