To help mountainous areas escape poverty sustainably

(Baonghean) - Mountainous districts across the country, as well as in Nghe An, are poor areas. There is plenty of potential, but many things are lacking, so the potential has not yet become wealth, has not yet created income.

During a number of visits and working sessions in some mountainous districts by the highest leader of the province, he pointed out and recognized those missing things. Such as lack of infrastructure (electricity, roads, schools, stations), lack of investment, lack of entrepreneurs, and even lack of appropriate mechanisms and policies... All of those missing things are correct, but I'm afraid they are not enough. There are still a few missing things, both visible and invisible, both easy to recognize and difficult to recognize, but very decisive for poverty reduction in mountainous areas that have not been pointed out. And therefore, of course, there are noget solutions to fill those gaps.

Firstly, the lack of a necessary level of economic knowledge is clear to us all, as a legacy of history, the economic level of the majority of ethnic minority residents in mountainous areas is at the stage of a natural economy, a self-sufficient economy. With such a level of economic knowledge, at best, we will have enough to eat. If there is a drought or flood, we will certainly go hungry. With such a level, it is impossible to awaken the potential, and it is also difficult to "digest" all investments - even those that are not provided in terms of capital, seeds, etc.

In fact, some projects supporting the Dan Lai and Khmu ethnic groups in our province have proven that. Investing in bringing roads to the communes, bringing electricity to each household, providing capital, providing seeds, breeds... are necessary, but the efficiency will be very low if there is no simultaneous investment to raise the economic level of the majority of people here.

Second, there is a lack of some essential conditions to help mountainous districts shift from self-sufficient production to commodity production along with the improvement of the economic level. These essential conditions are: Planning and plans for commodity production areas; Organizing joint ventures in production, processing, and consumption of products; Organizing markets; Special preferential policies to attract investment in mountainous areas... There needs to be a basic concept and awareness that poverty can be reduced quickly and sustainably when the economy in mountainous districts is transformed from a self-sufficient natural economy to a commodity production economy.

Third, there is a lack of a team of direct cadres who are key cadres at the district and commune levels who are dedicated and knowledgeable about economics and organizing a market economy and commodity economy. In my opinion, this is the most fundamental lack. Looking at the current team of key cadres in mountainous districts - from local sources and also from the transferred sources from the province with their current enthusiasm and qualifications, it is difficult to revive the economy of mountainous districts. I would also like to add that the transfer of cadres from the province to hold key positions in mountainous districts in recent years needs to be considered and evaluated objectively and correctly. From there, if necessary, there must be changes in concepts, perceptions, purposes, goals... and finally, how to bring cadres from the province back so that it is both immediate and long-term, beneficial for the district, beneficial for the province, beneficial for tactics and strategies.

At some level, with cadres from the province sent to the district, it is absolutely not appropriate to send cadres from the Central Government to the province, which the Central Government has been doing for a long time. When sending provincial cadres to hold key positions in the district, first and foremost, these cadres must have the passion and qualifications to work with the political apparatus of that district to revive the district's economy. There is a feeling that the province sends cadres to the district not for the district but only for the cadres. This will be discussed in another article when discussing the policy of rotating cadres.

Fourth, there is a lack of a suitable direction for mountainous districts in general and for each specific district in particular. The province has done a lot to help mountainous communes and districts, such as assigning provincial departments and branches (through the Party Committee of the Provincial Agencies) to directly help this or that commune, assigning border guards, officers, and commanders of stations to directly serve as deputy secretaries or party secretaries of this or that commune. The district sends district officials to help household A or household B eliminate poverty, then build this or that model (mainly household economic models). These actions are effective but only at the grassroots level, at the household level. As for the issue of what the province, from the Provincial Party Committee, People's Committee, provincial departments and branches direct mountainous districts, how to direct... then it is probably not much different from directing districts in the lowlands. Once, I met with a comrade who was the head of the Propaganda Department of a mountainous district and asked: What does the propaganda work in our district do, and how does it do it? He answered briefly: Whatever the province assigns us to do, we do it. That means the district Propaganda Department works from above and not from the reality in their own locality. Due to its own characteristics, each mountainous district needs to have a suitable leadership, direction, and organization. The district itself cannot do that, the province must help. However, it seems that the province has only given general instructions like other districts. In short, in mountainous districts, the province must evaluate very specifically, really worthy of escaping poverty, what they have, what they lack. From there, help the district have enough of what they lack to rise up and escape poverty on their own.

Truong Cong Anh