'The country always needs leaders like Mr. Kim Ngoc'

Former Secretary of Vinh Phuc Provincial Party Committee Kim Ngoc.

In 2019, when the country is preparing for Party Congresses at all levels, towards the 13th National Party Congress, it is also the 40th anniversary of Mr. Kim Ngoc's death. The public is completely right to think of him, remember him with the hope that the country will find a generation of leaders with the same will as him to lead the country in the new period.

Former Secretary of Vinh Phuc Provincial Party Committee Kim Ngoc (1917-1979). He is considered the "father of household contracts" (or Contract 10) with the view that "farmers must be the owners of their own land".

The biggest difference in Mr. Kim Ngoc is that he does not follow existing policies or instructions, because if he continues to do it that way, farmers will never know when they will be able to raise their heads. They have land in their hands but still lack food. They go to work according to the sound of the gong and as a result, production is stagnant, underdeveloped, life is difficult, and the value of a working day is getting lower and lower. He always worries and thinks about the responsibility of a leader, in a locality, in a unit like that, if production is stagnant and people's lives are difficult, he cannot bear it.

In the late 1960s, Provincial Party Secretary Kim Ngoc made a bold, even reckless decision to contract land to individual farmer households. This policy was considered a step-by-step move that was inconsistent with the Central Government's policy of promoting cooperativization. Mr. Kim Ngoc was later criticized, the program had to be stopped, and Mr. Kim Ngoc was willing to take responsibility to his superiors. More than 20 years later, household contracts were affirmed by the Central Government in Resolution 10, people still called it "Contract 10" and were widely disseminated throughout the country.

Sharing his thoughts and assessments about the late Secretary Kim Ngoc, Mr. Nguyen Viet Chuc, Vice Chairman of the Cultural and Social Advisory Council (Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front) said that it can be said that a Secretary like Kim Ngoc is a wonderful model, a very necessary leadership model in the current period of innovation. That leadership model is to go hand in hand with words, be close to reality, and respect everyone. He was not only exemplary but also dared to take responsibility for his actions, while encouraging and motivating subordinates and people to do the same.

However, according to Mr. Nguyen Viet Chuc, those models are still lacking in our current cadre team. “People who are willing to work for the good, for the common progress, not thinking about themselves, even accepting personal disadvantages. Obviously, Mr. Kim Ngoc at that time suffered many disadvantages, because the leader, the pioneer is not always supported immediately, but for the common work, the common cause, he is willing to disregard personal interests, but still put the interests of the country, of the people above all, not hesitating to do any hardship or difficulty”, Mr. Chuc analyzed and affirmed that “a talented person like Kim Ngoc is a model leader, a leader that the Party, the country and the people are in great need of”.

To find people like Mr. Kim Ngoc, Mr. Chuc believes that the necessary mechanism is democracy, listening to each other, respecting creative opinions, especially in specific jobs where a worthy leader must be selected.

Mr. Do Duy Thuong - Member of the Presidium, Former Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, hopes to see more Kim Ngoc models in the country's leadership team in the coming time. They need to be practical, must come to the people, see what they think, what they want in order to make decisions that are most beneficial to the people.

“A leader who has accepted responsibility must be responsible to the people, the Party, and the State, and must do his best to contribute. The work done for the people and the country will certainly be appreciated and recognized by the people and the country. That was true in the case of Kim Ngoc,” Mr. Thuong commented. He also said that the spirit and working style of the Vinh Phuc Provincial Party Secretary needs to inspire the country’s leaders today and in the future./.