The core of building a strong political system.

(Baonghean) - Strengthening the political system comprehensively must begin at the grassroots level, creating a solid foundation and maintaining close contact with the people. In this process, retired Party members residing in the locality are one of the "core forces." Leveraging the strength of this force will minimize the waste of Party resources in fulfilling its mission of serving the people.

As long as I have the strength, I will continue to contribute.

Retired Party members constitute the largest and most active group in local Party branches, and this number continues to increase each year. In Vinh City alone, from 2010 to March 2014, 359 retired Party members transferred from the Provincial Party Committee of State Agencies to the City Party Committee and subsequently to the ward and commune levels. For the Party Committee of Enterprises, 724 members transferred to local Party branches after retiring. This is considered a rich source of personnel with high levels of knowledge and social trust, making them highly suitable for key positions at the local level such as Party branch secretary, head of the bloc, head of the Fatherland Front committee, head of the Party committee, etc.

Retired Party members in Ha Huy Tap ward (Vinh City) signed a pledge to participate in the emulation campaign in 2014.

Ha Huy Tap Ward has a very large concentration of retired Party members: over 1,300 retired Party members out of a total of 1,600 active Party members in 34 Party branches in the ward. These retired Party members hold the position of Party branch secretary in all 22/22 residential blocks and block leader in 20/22 residential blocks. Many of them served for multiple consecutive terms, even holding multiple positions concurrently.

Comrade Bành Đức Thuần from Block 1 is a prime example of a retired Party member actively participating in local affairs. This elderly colonel, former commander of a battalion at the Military School of Military Region 4, is now in his third term as Secretary of the Block Party Branch and Head of the Fatherland Front Committee. Having retired in 2004, he began participating in Party committee activities in 2006. Since 2010, with the trust of the Party branch and the affection of the residents of the block, he has held key positions on both "fronts"—two crucial local positions—to this day.

With a high sense of responsibility and the perseverance of a retired Party member, from a block with a small number of Party members (10 Party members out of over 600 residents), mainly working-class people with difficult economic conditions, the block has now been recognized as a cultural block, its Party branch has been a clean and strong Party branch for 4 consecutive years and an exemplary clean and strong Party branch of the ward for 3 consecutive years. The comrade himself has consistently been an outstanding Party member of the branch, receiving commendations from the ward.

Given the unique characteristics of the area, with its complex social security situation due to its proximity to drug hotspots in the city, the comrade recognized the need to proactively understand and bridge the gap with families whose children had criminal records, encouraging them to reintegrate into the community and become useful citizens. Similarly, when there was a policy against scattering paper offerings at funerals, the Party Committee organized campaigns to persuade elderly people and influential family members to comply with the new policy. The process of disseminating information and persuading people wasn't always smooth, but with perseverance, dedication, and closeness to the people, trust and consensus were gradually built among the residents.

In Nam Dan Town, 70% of the key grassroots leaders are retired Party members, with the Phan Boi Chau Block Party Branch being one of the branches with the largest number of retired Party members. Comrade Tran Quang Vinh, the branch secretary, is a retired officer. Before being elected as the branch secretary in 2000, he actively participated in local movements, offering many suggestions and ideas to promote their progress. Notably, the Phan Boi Chau block is known for its many tourism services and has 28 households participating in the traditional Nam Dan soy sauce making village.

To increase revenue and enhance the value of goods, he discussed with the Party Committee and the neighborhood committee, in collaboration with members of the craft village, distributing leaflets, using theatrical performances for propaganda, and instructing business owners on preserving the traditional flavor and color of Nam Dan soy sauce. Later, in his capacity as Party Secretary, he determined that to gain the consensus and trust of the people, the cadre must be clean and exemplary. At the first Party Congress, he, along with the cadres in the Party Committee, requested the congress to purge those who lacked responsibility and dedication to serving the Party and the people. Thanks to this, the grassroots Party organization was strengthened and consolidated.

To date, the Phan Boi Chau bloc has been one of the leading blocs in implementing the policies and guidelines of the Party and the State. Annual tax revenue collection for the fund has reached 100% and has been completed ahead of schedule. In particular, in 2015, in response to the fundraising campaign for the poor launched by the Fatherland Front at all levels, they collected 4,112,000 VND, or 112% of the assigned target, in just 10 days.

The above are just a few exemplary figures among the large force of retired Party members who, although having left their positions to enjoy their old age, are still ready to actively respond to the "call" of the Party and the people. This is not only the clearest evidence of the ideal of dedication and unwavering commitment to advancing under the Party's banner – these Party members are truly precious and worthy of respect, and above all, they are an indispensable force that creates the long-lasting and enduring strength of the Party. Continuing to promote that spirit of dedication and harnessing the resources of retired Party members is both the responsibility of Party committees and governments at all levels, and something that each retired Party member should engrave in their hearts to be worthy of the trust and affection of the Party and the people.

(To be continued)

Thuc Anh - Thanh Nga