Innovating the work of the Front, promoting the strength of great national unity

President of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Tran Thanh Man visits and displays artifacts in the National Great Unity House, Hung Temple historical relic site. Photo: Ta Toan/VNA

On the eve of the 9th National Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, term 2019-2024, Vietnam News Agency reporter had an interview with Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Tran Thanh Man on the results of the activities of the Fatherland Front at all levels in the past term and the key contents of the Front's work in the coming term.

- Sir, could you please tell us about the outstanding results that the Front's work has achieved in the last term?

Mr. Tran Thanh Man:During the past term, the Fatherland Front system at all levels has closely followed the Resolution of the 8th Congress of the Fatherland Front, term 2014-2019. The Front has always demonstrated its role and responsibility as stipulated in the Party's platform, the Constitution, the Law on the Fatherland Front and documents of the Party and State; is the political foundation of the people's government, mobilizing the strength of the entire nation to carry out socio-economic development tasks, ensure national defense and security and build a strong political system, meeting the requirements of tasks in the new situation.

The Front at all levels has mobilized the great national unity bloc, promoted democracy; participated in social supervision and criticism, contributed ideas to Party and government building, created trust of the Party and people; demonstrated the role and responsibility in people's foreign affairs, and gathered overseas Vietnamese to turn to their homeland and country to build and protect the country.

In addition, the Fatherland Front also implements the Party's Resolutions on streamlining the payroll and apparatus to ensure streamlining and effectively implementing the tasks assigned by the Party; coordinates with the State and authorities at all levels to promote the strength of member organizations to complete campaigns and emulation movements launched by the Front.

Through campaigns and emulation movements, the spirit of emulation and creative labor of all classes of people has been strongly aroused, participating in economic development, solving social problems, building new rural areas, civilized urban areas, and sustainable poverty reduction. The role of representing and protecting the legitimate and legal rights and interests of the people, fighting against corruption and waste has been strengthened. The people's foreign affairs activities of the Front and its member organizations have effectively contributed to the Party's foreign affairs and State diplomacy. The activities of the Front are increasingly innovative, focusing on the grassroots.

- Building national unity is one of the main tasks of the Fatherland Front system at all levels. Could you review the highlights of this activity during the 2014-2019 term?

Mr. Tran Thanh Man:Great national unity is the strategic line of the Vietnamese revolution, a driving force and a great resource in building and defending the Fatherland. In recent years, people's lives have been increasingly improved, national spirit and patriotism have been strongly aroused, the great national unity bloc has been maintained, the close relationship and trust of the people towards the Party and the State have been constantly consolidated. All classes of people have promoted their right to mastery, united and competed to build and defend the Fatherland.

Thoroughly implementing the Party's guidelines and policies on great national unity, the Front has closely coordinated with State agencies and unified actions with member organizations to strengthen propaganda, mobilize, and widely gather people from all walks of life, creating social consensus.

During the term, the Front at all levels and its member organizations have actively innovated, improved quality, and widely deployed patriotic emulation movements and campaigns to the masses, promoted the spirit of creative emulation and social resources, and contributed to the successful implementation of socio-economic development goals and tasks, and ensured national defense and security.

The highlight is that the Front and its member organizations in many localities have focused on directing and widely developing models of people's self-management, building model new rural residential areas, model families; actively integrating propaganda and mobilization to ensure food safety, environmental protection, traffic safety, crime prevention, social evils, participation in social insurance, health insurance... in the contents of the campaign "All people unite to build new rural areas, civilized urban areas;" responding to the movement "The whole country joins hands for the poor - Leaving no one behind" launched by the Prime Minister.

Every year, the Front presides over the launch of the Peak Month "For the Poor," and coordinates the live television program "The whole country joins hands for the poor," thereby calling for and arousing compassionate hearts and many noble acts of joining hands to help the poor. Imbued with the nation's morality of "When drinking water, remember its source," the Front at all levels and its member organizations regularly organize visits and care for policy families, especially on occasions commemorating War Invalids and Martyrs' Day.

Vietnam's footwear production line. Photo: VNA

The campaign "Vietnamese people prioritize using Vietnamese goods" has been implemented with many new solutions, aiming to enhance the responsibility of all levels, sectors, localities, businesses and people in prioritizing the development of production and consumption of quality Vietnamese goods, contributing to improving competitiveness and promoting economic growth.

- In fact, in the process of its operations, the Fatherland Front at all levels still faces many limitations and difficulties. Could you please provide more information on this aspect and share some lessons learned from the implementation of the work in the last term?

Mr. Tran Thanh Man:One of the key activities of the Fatherland Front at all levels is propaganda and mobilization work. However, when implementing this task, there are places that are slow to innovate and are not very effective in some areas such as environmental protection, food safety, traffic safety and order... In some places, people's understanding of the situation is still passive and not timely; there are still pressing cases where the role of the Front and its member organizations in reflecting, advising and participating in resolving them is not clear. The understanding and reflection of the aspirations of overseas Vietnamese is not regular.

The implementation of campaigns and emulation movements of the Front and its member organizations in some places, especially at the grassroots level, still overlaps, and coordination efficiency is not high. In the movement to build new rural areas, many places have not paid attention to preserving and promoting traditional cultural values; in the movement to build civilized urban areas, the evaluation methods and criteria are still unclear.

In addition, the Front's social supervision and criticism work has only been concentrated at the central and provincial levels. Supervision activities at the district and grassroots levels are of low quality and efficiency; many independent supervision programs have not been organized; there are no appropriate mechanisms and processes to promote the regular supervision role of the people.

The monitoring and urging of handling of recommendations after supervision are not timely and not resolute. In some places, the Front has not performed well its role of representing and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the people; it has not proposed or advised on organizing meetings and dialogues between Party committees, authorities and the people.

The content, form and solutions for participating in Party building and government building in some localities are not clear and the results are limited. Strengthening the organization and improving operational capacity at the local and grassroots levels still face many difficulties and shortcomings.

From the practical activities of the past term, on the basis of the determination to innovate, to meet the requirements of the country and the vivid reality of social life, and the expectations of all classes of people, the Front has drawn a number of profound lessons, that is, the Front's activities must always closely follow the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, especially the guidelines and policies on great national unity; at the same time, they must originate from the needs and aspirations of the people.

Front cadres must be closely attached to the people. In addition, Front Committees at all levels must truly speak up as representative bodies, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the people. The Front's methods of operation must be constantly innovated, diversified, and flexible; tasks must be identified with focus and key points; residential areas must be the main areas of operation; and attention must be paid to developing and replicating new models and factors.

The Fatherland Front at all levels needs to closely coordinate with State agencies to ensure mechanisms, policies and operating conditions; promote the proactive and creative role of member organizations to enhance the overall strength; create conditions to improve the operational capacity and prestige of the staff, because this is an important factor contributing to the completion of the Front's political tasks.

Panorama of the online video conference and press conference on the 9th National Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front. Photo: Nguyen Dan/VNA

What will be the key contents of the Front's activities in the new term 2019-2024, sir?

Mr. Tran Thanh Man:With the spirit of consistent innovation, the 9th Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front has the theme "Solidarity-Democracy-Innovation-Development." From the Congress's consistent goals, the Front's tasks for the 2019-2024 term are determined to revolve around five key axes.

The first task is to focus on propagating, mobilizing, and gathering people of all walks of life; consolidating, strengthening, and promoting the strength of national solidarity to build and defend the Fatherland; propagating and mobilizing people of all walks of life at home and abroad to know and support the Party's guidelines and policies, the State's policies and laws, creating social consensus to successfully implement socio-economic development goals, and ensure national defense and security.

The next main task is to mobilize people to compete in creative labor, successfully implement economic, cultural and social development goals, maintain national defense and security; promote the spirit of self-reliance, self-strengthening, national pride, compete in creative labor, develop production and business, promote talents and initiatives, help each other sustainably reduce poverty, strive to become rich legitimately, together with the Party, State, all levels and sectors to overcome difficulties and challenges, create momentum for solid growth of the national economy, improve and comprehensively enhance the quality of people's lives.

Another important task is to implement democracy, represent and protect the people's legitimate and legal rights and interests; supervise and provide social criticism, participate in preventing and combating corruption and waste, participate in building a clean and strong Party and State, and at the same time create an environment for people to exercise their mastery, express their opinions and recommendations to Party committees and authorities at all levels.

The Fatherland Front at all levels will promote people's foreign affairs activities according to the motto "proactive, creative, effective," strengthening solidarity and friendship between the Vietnamese people and peoples of countries around the world, contributing to expanding the Party's foreign relations, strengthening the State's diplomacy, and raising Vietnam's position in the international arena.

In addition, the Front organizations at all levels will strengthen the organization, innovate the content and methods, and improve the effectiveness of the Vietnam Fatherland Front's operations to meet the requirements of the new period. Front officials will continue to improve in the direction of respecting the people, being close to the people, listening to the opinions and recommendations of all classes of people.

With the determination to innovate, I believe that the Vietnam Fatherland Front will continue to fulfill its glorious historical role and mission in consolidating, expanding and promoting the great national unity bloc; acting as a solid bridge between the Party, the State and the people in the cause of building and firmly defending the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland.

- Thank you very much!/.