Affirming the role of village and hamlet Party branch secretaries in Nghe An
In villages and hamlets throughout Nghe An province, many Party branch secretaries are close to the people, understand the people, and respect the people. They have leveraged collective strength and consensus among the people to truly implement the Party's resolutions. As a result, many difficult, new, and complex issues have been effectively resolved.
When people believe, even difficult tasks become easy.
Long Son 9 village, Yen Xuan commune, is a hilly and mountainous area with a sparse population, where livelihoods mainly depend on agriculture and forestry. For many years, rural transportation has been the biggest "bottleneck" hindering the economic development of the people.
In the Cho Quoc residential area, the nearly 2-kilometer-long road serves only 17 households and has therefore not received investment for many years. The narrow dirt road, only 2-3 meters wide, is muddy in the rainy season and dusty in the dry season. Transporting tea, acacia, and agricultural products requires the use of intermediate vehicles, increasing costs and reducing the economic value for the people.
This situation poses many concerns for Tran Khac Kien, Secretary of the Long Son 9 Village Party Branch, especially since widening the road means having to persuade residents to donate land and contribute money. In particular, among the 17 households along the route, there are 3 households with elderly people and those suffering from long-term illnesses; this is not an easy task.
As the Party Branch Secretary, Comrade Tran Khac Kien, along with the Party Committee, determined that building the road required starting with mass mobilization efforts. Secretary Kien and village officials went to each household to explain and analyze the long-term benefits of opening the road: "A wider road will facilitate transportation, allowing large vehicles to reach the area for purchasing, thus enabling farmers to sell their agricultural products at higher prices. If we keep the small road as before, the people will continue to suffer losses." At the same time, they posted information on Facebook, seeking support, both spiritual and material, from the community and those living away from home.
After three months of implementation, the road was widened to 5 meters, leveled, and paved with crushed stone at a total cost of over 100 million VND, contributed by 17 households along the route and supported by the community inside and outside the village. The project is expected to be completed and put into use by the end of 2025, bringing great joy to the people of Cho Quoc. “Now, cars can come right to the area to buy tea, acacia, and agricultural products, the prices are higher, and people's travel is much more convenient,” shared Ms. Le Thi Quyen, a resident of Cho Quoc.
"To gain public consensus, we must first ensure that the people understand and trust. When the people understand and trust, even difficult tasks become easier."
Comrade Tran Khac Kien - Secretary of the Party Branch of Long Son 9 village, Yen Xuan commune
Beyond solving traffic problems, Secretary Kien is also a pioneer in economic development thinking, creating sustainable livelihoods for the people. Together with village officials, he mobilized residents to establish a comprehensive livestock cooperative with 30 participating households, developing mudless eel farming, beekeeping for honey, raising bamboo rats, pigs, chickens, etc.; and promoting the application of science, technology, and digital transformation in all aspects of life. A notable achievement is the social mobilization effort to install nearly 60 electricity poles and solar-powered streetlights along the village roads, contributing to ensuring security and order and improving the quality of life for the people.
Based on practical experience, Party Branch Secretary Tran Khac Kien concluded: "To gain the people's consensus, we must first ensure they understand and trust. When the people understand and trust, even difficult tasks become easier." This is also a profound lesson about the role of the Party branch leader in leading and directing the implementation of the Party's policies and resolutions into life.
UncleEmphasis on innovating the approach
Villages and hamlets are the "extended arms" of the Party at the grassroots level, directly implementing policies and resolutions; they are also the first to receive and resolve issues arising from practice. Therefore, the quality of the Party branch's activities and the role of the branch secretary are of particular importance to the development of each residential area. In reality, wherever the leader is close to the people, respects the people, knows how to unite collective strength, and inspires a sense of responsibility among cadres and Party members, difficult problems are fundamentally resolved.
In early 2020, Duong Tam hamlet in Xuan Lam commune was established by merging two old hamlets. At that time, the local movement was only at an average level, and for many years, no new party members had been admitted. Faced with this reality, Party Branch Secretary Nguyen Duy Chat identified the primary task as consolidating trust among cadres, party members, and the people. The Party Branch strictly implemented the principle of democratic centralism; all work was discussed openly and agreed upon before implementation. Cadres and party members were required to be truly exemplary, matching words with actions, and leading by example so that the people would trust and follow.
The Party Committee and the village management board also selected practical tasks that benefited the people to focus on. From mobilizing resources to purchase a hearse for community use; renovating and expanding the cultural center; building public restrooms; renovating the village well and volleyball court; beautifying the rural landscape to expanding the road connecting National Highway 46 with the residential area... all received high consensus from the people. It is noteworthy that in every movement, cadres and Party members were always the first to contribute, to act first, and to contribute more.
Along with developing the movement, Party Branch Secretary Nguyen Duy Chat paid special attention to Party building work. The responsibility for identifying, nurturing, and recommending outstanding individuals was specifically assigned to each organization and individual. As a result, from a situation where no new Party members were admitted for many years, the Duong Tam hamlet Party branch has admitted 4 new members in recent years, supplementing the pool of potential successors for the grassroots Party organization. From a previously disadvantaged area, Duong Tam hamlet has risen to become a shining example in implementing the Party's policies and resolutions in Xuan Lam commune.
Amidst the urban development of Hoang Mai ward, Block 22 has consistently maintained its title of outstandingly fulfilling its duties for many years. Behind these achievements lies the strong imprint of Comrade Nguyen Thi Anh - Secretary of the Party Branch and Head of the Block, who always believes that any successful implementation of any policy must begin with the consensus of the people. Therefore, the Party Branch of Block 22 pays special attention to propaganda work, listening to people's concerns, and thoroughly explaining matters to the people, linking it with transparency and prioritizing the common good to create persuasive power among the people.
With that spirit, many difficult tasks in Block 22 were successfully accomplished. For example, the people were mobilized to donate land to expand over 1 km of road, and nearly 1.7 km of concrete road were constructed, connected to a drainage system, street lighting, and flagpoles, all of which were invested in comprehensively. In addition, because the majority of residents in Block 22 are farmers and still accustomed to rural lifestyles, the Party branch focused on leading and directing the effective implementation of many solutions to gradually form a civilized urban lifestyle. This raised awareness of environmental protection, adherence to planning regulations, compliance with construction regulations, and preservation of the general landscape, contributing to building an increasingly civilized, clean, and beautiful residential area.
In Block 22, the Party Committee and the People's Committee of Hoang Mai Ward also acknowledged the leadership role of the Party branch and its leader in guiding, propagating, and mobilizing people to change the crop structure, introducing commercial vegetable crops such as bitter melon, winter squash, cucumbers, etc., to be grown on more than 5 hectares of upland rice land during the summer-autumn season, preventing fields from being left fallow and creating additional income, improving the lives of the people.
New demands of practice
Implementing a two-tiered local government model, along with the ongoing policy of reorganizing and streamlining villages, hamlets, and residential areas, places new demands on the team of grassroots Party branch secretaries.
In Hoang Mai ward, according to Comrade Ho Sy Tung – Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ward Party Committee: The locality will reorganize and reduce the current number of blocks by 50%, from 36 to 18 blocks. With a larger administrative area, a larger population, and a greater workload, especially with the demands of digital transformation and new management methods, it requires Party branch secretaries in each block to be more responsible, enthusiastic, innovative, and creative.
Similarly, in Yen Xuan commune, which currently has 34 villages and is expected to be reorganized into 18, the role of the Party branch secretary needs to be more prominent. However, the reality is that in most villages, the majority of Party branch secretaries are elderly, and some are expressing a desire to retire.
To enhance the leading role of Party organizations in residential areas, localities need to pay special attention to building and strengthening the team of people working in villages, hamlets, and residential groups, especially the Party branch secretaries. This team must ensure they have prestige, a high sense of responsibility, and rich practical experience; at the same time, they must have leadership and management capacity, mass mobilization skills, the ability to apply digital technology, and the ability to effectively organize and implement assigned tasks. This is not only an immediate requirement of the administrative unit reorganization process but also an important condition to ensure the leading role of grassroots Party organizations in the new development stage.
