Virtual typical

- The recent field trip yielded an interesting but somewhat disheartening discovery, sir!

- Interesting, yet sad. It sounds a bit strange, a bit contradictory, because interesting is supposed to make people feel happy and excited!

- Well, that's the truth! Not everything interesting is fun. Discovering a new phenomenon, beyond your imagination, is exciting. But when the excitement subsides, you feel sad about that discovery!

- No more beating around the bush, just tell me that interesting yet sad story!

- That's when I heard that one commune had reduced the number of poor households by nearly 30% in just two years. I immediately set out to find it, hoping to discover a model to reflect in my article. But the truth is…

- What does that mean?

- Two years ago, a brand-new, very young commune chairman was appointed. He immediately reviewed and resolutely removed from the list of poor households those who had already escaped poverty but were still clinging to the list to benefit from government preferential policies. With just that simple action, he managed to reduce the poverty rate quite significantly.

- That's good, isn't it?

- It's not entirely good or right. Some families are correctly removed from the poverty list, but there are also families who have just escaped poverty but aren't yet stable; if left unchecked for a longer period, they could achieve more sustainable poverty alleviation.

- And how will the remaining percentage decrease?

- This chairman has a very wide network of connections, so he's been able to send a considerable number of his children to work as factory workers in various companies and enterprises in neighboring areas. Their income is enough to lift their entire families out of poverty.

- That's commendable; there's nothing to criticize or be sad about.

- At first, I had the same open-minded view as you. But…

But why?

- Further investigation revealed that the young chairman was the "spoiled son" of a provincial-level leader, appointed to the commune as chairman to "train the next generation of leaders." Therefore, agencies, departments, organizations, companies, and enterprises from top to bottom treated him with great favor. He got whatever he asked for. Everything he did was successful because he had the support of many people and places. As a result, his reputation soared, and he became a promising grassroots leader. The commune became a model for poverty eradication.

- Now I see you're right, it's interesting but also sad. Interesting because it uncovers the truth. Sad because that model of poverty alleviation is "unique" and cannot be replicated. So, even though it's a model, it's...

- It's just a fictional example!

Phuc Vinh