High-ranking officials felled by 'sugar-coated bullets'

The recent corruption and negative cases discovered and handled by the authorities have revealed things that are very different from many people's perceptions of corruption and negative things.

Recent practice shows that the more specialized and closed the field is, the more likely corruption and negativity arise: Bidding, auctions, securities, finance, corporate bonds, etc.

Corruption and negativity occur in areas related to social ethics and national prestige, which are highly valued by the people, such as health care, education, diplomacy, and the armed forces; taking place in a context where the country and its people are facing extremely difficult times.

The case that occurred at Viet A Company has prosecuted hundreds of people, including many high-ranking officials.

These cases are organized, systematic, and have connections and linkages at many levels, in many sectors, and in many fields, with close collusion between a number of officials with positions and powers but who have degenerated and corrupted in state agencies and non-state enterprises and organizations.

Not only does it cause damage and loss of money and property, it also seriously affects people's lives and health and the healthy and stable development of the country's economy.

Those who commit corruption and negative acts include leaders, managers, even high-ranking officials, and civil servants, many of whom are rich.

The case that occurred at Viet A Company has prosecuted hundreds of officials. The case that occurred in the field of vehicle inspection has so far prosecuted over 400 people…

What many people are concerned about is why, despite our fierce fight against corruption and negativity in recent times, major cases still occur with increasingly serious scale, nature, extent, and scope; corruption and negativity not only occurred a long time ago, but also in new cases.

Is it true that there are still some cadres and party members who are not afraid? Or is it because the benefits from corruption and negativity are so great that they are willing to accept "sacrificing their father's life to strengthen their son's life"? Or is it because the mechanism and policies are still loose and flawed? Is the management, inspection and supervision not strict?...

A series of questions were raised and each reason given had its own logic. But the underlying cause of corruption and negativity, as President Ho Chi Minh pointed out in 1969 and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong repeatedly emphasized, is due to individualism, the degradation of political ideology, ethics, lifestyle, and the greed of cadres and party members.

The Central Committee members, ministers, deputy ministers, secretaries, provincial chairmen... who were handled and disciplined in recent corruption and negative cases are clearly not people with difficult living conditions; they were trained and nurtured through many schools, but were still defeated by "sugar-coated bullets".

The problem is to start with personnel work - "the Party's fundamental work"; to choose the right people who know how to put collective and common interests above personal interests.

At the same time, it is necessary to regularly implement measures to "improve revolutionary ethics, wipe out individualism", making cadres, party members, and civil servants know how to keep their limits and not violate the prohibitions of the law.

Cadres, party members, and civil servants are also human beings, a synthesis of social relationships, subject to the influence and impact of living conditions, mechanisms, laws, working environment, leadership, management, inspection, and supervision of the organization...

Therefore, the fight against corruption and negativity is indeed a fierce, difficult, and complicated battle that must be carried out resolutely, persistently, without rest or interruption, and must be carried out synchronously with solutions and mobilized combined strength to achieve the goal of "not daring", "not being able", "not needing", "not wanting" corruption and negativity.