"We must keep our Party really clean"

We are not afraid of any force, even the most brutal. We are only afraid that the people will lose faith in our Party, State, and regime - on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2, 45 years of implementing Uncle Ho's Testament, President Truong Tan Sang wrote a separate article for the Communist Magazine.

President Truong Tan Sang: We are heartbroken when hearing the word of mouth among the people: "First is descendants, second is money, third is relationships, fourth is intelligence...". Photo: VNA

Sixty-nine years ago, in the fall of 1945, the Vietnamese people, under the Party's flag, made the great August Revolution in the history of our country: breaking the shackles of colonialism and feudalism; regaining national independence; giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, a State of the people and for the people; our people from slavery became masters of the country, masters of their own destiny. On September 2, 1945, President Ho Chi Minh solemnly declared to the world the birth of an independent and free Vietnam and affirmed that the entire Vietnamese people were determined to devote all their spirit and strength, lives and property to protecting that freedom and independence.

Over the past 70 years, our people have overcome countless difficulties and challenges to build and develop the country, improve people's lives, as Uncle Ho taught: if the country is independent but the people do not enjoy freedom and happiness, then independence is meaningless. At the same time, our people have also sacrificed countless blood and bones, defeated all invaders to protect the independence, freedom, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Fatherland.

Today, in a world where globalization is taking place strongly, intertwined with many complex relationships, both cooperation and competition, fierce struggles between countries, between different political, economic and cultural systems, the prosperity or survival of each country and nation is no longer just a matter of each country or nation. That has created both opportunities and challenges for all countries, especially small countries, in protecting their interests, independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. In that context, especially in the face of complicated developments in the regional and world situation in recent years, more than ever, our country is required to develop rapidly and sustainably, enhance the country's overall strength and internal strength in all aspects; at the same time, we must always raise our vigilance, resolutely protect the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Fatherland in any circumstances. This is our sacred and noble duty today before our ancestors and previous generations, as Uncle Ho taught: "The Hung Kings had the merit of building the country, we must together protect the country" and before future generations.

Our Vietnam is independent! Our beautiful Vietnam is unified and complete, from the Dong Van plateau to Ca Mau cape, from the majestic Truong Son mountain range to the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos standing tall in the storms of the East Sea! The land of Vietnam, left by our ancestors, is a continuous strip along the three regions of North, Central and South, infinitely beautiful and priceless. Our Vietnamese compatriots, whether in the lowlands or highlands, at home or abroad, are all descendants of Lac and Hong, joining hands to build a peaceful and prosperous Vietnam and firmly preserve the beautiful mountains and rivers of the Fatherland.

In any era, our people do not tolerate anyone or any action that harms the interests of the country and the nation. That is the most sacred morality and the fairest law! Anyone who violates or defiles that priceless thing is not worthy of being a son of Vietnam. What our people need and honor are true patriots who are willing to sacrifice their own interests for the common interests of the country, demonstrating patriotism through practical, concrete actions that benefit the people and the country, as Uncle Ho taught: Whatever is beneficial to the people and the country, do your best to do it, whatever is harmful to the people and the country, do your best to avoid. Therefore, to contribute to maintaining the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Fatherland, each of us, no matter what we do, in any position or job, must do our best to best fulfill our tasks and responsibilities, actively fight to prevent and repel bad habits, bureaucracy, corruption, waste and irresponsibility. We cannot accept those who say they love their country but for personal gain, "group interests" commit corruption, waste, harm the interests of the country, impoverish and weaken the country. These are "internal invaders", "tumors" on the body of the country that need to be removed.

To protect the independence, sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of the country requires a long-term vision, a steadfast spirit, and firmness in principles, but alertness, flexibility, and cleverness in strategy, "responding to all changes with the unchanging". The lessons of defending the country that our ancestors left us are extremely valuable to us today. The warnings of the scholar Le Quy Don about the dangers of losing the country: "One, children do not respect the elderly; two, students do not respect teachers; three, arrogant soldiers and retreating generals; four, corruption is rampant; five, scholars turn their backs" are things we need to ponder; or the words of the Duke and Commander-in-Chief of Hung Dao Vuong Tran Quoc Tuan: we must know how to proactively "remove the firewood from the bottom of the pot", "must hold the hot soup while blowing on the cold vegetables" in dealing with the enemy; "The king and his subjects must be of one mind, brothers must be in harmony, the whole country must contribute, the enemy must be captured", building "an army of one mind like father and son is the only way to use it", "we must be lenient and spare the people's strength to make a plan that has deep roots and strong roots is the best policy to protect the country"... still holds true for us today.

Today, inheriting and promoting the nation's tradition of patriotism, indomitability and resilience, the lessons of defending the country from our ancestors, with the constant efforts to develop the socio-economy, build an independent and self-reliant economy, enhance the country's overall strength and international prestige, promote the strength of national solidarity combined with international strength, taking national and ethnic interests as the highest goal, our people will certainly overcome all difficulties and challenges, maintain a peaceful and stable environment to develop the country, firmly protect the beautiful country left by our ancestors to pass on to future generations.

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The great and historic achievements of nearly 30 years of renovation that our people have achieved make us proud and honored, and are admired by international friends. However, we are always concerned that our country's economy is still lagging behind, the lives of our people in many regions and many groups are still very difficult; corruption, waste, lack of responsibility, arrogant bureaucracy towards the people, and the suppression and oppression of honest people still exist, causing much resentment and discontent among the people. We still have to worry and feel heartbroken when hearing the long-standing sayings among the people: "First is descendants, second is money, third is relationships, fourth is intelligence..." in personnel work and the comments about the "four-faced morality" (in front of, behind, in front of superiors and in front of one's fellow countrymen) which is the way of behaving of many cadres and party members, as well as the situation of many cadres "whose hands are dirty" being condemned by public opinion or have been and are being prosecuted and tried. These are the things that have eroded the people's trust in the Party, the State and our regime, and are a threat to the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Fatherland.

The ancients said: If you don't know shame, you can't be a human being! That is integrity in life! No one is exempt, whether they are leaders, heads of organizations, agencies, units or ordinary citizens, they must always question themselves about their duties and responsibilities, and must always be ashamed of their conscience about human morality! No one is exempt, at any level, if there is something that harms the people and the country, makes the people dissatisfied, if morality and conscience are not enough to awaken and deter, then the law must be thoroughly applied. Anyone who violates must be advised, if they are still not awakened, it is necessary to severely punish, "building" must go hand in hand with "fighting", to preserve and strengthen the people's trust, consolidate and strengthen the great solidarity of the whole nation.

Because “the people are the root”; President Ho Chi Minh once said: “If the root is strong, the tree will last. Building a victory tower on the people’s foundation”, as well as the national hero, cultural celebrity Nguyen Trai once wrote: “Only when the boat capsizes will we know that the people’s strength is as strong as water”. Therefore, in order to have enough strength to overcome all obstacles and thorns on the path to protecting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Fatherland, the flesh-and-blood, life-and-death relationship between the Party and the people requires care at a new level, with a new quality. We are not afraid of any force, even the most brutal. We are only afraid that the people will lose faith in our Party, State and regime. The solidarity, unity and joint efforts of more than 90 million of our compatriots at home and abroad will be an invincible strength to preserve and protect the country of Vietnam forever.

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Firmly protecting the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Fatherland is a regular, daily and hourly task that cannot be neglected or negligent, but it is also a long-term, persistent and steadfast struggle with enormous difficulties and challenges. This is the cause of the entire people, of all Vietnamese people, but our Party and State, the leaders and managers of the country, have a great role and responsibility.

This September marks 45 years since the entire Party, people and army implemented President Ho Chi Minh's sacred Testament. We must continue to study and follow the teachings in Uncle Ho's Testament: "The first thing to do is to rectify the Party, make every Party member and every Party cell strive to fulfill the tasks assigned by the Party, wholeheartedly serve the people", "must keep our Party truly clean, must be worthy of being a leader, a servant of the people", "every Party member and cadre must be imbued with revolutionary ethics, truly diligent, frugal, honest, upright, impartial and selfless"; must preserve solidarity and unity within the Party like "preserving the apple of one's eye"; solidarity on the basis of the Party's Platform, Statutes, viewpoints, guidelines, principles of organization and operation, on the basis of protecting the interests of the nation, of the country, for the prosperity and happiness of the people.

In that spirit, Party committees, Party organizations, all cadres and Party members need to continue to effectively implement the Resolution of the 4th Central Conference of the 11th tenure “Some urgent issues on Party building at present” in conjunction with the implementation of Directive No. 03-CT/TW, dated May 14, 2011, of the Politburo on continuing to promote the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s moral example; resolutely push back the degradation of political ideology, morality, lifestyle, fight against bureaucracy, corruption, waste, “self-evolution”, “self-transformation” in a significant number of cadres, Party members, civil servants and public employees; must rely on the people to build the Party, to supervise Party committees and Party organizations, to evaluate cadres and Party members. On that basis, implement the amended Constitution recently passed by the National Assembly, build and perfect our State to truly be a State of the people, by the people and for the people, trusted and supported by the entire people. If we can do that, no matter how big or difficult the job is, we will definitely win.

Promoting the spirit and glorious tradition of the great August Revolution, continuing to study and implement the sacred Testament of President Ho Chi Minh, our entire Party, people and army unite as one solid bloc, strive to overcome all difficulties and challenges, build our country "more dignified, more beautiful", stand shoulder to shoulder with the world powers and firmly protect the independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Fatherland, so that our people and our country will prosper and last forever. That is also the measure of our patriotism at this time.

Truong Tan Sang (Member of the Politburo, President)