Reflecting on a Party article by President Ho Chi Minh

For himself, President Ho Chi Minh determined: “My whole life has only one purpose, which is to strive for the interests of the Fatherland and the happiness of the people. When I had to hide in the mountains, or go in and out of prisons, or brave dangers, it was for that purpose” (1). Therefore, He constantly improved himself and became an exemplary moral figure, a shining example of revolutionary morality and in life today.

As President, he maintained a lifestyle like that of ordinary people. In the mountains of Viet Bac, his residence was a simple thatched hut with bamboo walls. Upon returning to Hanoi, he lived in a small house belonging to an electrician, built in the early 20th century.

When he stayed in the stilt house in the Presidential Palace, it was just a small place with a few rooms and very ordinary, essential furnishings. His daily meals consisted of 3-5 dishes from his hometown such as pickled eggplant with soy sauce, fish soup, fish stew with ginger leaves... His clothing was also extremely simple: indigo shirt, soldier's uniform when in the war zone, brown shirt, rubber sandals, wooden clogs, when living in the stilt house, tending fish, and planting trees.

Simple yet great, that's why:"Ho Chi Minh embodied the finest qualities of the Vietnamese people and the values ​​of all humanity: intelligence and humility, talent and simplicity."(2).

Ho Chi Minh's ethics are demonstrated through effective actions. At the same time, he also valued education through self-criticism, criticism, guidance, instruction, correction, and propaganda... President Ho Chi Minh wrote many works and articles on the ethics and moral character of Party members and cadres, such as:“The Revolutionary Path” (1927); “Reforming Working Methods” (1947); “Diligence, Frugality, Integrity and Righteousness” (1949); “Citizen Ethics”, “The Revolutionary Cadre” (1955); “Revolutionary Ethics” (1958); “Testament” (1969).

In particular, on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of the founding of the Party, January 26, 1969, President Ho Chi Minh suggested that the Central Propaganda Department prepare an article on revolutionary ethics to be published in the Nhan Dan newspaper on February 3, 1969. When the Propaganda Department sent the article, President Ho Chi Minh carefully revised the content and titled it "Sweeping Away Individualism, Elevating Revolutionary Ethics." He then had the draft typed and sent it to each member of the Politburo for review and feedback before publication.

The members of the Politburo all offered their opinions and forwarded them to him. President Ho Chi Minh reviewed them and used the version with Comrade Truong Chinh's comments as the original because it contained the most practical ideas. On January 30, 1969, he met with the Head of the Propaganda Department, To Huu. Comrade To Huu suggested: "Uncle, our Party cadres are generally good, only a few have degenerated and become corrupt. The title you've chosen is too strong! Please allow me to put the phrase 'Raising revolutionary ethics' first, and the phrase 'Sweeping away individualism' last."

President Ho Chi Minh turned to his secretary and asked, "What you said makes sense, but it's not entirely logical. I want to ask you this: Your families have saved up enough money to buy new furniture sets, beds, and wardrobes. Before placing them in the room, do you remove the old furniture and clean up the area, or do you just leave the rubbish and dirt behind and put the new furniture in?"

While the two comrades were still hesitant and didn't know how to answer, He continued: "Because you are the majority, I agree to compromise and change the title to: 'Raising revolutionary ethics, sweeping away individualism' but in the article, the idea must definitely remain: Sweeping away individualism, raising revolutionary ethics" (3).

Article number 5409, signed with the pseudonym TL, frankly criticized party members with low moral standards, pointing out the wrongdoings and unpredictable consequences of individualism:"They always think of themselves first. They don't care about themselves for the sake of others, but only want others to care about them. Due to individualism, they shy away from hardship and difficulties, falling into corruption, decadence, waste, and extravagance. They crave fame and profit, and desire status and power. They are arrogant, disregard the collective, despise the masses, and are autocratic and dictatorial. They are detached from the masses and reality, suffering from bureaucratic commandism. They lack the spirit of striving for improvement and refuse to learn and progress. Also due to individualism, they lack unity, a sense of responsibility, and fail to comply with the Party and State's policies, harming the interests of the revolution and the people."

At the same time, the article also calls for:“Every Party member must prioritize the interests of the revolution, the Party, and the people above all else. They must resolutely sweep away individualism, improve revolutionary ethics, cultivate collective thinking, solidarity, organization, and discipline. They must delve deeply into reality, be close to the masses, truly respect and promote the collective ownership rights of the people. They must strive to study, train, and improve their level of knowledge to do all tasks well” (4).

Revolutionary ethics is the ethics of collectivism, for the collective, by the collective, and resolutely rejecting individualism. Our Party is a ruling party, and in the current context, the issue of protecting and rectifying the Party has become extremely urgent; it is a matter of survival for the socialist regime in Vietnam.

The 4th Conference of the 12th Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam issued Resolution No. 04-NQ/TW on strengthening Party building and rectification; preventing and repelling the decline in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle, and the manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" within the Party. Since then, the fight against negativity, corruption, waste, bureaucracy, and degeneration within Party organizations has been fierce and intense, achieving remarkable results that have delighted and encouraged the people, who have followed the progress daily, thereby further consolidating the people's trust in the Party.

In this situation, the responsibilities of Party members become even heavier. Each person, drawing practical lessons from their personal work experience, must continue to cultivate the ethics of a Party member through concrete actions:

- Correct ideological understanding: “The Party is not an organization for gaining wealth and power. The Party must fulfill the task of liberating the nation, making the country rich and strong, and the people happy” (5). Therefore, having voluntarily joined the Party, one must correctly and well perform the role and responsibilities of a Party member to the people, to the country, and to the Party;

- Resolutely oppose individualism in all its forms, and reject any phenomenon of group interests, family interests, local interests, or relationship interests;

- Practice diligence, frugality, integrity, and impartiality in work and daily life;

- We must rely on the people to strengthen and build the Party. We must thoroughly practice criticism and self-criticism;

- Party discipline must be upheld and strictly enforced. A fair, objective, and clear assessment is needed regarding contributions and wrongdoings, merits and demerits. Party members must set an example first, from top to bottom, from the Central Committee to the grassroots branches.

- To be worthy of being a true party member, every party member always deeply understands President Ho Chi Minh's teachings and practices them in life: "Revolutionary morality does not fall from the sky. It develops and strengthens through daily struggle and persistent training. Just as a gem becomes brighter the more it is polished, and gold becomes purer the more it is refined" (6).

Note:

1,4,5,6 - "Ho Chi Minh Complete Works" - National Political Publishing House (2011)

2. "Ho Chi Minh in the memories of international friends" - National Political Publishing House (2009), p. 120

3. "Stories told by Ho Chi Minh's secretary" - National Political Publishing House (2008), pp. 106-107./.