Nghe An: Removing 'bottlenecks' to develop Party members
The task of building and developing Party organizations and Party members is a central focus in Party building. However, this work is facing difficulties, so Party committees at all levels in Nghe An are determined to find effective solutions to overcome the challenges.
A breakthrough in terms of ideology.
For a long time, in developing Party members, besides the issue of a shortage of candidates, the main factor has been the reluctance of the masses to join the Party. This is the "bottleneck" that Party organizations have identified as needing to address in order to achieve a "breakthrough" in terms of ideology.
Ms. Bui Thi Ben, originally from another locality, married into a family in Duc Xuan village (Tien Thuy commune, Quynh Luu district). With encouragement and support from the Women's Association and the village Party Committee, Ms. Ben gradually became actively involved in village activities and matured. As a result, she was admitted to the Party and elected as the Vice-Chairwoman of the village Women's Association. Ms. Bui Thi Ben shared: "I feel very happy and grateful to those who have guided me to grow in all aspects."
According to Comrade Nguyen Van Thanh, Secretary of the Duc Xuan Village Party Branch in Tien Thuy Commune, developing a new Party member requires considerable effort. Every year, the Party branch organizes thematic meetings on Party member development. Through these meetings, they actively select outstanding individuals and assign Party members to monitor and nurture them. If individuals are not yet convinced of the importance of joining the Party, the Party branch, along with other organizations, finds solutions, mobilizing the youth union, associations, and Party committee to directly meet with, educate, and encourage these outstanding individuals.
With this approach, the Duc Xuan village Party branch recruits 2-3 new Party members each year. Particularly, through Party member development linked to the strengthening of the executive committees of the various associations and youth groups, each association and youth group has 1-2 individuals admitted to the Party. This successful Party member development has "rejuvenated" the Party branch, with 8 out of 14 members under 40 years old; contributing to improved leadership capacity as these young people possess both health and enthusiasm, and are directly involved in labor and production.
In the context of a shortage of potential party members and a lack of enthusiasm among the masses, the Quang Long hamlet Party branch (Quang Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district) carefully discusses party development work during its branch meetings. Branch Secretary Dang Quoc Viet shared: "In today's market economy, everyone is preoccupied with making a living. The persuasive approach of each member of the Party branch committee is to use the practical examples of many officials and civil servants living in the area, or the large number of local Party members participating in village and hamlet movements; and to use the specific work and activities of each individual in the Party branch committee and each Party member in the hamlet to convince the masses to strive to join the Party."
Thanks to this, even though the local working-age population is small, around 300 people, the Party branch has consistently recruited 1-2 new members each year from 2020 to the present. The current total number of Party members in the branch is 34, accounting for approximately 12% of the total workforce in the locality.
Decisive action in difficult areas
Besides developing in traditional areas including rural areas, administrative agencies, and public service units, for many years, the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee and Party committees at all levels have identified the need to remove "bottlenecks" and develop the Party in difficult areas.
The Standing Committee of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee issued Project No. 01 and Conclusion No. 95 on continuing the implementation of the project to build Party branches and develop Party members in hamlets, villages, and communes that do not yet have Party branches or Party members, and in hamlets, villages, and communes at risk of no longer having Party branches. Accordingly, from the Provincial Party Committee to the subordinate Party committees, steering committees have been established; the entire political system has been mobilized to participate.
In Quynh Luu district, in addition to establishing a steering committee, support team, and inspection team, the Standing Committee of the District Party Committee also assigned responsibility for implementing the project to the district's grassroots working groups. Comrade Kieu Van Thanh - Head of the Organization Department of the Quynh Luu District Party Committee shared: By assigning specific responsibilities to each member of the steering committee and grassroots working groups, including the Standing Committee members of the District Party Committee in charge of the area, the plans and solutions for each hamlet within the scope of the project were developed in detail, closely matching the situation of each hamlet. As a result, after 8 years of implementing Project No. 01, Quynh Luu district has 100% of hamlets with Party branches, reducing the number of hamlets at risk of not having Party branches by 2; and reducing the number of hamlets without local Party members by 2.
For Yen Thanh district, in addition to the responsibilities of the steering committee, the Standing Committee of the Yen Thanh District Party Committee assigned the responsibility to the District Party Committee's Propaganda Department to be in charge of propaganda; directing the Fatherland Front and other mass organizations to develop plans to implement the project within their respective organizations at the grassroots level; and directing the grassroots units within the project's scope to develop detailed plans for each hamlet. In 2016, the entire district had 42 hamlets in 22 communes within the project's scope. Currently, the district only has 20 hamlets in 13 communes within the project's scope, including 5 hamlets with 100% Party members; 9 hamlets with partial Party members; and 6 hamlets at risk of no longer having Party branches.
The Provincial Party Committee and Party committees at all levels have also strengthened the work of developing Party members and Party organizations in private enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises. In the first six months of 2024 alone, the province admitted 134 new Party members, including leaders, managers, and workers in enterprises.
Nghe An province also prioritizes the development of Party members in areas with significant potential, namely students in high schools, vocational schools, and universities. Accordingly, the education of revolutionary ideals, ethics, and lifestyles, including the awareness and will to strive to become Party members, is linked to many activities and emulation movements in schools. This has positively impacted the results of admitting Party members among high school students, showing a gradual increase. In the first six months of 2024 alone, the province admitted nearly 1,100 Party members who were students.
Through decisive solutions and directives, while promoting creativity and effective methods in each Party organization, the work of developing Party members in many Party organizations has seen positive changes, contributing to the overall results of the province. In the first six months of 2024, the entire province admitted 2,752 Party members, 421 more than the same period in 2023.
The Resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress, for the 2020-2025 term, sets the goal of admitting 4,500-5,000 new party members annually. Resolution No. 21 of the Central Party Committee on strengthening and consolidating grassroots party organizations and improving the quality of party members in the new period requires an annual membership recruitment rate of 3-4% of the total number of party members during the 2020-2025 period, meaning the entire province must recruit over 6,000 new party members. This presents many challenges requiring the efforts of Party committees and mass organizations at all levels. Therefore, the work of developing party members is continuing to be addressed by Party organizations with many specific solutions, linked to the innovation of methods and approaches in leading and directing party member development.
