The 'proclamation' of the patriotic emulation movement

(Baonghean.vn) - When the resistance war against the French colonialists of our army and people entered the most difficult and fierce stage, to mobilize all forces to participate in the resistance war and nation building, on June 11, 1948, President Ho Chi Minh issued the "Call for Patriotic Emulation". This was considered a "proclamation" to promote the revolutionary action movement of the entire people.

Going back in history, we see: if the "Proclamation to Soldiers" of King Tran Quoc Tuan was like a call to arms that ignited the spirit of the entire nation in the face of foreign invasion, causing the majority of soldiers to tattoo the two words "Kill the Mongols" on their arms, demonstrating a high spirit of solidarity and a strong determination to fight the Yuan-Mongol invaders, then the "Call for Patriotic Emulation" of President Ho Chi Minh initiated patriotic emulation movements, promoted revolutionary action movements of all classes of people, creating great strength for the resistance war and nation-building to reach complete victory.

President Ho Chi Minh's handwriting in the draft of the 1948 Call for Patriotic Emulation. (Photo courtesy)

The “proclamations” of the two national heroes, although in two different historical periods, have in common the great value and significance, contributing to arousing the patriotism of the people in difficult and fierce situations of the nation against the invasion of the enemy. The “call for patriotic emulation” of President Ho Chi Minh has inherited and developed to a new height, in terms of content, deeply expressing the political ideology and revolutionary methods. Therefore, it is not only important in a certain historical period, but also has value throughout the Vietnamese revolutionary process.

According to President Ho Chi Minh, emulation is not only an active and creative activity in daily work, in labor and material production, but also an ideological and spiritual activity, an expression of love for the homeland and country. Emulation is the driving force to promote patriotism, turning patriotism into great material strength, mobilizing human and material resources for the resistance war and national construction; at the same time, promoting patriotism will practically improve the effectiveness of emulation.

More than anyone else, Uncle Ho understood very well the value of the great power of patriotic emulation and the thousand-year-old tradition of patriotism of our nation. If that tradition is promoted and consolidated, it will create an extremely powerful wave to overcome all dangers and difficulties, leading our nation to glorious victory. For that reason, President Ho Chi Minh named the emulation movement of our people "Patriotic Emulation", turning the individual strength of each person into the strength of the nation and the era.

In order to promote the patriotic emulation movement to develop continuously, according to Uncle Ho, the first important issue is the close connection, ensuring harmony between personal interests and collective interests to encourage everyone to compete. He said: "Patriotic emulation is for your own benefit, for your family's benefit and for the benefit of your village, country and people". Implementing that principle well, the spirit of patriotic emulation will certainly become a revolutionary action movement; transforming ideological awareness into practical action to improve the effectiveness of studying, working, laboring, producing, etc., contributing to effectively serving the Fatherland and the people.

In order for the emulation movement to always have a strong and lasting vitality, Uncle Ho requested: "Everyone competes, every sector competes, every day competes", emulation should not be limited to one sector, one locality, one unit but must be developed widely throughout the country, from rural to urban areas, from plains, mountainous areas to remote seas and islands. At the same time, it is necessary to arouse patriotism among all components and subjects, making emulation a common task for everyone, all sectors, all levels.

Competition is not only in the material production sectors but also in the fields of literature, art, education, health care, etc. Competition is also in each person's private life, from eating, living, studying, cultivating to relationships in family and friends. The effect of each action may be small, but many small daily tasks and many people competing will have a very large effect.

President Ho Chi Minh with delegates attending the National Congress of Emulation Fighters and Exemplary Cadres held in Viet Bac from May 1-6, 1952.

Emulation is the striving to achieve something better than before. To be effective, emulation must have a definite purpose, just like a shooter must have a specific goal, otherwise it will waste the people's energy, money and time, reduce revolutionary enthusiasm and fail to build a movement. Therefore, setting emulation goals must be truly scientific, comprehensive and specific. Not only must there be a common goal for the whole country, but there must also be specific goals for each region, each industry, each gender, each age group; closely combining immediate and long-term goals.

The purpose of emulation must be closely linked to economic, cultural, political, military tasks and the practical capabilities of each period. Emulation must be carried out daily, regularly, continuously, and have the effect of motivating each citizen, depending on his or her work, to strive and work better so as not to fall behind his or her teammates, other units, sectors and localities in the whole country. From there, society will continuously develop; the quality of life will become increasingly better.

According to Him, emulation “must have a detailed plan. That plan must be discussed carefully, understood thoroughly, and happily implemented by each small unit, each family, each individual”3. Therefore, the emulation plan must be based on the actual situation and the achievable capacity to encourage everyone to strive to implement it; avoid the “overly general” negligence, inconvenience, reluctance, etc.

Along with that, each level must have specific, practical measures for each field, each industry, and in each industry there must be measures suitable to the development of the practical situation and the requirements to be achieved in order to improve the quality and efficiency of work, etc. He advised: For a plan of 10, there must be 20 measures and 30 determinations.

The unified and close leadership and direction of Party committees and authorities at all levels is a decisive factor in the quality and effectiveness of the emulation movement. Without proper leadership, shortcomings and deviations in the emulation process will not be detected and corrected in time, leading to a situation where some places set plans that are too big and then cannot be implemented, while others initially do things too quickly, to the point where they lose strength after a while and cannot continue to compete... resulting in "drums beating in one direction, trumpets blowing in the other".

Therefore, President Ho Chi Minh requested that all sectors and localities must establish emulation committees to promptly resolve all tasks. Emulation cadres must be enthusiastic about their work, have a public viewpoint and certain knowledge of economics, technology and management; understand policies on reward regimes; and know how to organize propaganda and mobilize the masses.

In leading and directing the emulation movement, it is necessary to focus on summarizing and concluding in order to promptly commend the achievements that have been made; on the other hand, to draw useful lessons in organizing and implementing the emulation. Thereby, there are solutions to foster and promote the patriotism and love for socialism of the people; at the same time, popularize and apply initiatives, promote the progress of science and technology, and continuously develop the emulation movement.

President Ho Chi Minh's thoughts and viewpoints on Patriotic Emulation have spread deeply and widely both at the front and in the rear. Our entire Party, people and army have devoted all their efforts to participating in the resistance war and national construction, leading the country through a dangerous period, creating a Dien Bien Phu that is famous in five continents and shakes the world; protecting the young revolutionary government, eliminating hunger and illiteracy...

Uncle Ho talked with Labor Hero Nguyen Phuc Dong (Military Industry) and heroine Nguyen Thi Nam (Nam Dinh Textile) at the meeting of delegates attending the 2nd National Congress of Heroes and Emulation Fighters of Workers, Peasants and Soldiers in Hanoi (July 7, 1958).

Those results have given our entire nation strength to enter a new battle with the “Determination to defeat the American invaders”, arousing the heroic spirit of the entire nation, creating the miracle of completely liberating the South, unifying the country through the General Offensive and Uprising in the Spring of 1975. Entering the period of renovation, under the leadership of the Party, the patriotic emulation movement has continuously developed, contributing to creating great achievements, making the image and position of Vietnam increasingly enhanced in the international arena.

The “Call for Patriotic Emulation” was issued 68 years ago, our country has gone through many major political events and made great strides; the conditions for emulation have changed a lot, but Uncle Ho's “proclamation” for the patriotic emulation movement is still deeply engraved in the hearts of every Vietnamese person. In particular, in the face of the complicated developments of the world and regional situation, especially the issue of territorial, sea and island disputes in recent times, it has once again aroused the patriotism of the entire nation, attracting a large number of people from all walks of life, all economic sectors, mass organizations, departments and branches in society to fight and condemn the arrogant actions, illegal encroachment on Vietnam's exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, in defiance of international law and public opinion, in order to carry out China's plot to “monopolize the East Sea”.

The acts of patriotism of the people of the whole country and our overseas compatriots in recent days are a continuation of the nation's thousand-year-old tradition of patriotism. Our entire nation always shares the same awareness: Independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity are immutable, sacred, and cannot be exchanged for anything, not only today but forever.

Peace(Synthetic)