Welcoming Spring, celebrating the Party, remembering Uncle Ho's teachings

This spring, our Party celebrates its 87th birthday, the 42nd spring since our country was united, and also the 48th year since Uncle Ho passed away. Welcoming the Dinh Dau Spring, celebrating the glorious Party, our entire Party, army, and people continue to strive to make Uncle Ho's last wish come true.

48 years ago, in the fall of 1969, Uncle Ho returned to the world of the wise. In his sacred Testament, he wrote: “My last wish is: Our entire Party and people unite to strive to build a peaceful, unified, independent, democratic and prosperous Vietnam, making a worthy contribution to the world revolutionary cause.”

Following Uncle Ho's teachings, our people fought steadfastly for independence and national reunification in the spring of 1975. Spring Dinh Dau 2017 is the 42nd spring since the country's reunification, and Vietnam has undergone many changes. Each year has clearly progressed compared to the previous year.

Illustration photo.

However, besides the joy and excitement of reporting to Uncle Ho's spirit about the progress and social stability in recent years, almost all of us feel guilty towards Uncle Ho because "a not small part" did not seriously follow the loving teachings that Uncle Ho often advised party members and cadres.

We feel guilty towards Him when: “A significant number of cadres and party members, including those in leadership and management positions, including some high-ranking cadres, have degraded in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle with various manifestations of fading ideals, indulging in selfish individualism, opportunism, pragmatism, and pursuit of fame and profit…”. This situation “reduces the people’s trust in the Party; if not corrected, it will be a challenge to the Party’s leadership role and the survival of the regime” (Resolution of the 4th Central Committee, Session XI); and “Many party organizations and party members are still limited in their awareness, negligent, lose vigilance, and are confused in identifying and fighting against and preventing “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”; the fight against and refuting of false and distorted arguments by hostile forces, reactionary organizations, opportunists, and political dissidents are still passive, lacking sharpness, and are not very effective. Meanwhile, the degradation of political ideology, morality, and lifestyle leading to “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” is just a short step, even a very short step, with unpredictable dangers, which can lead to aiding or colluding with bad and hostile forces, betraying the ideals and revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

The above-mentioned limitations and shortcomings have diminished the Party's leadership role; hurt people's feelings and undermined their trust in the Party; and are a direct threat to the survival of the Party and the regime" (Resolution of the 12th Central Committee, Session 4).

To overcome this situation, I think we should not launch too many costly and formal campaigns, but should only truly compare each person's actions with Uncle Ho's sensible advice, which I would like to quote below.

On September 17, 1945, Uncle Ho wrote: “Many of our cadres are devoted and loyal to their duties, to the Government, and to the people. But there are also many who are corrupt, pretending to be revolutionary officials, or who act alone, are arbitrary, or who seek personal glory. They even use public law to seek personal revenge, causing people to resent the Government and organizations. The above shortcomings, small ones, make people confused, large ones, shake solidarity. We must immediately correct them…”.

In October 1947, in “Reforming the way of working”, Uncle Ho wrote: “From now on, agencies, cadres, party members, each person must practically review themselves and review their comrades every day. Whenever they see shortcomings, they must resolutely correct themselves and help their comrades correct them. Only then can the Party develop quickly, and the work quickly succeed”…

He also mentioned many “diseases” that need to be corrected. These are: “Disease of respect”, ignoring the mistakes of acquaintances, relatives, and loved ones; “Disease of greed”, selfishness, putting personal interests above national interests; “Disease of laziness”, thinking oneself to be knowledgeable and good at everything, being lazy to think, lazy to study, taking easy jobs, pushing difficult jobs to others; “Disease of arrogance”, being conceited, craving for status, fame, showing off, liking to be flattered; “Disease of fame”, thinking oneself to be a hero, important, not doing practical work; “lack of discipline”, putting oneself above the organization, doing whatever one likes; “narrow-mindedness”, looking down on others, not considering good people, fearing that others are better than oneself…

He said that the above diseases originate from “Individual disease”, all thoughts and actions come from personal interests and put personal interests above all, first and foremost. Everything is for the individual, for one’s family, for one’s group. He affirmed: Having those diseases is due to “poor Party spirit”, having one of those diseases “is a failure”.

He advised: “We must vigorously use criticism and self-criticism to help each other cure all these diseases.” From here, Uncle Ho specifically named and harshly criticized the “individual disease” - individualism in cadres and party members.

He also emphasized: “Party cadres and government cadres do not have to be revolutionary officials, living on the top and sitting on the top. Party cadres as well as government cadres, even Uncle Ho as the highest cadre, are all servants of the people, must wholeheartedly serve the people, must be diligent, frugal, honest and upright. To do so, we must be close to the people, encourage the people, and lead the people.”

Regarding virtue and talent, Uncle Ho wrote: "A person with talent but no virtue is useless. A person with virtue but no talent will have difficulty doing anything"... "Just like a river must have a source to have water, without a source the river will dry up, a tree must have roots, without roots the tree will wither. A revolutionary must have morality, without morality, no matter how talented he is, he cannot lead the people".

I hope that we, party members and cadres, will think carefully about Uncle Ho's loving teachings to improve ourselves and gain the trust and love of the people.

On the occasion of welcoming the New Year and celebrating the glorious Party, let us remember Uncle Ho by reminding each other not to forget his instructions before he passed away: "My last wish is: Our entire Party and people unite to strive to build a peaceful, unified, independent, democratic and prosperous Vietnam and make a worthy contribution to the world revolutionary cause"./.

Professor Nguyen Lan Dung

According to Chinhphu.vn