If the people are at peace, the country will be in good fortune.

(Baonghean.vn)- It can be said that the people's hearts are the "cause" and the country's fortune is the "effect". If the people's hearts are in agreement, the country will prosper. If the people's hearts are peaceful, the country will be in good fortune.

Uncle Ho with children from Sen village, Kim Lien commune, Nam Dan, Nghe An on the occasion of his visit to his hometown. Photo archive

1.In the treasure trove of Ho Chi Minh's heritage, the instructions on "Working style reform" outlined 70 years ago still have profound current significance, especially for the work of Party building and rectification, training the working style of each cadre and Party member to always be close to the people, respect the people, and do everything for the people.

It can be said that Nguyen Ai Quoc's journey to save the country also started from the word "people", stemming from the pain of the people losing their country and saving the country also to save the people. Therefore, his life of revolutionary activities was also for the benefit of the people, to make sure the people had food, clothing, shelter, and education.

The word "people" in his subconscious is always the most beautiful symbol: "All benefits are for the people. All powers belong to the people. The work of innovation and construction is the responsibility of the people. The cause of resistance and nation building is the work of the people. The government from the commune to the central government is elected by the people. The organizations from the central to the commune are organized by the people.

In short, power and strength are in the people.” Notably, exactly 3 months before writing the first draft of the Testament (finished on May 15, 1965), He “visited” Nguyen Trai in Con Son (Chi Linh, Hai Duong) on ​​February 15, 1965, perhaps also to find the eternal value of the word “people”.

According to him, “being close to the people means serving the people, putting the people's interests above all else”. Respecting the people means “not wasting the people's human and material resources”, “when mobilizing, it should be moderate, not too much, wasting it uselessly”, “must be clever in avoiding anything that is harmful to the people's lives”, “knowing how to help the people”.

For the people, “whatever is beneficial to the people, we must do our best. Whatever is harmful to the people, we must avoid at all costs”; “all cadres, from the central to the regional, provincial, district, and communal levels, at any level and in any sector, must be loyal servants of the people”; “all government agencies from the national level to the villages are public servants of the people, that is, to shoulder the common work for the people”, “not to be revolutionary officials”. Therefore, “cadres must teach team members to respect, love, and help the people”. In work and life, we must be close to the people, help the people, love, respect, and learn from the people”.

“All of the Party's guidelines, principles, and policies... are aimed at improving the people's lives. The Party and the Government must take utmost care of the people's lives” and “if the people are hungry, the Party and the Government are at fault; if the people are cold, the Party and the Government are at fault; if the people are ignorant, the Party and the Government are at fault; if the people are sick, the Party and the Government are at fault”.

Uncle Ho is watching a child spell when he visits a kindergarten class on Hang Than Street, Hanoi, in 1958. Photo archive

In the work "Improving the way of working", although Ho Chi Minh rarely directly used words, through expressing the content, we see that respecting the people, serving the people, and being close to the people are the requirements for the qualities of cadres and party members in relation to the people.

In the reform of working style, each cadre and party member must first and foremost take the people as the focus, always have the mindset of respecting the people, practice a style of being close to the people, be close to and love the people; words and actions must truly be all for the people, embody the people to feel the people's suffering and be happy with their joy. Reforming the working style must always have the thought of "for whom to work, for whom to be responsible", must "close to the masses, unite with the masses", actively "learn from the masses but not follow the masses" as He taught.

2.Studying and following Ho Chi Minh's work on being close to the people, respecting the people, and being close to the people through the work "Improving the way of working" is to successfully complete the tasks assigned by the Party, the State, and the people; it is also the best way to gain the people's trust, respect, and esteem. To do so, it is necessary to pay attention to the following points:

First, take the people's interests to determine the "working methods and organization methods" of cadres and party members.

He pointed out: No matter how big or small the matter, we must examine it clearly and make it suitable to the cultural level, living habits, level of enlightenment, fighting experience, desires, wishes, and practical situation of the masses. From there, we can determine the way of working and organizing.

Only then can we attract the masses. Otherwise, if we just do things according to our own will, ideology, and subjectivity, and then tie them to the masses, it is like "cutting the feet to fit the shoes". The feet are the masses. The shoes are our way of organizing and working. Everyone makes shoes according to their feet. No one makes feet according to their shoes.

1. Uncle Ho and Prime Minister Pham Van Dong took a photo with guards (January 1, 1962). Photo archive

To respect the people, we must fight against boasting and arrogance, abandon empty theories, not look down on the people, and not underestimate their role; actively practice revolutionary ethics, learn from the people, and feel ashamed before the people for our wrongdoings.

Only by respecting the people can one see the strength of the people and actively unite with them; "it is necessary to cooperate with non-Party members, not to despise or criticize them, and to maintain close contact with the people." "In an agency where, during meetings, superiors let everyone say everything, listen to what is right, and explain and correct what is wrong," "the disease of whispering will also be cured."

Cadres and party members should try to ask the masses, encourage them to research, propose, and do things that benefit the masses. Taking the interests of the people to determine the "working methods and organization methods" of cadres and party members, it is necessary to remember that:

(1) Everything must be learned and discussed with the people, and explained to them; (2) Believe in the people; (3) Do not stubbornly follow "old clichés"; (4) We absolutely should not follow the masses; (5) We must bring politics into the people. In the past, everything came from "top down". From now on, everything must come from "bottom up".

Second, work must be oriented towards the people, connect and bond with the people, and listen to their opinions.

He pointed out: “being separated from the people is lonely” and “being lonely is failure”. If “the masses and the Party are separated from each other. Those above think everything is good. Those below dare not say anything.

They do not speak up, not because they do not have opinions, but because they think that if they speak up, their superiors will not listen, will not consider, and may even be punished. They do not dare to speak up, so they keep it to themselves, and then they become resentful and frustrated. Then they develop the habit of "not speaking in front of people, only talking behind their backs", "silence in the Party, talkative outside the Party", "being secretive" and other bad habits"; "being distant from the people, not closely connected with the people, like standing in the sky, will definitely fail".

President Ho Chi Minh, General Vo Nguyen Giap, Regiment Commander Thai Dung, and Battalion Commander Dung Ma are studying the operational map of the Border Campaign. Photo courtesy

To be close to the people, cadres and party members must correct the habit of "when a regional cadre goes to the province, a provincial cadre goes to the district, a district cadre goes to the village, they act arrogantly like a mandarin"; avoid formulaic speech, long speech, impractical speech, "talking nonsense" that makes some people yawn and others fall asleep.

At work, we must diligently ask for the opinions of the masses to know what they need, what they want to hear, and what they like, because if we impose the subjective opinions of cadres according to orders, we will commit bureaucracy, militarism, and have an attitude distant from the masses.

Because they do not respect or care about the people, many officials do not discuss or explain to the people, do not let the people express their opinions, and only force them to follow orders. Even when the people raise their opinions and raise issues, they find ways to suppress them. The result is that the people become suspicious, resentful, and dissatisfied.

If officials want people to honestly express their opinions, they must be sincere, diligent, skillful in getting them to speak, skillfully gathering opinions, arranging them in an orderly manner, and then working with the people to implement them.

Third, when working, we must clearly understand "who we are working for and who is responsible for" to avoid harming the people.

Whatever work they do, cadres and party members must first answer correctly the question of who is doing it for and who is in charge. But in reality, many cadres mistakenly think they are working for the Government and the Party, so "they divide the Government and Party cadres into one side and the masses into another".

In fact, “The Government and the Party only seek to liberate the people, therefore, whatever they do must be done for the benefit of the people and they must be responsible to the people”. “Anyone who is determined to benefit the masses, willing to learn, willing to ask the masses, willing to think hard, willing to work hard, will definitely have initiatives, and will definitely do things that are beneficial to humanity”. “Must learn how to speak like the masses”, “use simple, practical and easy-to-understand words and examples” “so that the masses all understand, all believe, all are determined to follow their call”.

Fourth, before implementing the work, it is necessary to propagate, explain, and educate so that people clearly understand what is being done.

In matters that directly benefit the people, such as building dikes, protecting dikes, increasing production, and popularizing education, officials only do them by command and force. As a result, people do not understand and so they resent them.

According to Him, we must engrave this truth into our heads: people are very good. Once they understand, they can do any difficult task, and they are not afraid of any sacrifice. But first, we must take the trouble to find ways to explain to them that these things must be done for their own benefit.

Sometimes, because cadres do not understand this, in order to get things done, they use orders and oppression, violating bureaucracy and militarism, to the point that the Government or the Party must punish them. When the people are united, anything can be done.

If the people do not support it, nothing should be done. Of course, we cannot blindly follow whatever the people say. Officials must compare and analyze different opinions carefully, see clearly which is right and which is wrong, and then choose the right opinion.

President Ho Chi Minh visited and instructed the officers and soldiers of the People's Public Security in December 1961. Photo archive

Fifth, cadres and party members must not conceal their shortcomings and must be determined to correct them; taking being close to the people, respecting the people, and working for the people as criteria for promoting cadres.

Cadres and party members must not hide their shortcomings, must not be afraid of criticism, must admit their shortcomings to correct themselves and be determined to correct them in order to progress. Because, “Party members and cadres are also human. Everyone has good and bad qualities. However, having understood and volunteered to join a Party for the people and the country, having been a revolutionary, one must strive to develop good qualities and correct bad qualities.

Because a person's bad character is usually only harmful to that person; but a party member's or cadre's bad character will be harmful to the Party and harmful to the people.

In training the character of cadres and party members, we should allow people to criticize. Respecting the people is also to fight against bad habits of cadres and party members, knowing how to use talented people to benefit the country and the people; "must clearly point out both advantages and disadvantages", "do not be lenient, do not add or subtract", "do not use sarcastic, bitter, malicious words", "criticize actions, not people".

“If talented people are not used properly, they will not get the job done. If promotions are not careful, they will inevitably be placed in leadership positions who only talk but do not know how to act. This is very harmful.” In particular, he requested that “when promoting a cadre, it is necessary to clearly examine whether that person is close to the masses, whether they are trusted and admired by the masses.”

It can be said that the people's heart is the "cause" and the country's fate is the "effect". When the people's heart is in agreement, the country will prosper.If the people are at peace, the country will be prosperous.On the contrary, if the people's hearts are troubled, the country will decline.

Dr. Le Duc Hoang,

Propaganda Departmentvibration