What solutions can combat the decline in ideology and morality among officials?

If people consistently fight against individualism, which manifests and is disguised in many subtle forms, it also means they are consciously preventing "self-evolution" and "self-transformation"...

From its very inception, our Party has been deeply aware of the exceptionally important role of the political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle of Party members, as well as of the entire society, in the development of the Vietnamese revolution. Therefore, the Party has always paid attention to the work of educating and building revolutionary political ideology, ethics, and a humane lifestyle for Party members, cadres, and the entire society.

Preventing "self-evolution" and "self-transformation": A key task.

The Central Resolution No. 4 of the 11th Party Congress stated: “A significant number of cadres and Party members, including those holding leadership and management positions, and even some high-ranking officials, have deteriorated in terms of political ideology, morality, and lifestyle, with various manifestations such as fading ideals, falling into selfish individualism, opportunism, pragmatism, pursuing fame and fortune, vying for status, parochialism, and corruption… This situation diminishes the people's trust in the Party, and if not rectified, it will be a challenge to the Party's leadership role and the survival of the regime. Therefore, the Central Committee requires “resolutely fighting to prevent and repel the deterioration of political ideology, morality, and lifestyle of a significant number of cadres and Party members, first and foremost leading and managing cadres at all levels, in order to enhance the Party's capacity and fighting strength, and consolidate the people's and Party members' trust in the Party.”

The 12th National Congress of the Party identified Party building as a particularly important task that needs to be further strengthened, with the focus being on resolutely and persistently continuing to implement Resolution No. 4 of the 11th Central Committee. The 12th National Congress marked a significant development in understanding Party building by adding not only building a clean and strong Party in terms of politics, ideology, and organization, but also in terms of ethics. Even in the title of the Political Report, the Congress identified the first of six key tasks for the entire term as "strengthening Party building and rectification." This focuses on two crucial aspects: preventing and combating the decline in ideology, politics, ethics, and lifestyle, and the manifestations of "self-transformation" and "self-evolution" within the Party; and building a contingent of cadres, especially those at the strategic level.

The recent Resolution No. 4 of the 12th Central Committee also noted that the decline in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle among a significant number of cadres and Party members has not been reversed, and in some aspects and in some areas, it has become more subtle and complex; corruption, waste, and negative phenomena remain serious, concentrated among Party members holding positions in the state apparatus. Internal conflicts and disunity exist not only at the grassroots level but also in some central agencies, economic groups, and corporations.

Fourth Plenum of the 12th Central Committee.

Many Party organizations and members still have limited awareness, are negligent, lack vigilance, and are confused in identifying, combating, and preventing "self-evolution" and "self-transformation"; the struggle to refute the false and distorted arguments of hostile forces, reactionary organizations, opportunistic elements, and politically disgruntled individuals is still passive, lacking sharpness, and not highly effective.

Meanwhile, the decline in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle leading to "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" is only a short, even very short, step, with immeasurable danger, potentially leading to collusion or complicity with evil and hostile forces, betraying the ideals and revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation. These limitations and shortcomings diminish the Party's leadership role; hurt the people's feelings and erode their trust in the Party, posing a direct threat to the Party's and the regime's survival.

Individualism is one of the potential dangers.

Associate Professor Vu Van Phuc, former Editor-in-Chief of the Communist Magazine, argues that the question must be addressed: why is the decline in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle still serious and has not been prevented or reversed? Is it because we haven't accurately assessed the extent and nature of the situation, haven't clearly identified the causes, haven't proposed comprehensive and sufficiently strong solutions, or lack the necessary conditions to implement those solutions?

According to Associate Professor Dr. Vu Van Phuc, this situation stems from many causes, both objective and subjective, but subjective causes are the main ones. These include the fact that political and ideological education for cadres and Party members has not been given due importance and is ineffective. There are signs of neglecting the education of Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh Thought, and revolutionary ethics. The work of summarizing practical experience and conducting theoretical research is still inadequate and ineffective. "In addition, the management of cadres and Party members has been lax. A segment of cadres and Party members themselves lack self-cultivation, training, and learning, allowing individualism to develop and dominate, eroding the good qualities of a Party member."

Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hoa, from the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, also stated that we are facing many enormous challenges. These include the risk of falling further behind economically compared to other countries in the region and the world, corruption and bureaucracy, and the "peaceful evolution" strategy orchestrated by hostile forces... In such a context, many things "need to be done immediately" to build a cleaner and stronger Party, focusing on several fundamental aspects. Among them, we must prioritize revolutionary ethics and combat individualism.

“The attitude of downplaying the importance of cultivating revolutionary ethics, and the lack of seriousness in practicing criticism and self-criticism… has led many cadres and Party members to fall prey to everyday temptations.” The failure to overcome the small “ego” and become enslaved by personal desires in a segment of cadres and Party members is both the root cause and the contributing factor to evils such as corruption, bribery, abuse of power, and disunity… Individualism is one of the hidden and constant dangers because it lurks within each individual,” emphasized Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hoa.

Remove corrupt and degenerate officials and party members from the Party.

To effectively prevent and reverse the decline in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle among a significant number of cadres and Party members in the current situation, and to contribute to consolidating and enhancing the people's trust in the Party and the State, it is necessary to look directly at the truth to see that the deepest root causes of this decline in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle among cadres and Party members lie in the backwardness and limitations in theoretical work, in Party building, in the practical operation of the political system, and in the State's management of socio-economic affairs...

"Without a deep understanding and determination to eliminate these root causes, all other solutions will be difficult to implement effectively, or will only be temporary, unable to fundamentally solve the problem. Overcoming these deep-seated causes can be considered the most basic condition, and also the most important solution, to prevent and reverse the decline in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle among a significant number of cadres and Party members," emphasized Associate Professor Dr. Vu Van Phuc.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Mai Anh, a Master's degree holder from the Communist Magazine, "in the current situation, key cadres must set an example in practicing ethics, promoting the entire Party and people to learn from President Ho Chi Minh's example. At the same time, they must resolutely fight against manifestations of political, ideological, and moral degradation, and the manifestations of 'self-evolution' and 'self-transformation' within the Party."

According to Dr. Nguyen Dinh Hoa of the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, along with implementing many other measures simultaneously, attention should be paid to educating cadres and Party members on revolutionary ethics so that they truly become public servants and loyal servants of the people. “If everyone is always vigilant and fights against individualism, which manifests and is disguised in many sophisticated forms, it also means they have truly developed a sense of striving for the common good, for the collective and the community. Practical experience shows that the Party becomes strong, intellectually capable, and highly effective precisely because its ranks consist of people who are both politically committed and professionally competent.”

Associate Professor Vu Van Phuc believes that, along with the decisive and synchronized implementation of a system of solutions, it is essential to truly prioritize the education of ethics and lifestyle for cadres and Party members. Improving the quality, implementing in-depth, and integrating the study of Ho Chi Minh's moral thought with political tasks, socio-economic development programs, and various social sectors, while maintaining regular Party activities, is crucial. The ethical value scales and basic qualities of cadres and Party members should be supplemented with criteria such as: daring to think, daring to act, daring to take responsibility, and having the courage to fight against bureaucracy, corruption, and lack of democracy.

“Leading and managing officials must regularly interact and engage in direct dialogue with the people, proactively understand their thoughts, assess and predict the ideological developments of cadres and Party members, and take timely measures to resolve issues. They must resolutely fight to thwart all conspiracies and activities of ‘peaceful evolution’ by hostile forces. They must proactively prevent, combat, and criticize manifestations of ‘self-evolution’ and ‘self-transformation’ within the Party. They must maintain unity and cohesion within the Party and consensus in society,” proposed Associate Professor Dr. Vu Van Phuc.

According to Associate Professor Dr. Vu Van Phuc, along with the above solutions, it is necessary to pay serious attention to improving the quality of Party members by issuing and enforcing stricter regulations on admitting new Party members, ensuring quality and resolutely avoiding the pursuit of quantity to prevent opportunists and pragmatists from infiltrating the Party ranks. Research should be conducted to develop more substantive methods for evaluating and classifying Party members, capable of purifying and removing degenerate and corrupt elements from the Party. Opportunists and individualists should not be tolerated.

In addition, it is necessary to urgently review and eliminate outdated mechanisms and policies. "Review mechanisms and policies and issue legal documents to strictly manage and control state capital and assets, eliminating loopholes in laws and policies that are easily exploited by corrupt individuals."

According to VOV