'Shining stars' and personnel work

With a 41/42 vote in favor of dismissal, on July 11, Mr. Nguyen Ba Canh, son of the late Secretary of the City Party Committee Nguyen Ba Thanh, officially ceased his duties as a delegate of the People's Council of Da Nang City, ending the career of a red seed who was assigned to hold many important positions at the same time.

Previously, a representative of the Department of Planning and Investment of Da Nang confirmed that Mr. Tran Van Man, Head of the Bidding - Appraisal and Supervision Department, had submitted a resignation letter. Mr. Man is the son of the former Chairman of the City People's Committee, Deputy of the Central Organizing Committee, who is being prosecuted and temporarily detained by the Ministry of Public Security for "Violating regulations on management causing serious consequences". Although Mr. Man voluntarily resigned from his position and was not disciplined, he was once notorious for studying abroad with state budget money and an inadequate set of documents.

In 2017, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Anh was removed from his position as Secretary of the Da Nang City Party Committee and dismissed from his position as a member of the 12th Party Central Committee for violating the principle of democratic centralism and Party and State regulations on personnel work. Mr. Anh is the son of a former Chairman of the Central Inspection Committee.

Quang Nam province has Le Phuoc Hoai Bao, son of former Provincial Party Secretary Le Phuoc Thanh; the Ministry of Industry and Trade has Vu Quang Hai, son of former Minister Vu Huy Hoang; Ho Chi Minh City has Mr. Le Tan Hung, younger brother of a former Politburo member and City Party Secretary... also in a similar situation.

Shining stars raise many questions about personnel work

Quite a few young red seeds, once considered by public opinion to be rising political stars, have been disciplined and dismissed, which is the bitter fruit of an outdated, non-transparent, "best for the next generation" cadre management mechanism, proving that public opinion about support and running for positions in personnel work of ministries and branches is well-founded.

The family tree of mandarins in provinces such as Ha Giang, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong,... which is being handled "for too long until it turns to mud" also has many potential negative risks, and is another variation of this social evil.

A female National Assembly delegate once said: "It is the happiness of the nation and the Party that children of leaders are entrusted with important responsibilities by Party congresses." That statement has become a hot topic of public opinion because it is related to the practical situation of the country, highlighting the contradiction between theory and reality, stirring up resentment among the people.

The world also has the phenomenon of "political lineage" but their institutions are different from ours, their laws are impartial so the seeds must go through public selection, harsh screening, and anyone involved in a scandal is dealt with and prosecuted. Former South Korean President Park Geun-hye and former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak were arrested and are in prison due to financial scandals and abuse of power. Cases of automatic resignation due to scandals happen frequently because of pride leading to suicide - behaviors that have no precedent in Vietnamese politics.

In our country, the generation of leaders with the fortitude forged through war according to the law of time has mostly passed away, and a group of leaders belonging to the "crown prince" generation has appeared. Most of them grew up in luxury, protected by the shadow of their parents and relatives, and were given power without undergoing trials and tests, so they will easily fall into many risks such as early complacency, abuse of power, and disregard for the law. Everyone has high degrees, but most of them are to legitimize procedures, to make their records look good, to solve problems of prestige, while the quality is difficult to verify, and even very virtual.

This situation raises the urgent need for institutional reform in personnel work. A progressive scientific management mechanism will eliminate opportunists, corrupt, unscrupulous and untalented people right from the source. Then, in the process of working, continue to test and eliminate mediocre, lucky, and incompetent people to select the best people who work for the people and the country.

If we cannot bring talented and virtuous people into leadership positions and elected bodies, the goal of developing into a modern industrialized country and carrying out the 4.0 Revolution, no matter how much propaganda is given, will be difficult to succeed.

Our country has a low starting point and is in the golden age of a young population, so GDP increases by a few percentage points, just like a body grows biologically. As for qualitative growth such as health and education development, a safe and civilized society, and a sustainable environment, which is what is to be expected, the changes are insignificant, and in some areas, the trend is even getting worse.

The solutions we have discussed a lot but have not been implemented thoroughly, such as strict laws, handling responsibility of leaders, multi-dimensional public supervision and inspection, transparency of assets and salaries of officials, filming and recording of civil servants, interrogation places, and courts, if thoroughly applied, will also be effective.

Maintaining the current way of doing things and then waiting for officials to improve for the people is impossible. A basic response like forcing people to obey traffic laws, but it is difficult to justify the fact that cars with blue and red license plates are running on the road and violating the law blatantly and carelessly. In broad daylight, "the authorities look down and the people look up" but if they do not comply, then in places where no one can see, behind closed doors, can they do it voluntarily?

Previously, I traveled from Hue to Quang Binh with a foreigner who was doing research on Vietnamese history. When we reached the Thach Han River in Quang Tri Province, we stopped at Ben Hai Bridge to rest and take pictures. Talking about the bridge and the river with its rich literary history, I read these verses: "Boat up Thach Han, row gently / My friend is still lying at the bottom of the river / At the age of 20, he blends into the waves"... As if touching the electric current of the souls of hundreds of thousands of martyrs, after reading and copying the four verses, the host and guest could not control their emotions.

According to Japanese legend, those who live a life of righteousness and sacrifice for their country will become stars in the sky when they die, watching over what we do. Those who embark on the path of power without the mindset of serving their people and country should know this.

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(1) https://thanhnien.vn/thoi-su/ong-nguyen-ba-canh-thoi-lam-nhiem-vu-dai-bieu-hdnd-tpda-nang-1102278.html

(2) https://news.zing.vn/con-trai-ong-tran-van-minh-duoc-cu-di-du-hoc-du-khong-du-chuan-post845649.html

(3) http://soha.vn/5-uy-vien-trung-uong-dang-duong-nhiem-bi-ky-luat-20181227152216963rf20181227152216963.htm

(4)https://laodong.vn/archived/vu-lo-dien-58-can-bo-ca-nha-lam-quan-tai-9-tinh-thanh-vo-bi-thu-em-chu-tich-deu-co-ghe-673926.ldo

(5) https://vietnamnet.vn/vn/thoi-su/con-lanh-dao-lam-lanh-dao-la-hanh-phuc-cua-dan-toc-269501.html