Do Luong: A shift in personnel management.

(Baonghean) - In order to effectively implement Resolution 11-NQ/TƯ dated January 25, 2002, of the Politburo (9th term) on the rotation of leading and managerial cadres at all levels, contributing to the practical training and development of cadres under the leadership planning at the commune and district levels, Do Luong has boldly implemented rotation using two methods: "vertical" and "horizontal". Initially, the rotation has achieved noteworthy results…

District officials are being transferred to Hong Son commune to interact with the local people.

Boldly rotate personnel "vertically".

In June 2012, the Do Luong District Party Committee decided to transfer Comrade Nguyen Hong Xuan (born in 1977), Secretary of the District Youth Union, to Hong Son commune to serve as Secretary of the Party Committee; at the same time, Comrade Tran Hoang Anh (born in 1974), Deputy Chief Inspector of the district, was nominated and elected by the Commune People's Council as Chairman of the Commune People's Committee.

Currently, Hong Son commune is facing difficulties and weaknesses in several areas. The commune's leadership is experiencing internal disunity; the competence of some officials is limited compared to their assigned tasks. The economic lives of the people are still difficult due to only being able to cultivate one rice crop per year, while other industries have limited opportunities for development. These factors cause concern among those concerned about the two district officials who have been transferred.

After nearly two years with a new Party Secretary and Chairman, Hong Son commune has made a rather impressive turnaround. From a locality with low revenue, in 2013, budget revenue reached 570 million VND, exceeding the set plan by 4%. Other areas such as trade, services, construction, education and training, health, and social welfare have also seen many positive changes compared to before. Most importantly, the team of officials from the commune to the hamlets has been strengthened and consolidated. The majority of leading officials in various sectors, organizations, and professional fields have been able to utilize their abilities due to being assigned to positions that match their strengths; four officials were given favorable conditions by the Party Committee to pursue part-time university studies. Internal problems were promptly and satisfactorily resolved by the Party Committee and branches to focus on leading the people in socio-economic development. As a result, for two consecutive years (2012, 2013), the Hong Son Party Committee regained the title of "Clean and Strong". In practice, new talents have emerged within the local leadership team, creating a pool of future leaders for the commune.

Mr. Nguyen Canh Minh, Chairman of the People's Council of Hong Son commune, commented, "The fact that two district officials simultaneously hold two key leadership positions in the commune has promptly resolved the difficulties in personnel organization that we were facing." Many people in the commune have written petitions requesting that the two "reinforcement" officials from the district stay longer to help the commune and its people.

Nguyen Hong Xuan and Tran Hoang Anh are two of the seven leading officials from the 70s generation in Do Luong district who were selected to serve as key officials in communes from 2012 to the present. These officials, who were part of the "planning" for leadership positions, held heads and deputy heads of district-level departments and organizations, including one Standing Committee member of the District Party Committee and three District Party Committee members. They were transferred to the grassroots level to assume the positions of secretary or chairman in the communes of Trang Son, Giang Son Dong, and Dang Son. In My Son and Hong Son communes, both positions were simultaneously filled by district officials. To date, after nearly two years of implementing the policy of rotating district officials to communes, Do Luong district has observed that most of the transferred officials quickly adapted to their new work environment; they demonstrated their abilities and responsibilities, and gained the trust of officials and people in their respective areas. According to Comrade Nguyen Trung Thanh, Secretary of the My Son Commune Party Committee and former Chief of the District People's Committee Office, he has personally matured further in both his understanding and practical abilities, gaining a more comprehensive grasp of leadership and management methods.

Be cautious with "horizontal" rotations.

In October 2013, the District Party Committee issued a plan for the rotation and reassignment of key officials at the grassroots level for the years 2013-2015 and subsequent years.

Of the 207 Party committee members holding key leadership positions in 33 commune and town Party committees in the area, only 10.1% are under 40, while 45.4% are between 41 and 50 years old; 26 comrades are serving their second term. Generally, the majority of key officials maintain high moral character, are closely connected with the people, and their knowledge and skills are increasingly standardized and improved. However, the activities of grassroots Party organizations are slow to innovate; some Party committees have not yet demonstrated their leadership and guidance roles, especially in handling sensitive issues, and the fighting spirit within the Party organization is not high. Meanwhile, some officials who have held key leadership positions for nearly two terms are showing signs of stagnation and conservatism. One even exhibits authoritarianism and factionalism, undermining internal unity.

Comrade Le Minh Giang, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the District Party Committee, stated: The purpose of rotating and reassigning key officials at the grassroots level is to change their geographical areas, environments, and fields of work in order to continue training, developing, and enhancing the responsibility of the team of officials. At the same time, "horizontal rotation" and reassignment at the grassroots level also aim to overcome and prevent internal disunity, creating conditions for the training and development of grassroots officials and civil servants.

To implement the above plan, in April 2014, Do Luong district is carrying out the necessary procedures for a number of key officials from Luu Son, Da Son, Dong Son communes and the town to implement the "horizontal rotation" plan. This is the first time commune officials have been rotated horizontally. The district is proceeding cautiously to gain experience for subsequent rotations. Comrade Tran Huu Vinh, Secretary of the Party Committee of Luu Son commune, said: Following the decision of the District Party Committee, he has prepared everything to move to become the Secretary of the Party Committee of Da Son commune. It's a bit far, but it's an opportunity to "test" himself in a new area.

Concerns

It can be said that the rotation of district-level officials to communes in Do Luong has achieved some positive results in many areas: improving the qualifications of officials; transforming local movements; and training and planning for promising officials at the district and commune levels. However, some concerns remain. Is it appropriate for the district-level position of the rotated official to remain "vacant," with only the deputy acting as acting head? This might create a sense of "security" for officials going to the communes, but it also gives them the impression that this trip is merely a "practical training" experience. Furthermore, in the case of "horizontal rotation," Do Luong has only implemented a "swapping" of leaders between two communes; is this acceptable?

The management and monitoring of transferred officials also need special attention. The case of two transferred officials who became the secretary and chairman of a commune in Thanh Chuong district and had to appear in court on charges of "abusing their position and authority while performing their duties" and "misusing power while performing their duties" serves as a lesson in managing transferred officials, not only for this district but also for other districts.

To conclude this article, I would like to quote a Party organization official on this issue: “There are three factors for the successful transfer and rotation of cadres: firstly, the Party committee and leaders at the sending location need to select suitable cadres and monitor and evaluate their performance based on their actual work; secondly, at the receiving location, there needs to be coordination, provision of favorable conditions, and reasonable work assignments to help the cadres quickly integrate; and finally, the transferred cadres themselves must strive to overcome difficulties and not shy away from or avoid the assigned tasks.”

Viet Long