Prime Minister's compliments and the test of leadership in the Central region

Floods in the Central provinces are a "test" of local leaders' leadership.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc discusses with Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung about the flood situation in the Central region. Photo: VGP/Quang Hieu

On December 17, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired an online conference on responding to and overcoming the consequences of floods in the Central region.

The conference was held in the context of the extremely complicated flood situation in the Central provinces. The representative of the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting said that in its flood forecast, for the first time, the phrase "exceptionally large flood" was used.

According to the report of the Central Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, from mid-October 2016 until now, the Central and Central Highlands provinces, which have just suffered a historic drought, have experienced five consecutive large-scale floods with extreme, unusual and prolonged intensity.

Total rainfall in the past 2 months in many places was greater than the annual average, especially in some areas with rainfall over 2,500 mm such as: Tra My (Quang Nam) 2,611 mm, Minh Long (Quang Ngai) 2,729 mm.

Heavy rains have caused floods on rivers to rise to level 3, some places above level 3. Many areas are close to historic flood levels such as the Ve River, Kon River, and Ba River. Irrigation and hydroelectric reservoirs are full and are having to release floodwaters. Many traffic routes are cut off due to flooding and landslides. Production is stagnant. Life in disaster areas is extremely difficult and there are heavy losses.

In recent days, the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers have continuously given very strong instructions on responding to and overcoming the consequences of floods. The Prime Minister has issued Official Dispatch No. 2263/CD-TTg on this issue. Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung led a working delegation to inspect and direct on-site efforts to help localities overcome the severe consequences caused by floods.

In particular, the Prime Minister sent a letter of commendation to the teachers of An Hiep Kindergarten, Tuy An District, Phu Yen Province, for rescuing and protecting the absolute safety of the students while the flood came quickly, causing serious flooding at the school, with the spirit of "rather the teacher die than let the students die". That shows courage, responsibility and deep humanity.

Now, at the Conference, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc requested all levels and sectors to respond, rescue and provide timely relief, not to let further damage occur. Focus on saving people, not to let people suffer from hunger, thirst, or disease. Help people rebuild their homes, not to let people fall into the situation of "sleeping on the ground". Each province and city mobilizes the entire political system to participate in the spirit of not letting people wait.

In particular, the Prime Minister said that flood prevention is a condition to test the leadership capacity of localities, "to see if comrades are close to the people, creative, and resolute", to quickly overcome the consequences of natural disasters and stabilize people's lives.

The teachers of An Hiep kindergarten have set a shining example of their devotion to their students. Similarly, during floods, what people need most is perhaps a solid support from the government. The Prime Minister's reminder - as well as his praise for the teachers - is placing clear demands on all levels of government. A government that serves, by, and for the people, nothing demonstrates more clearly than its spirit and responsibility to the people during stressful times like the height of the flood.

According to baochinhphu.vn