Anti-corruption: The hotter the fire, the redder the coals

As a rule, in each historical period, when the country faces seemingly insurmountable challenges, there appear intelligent, patriotic people who love their people and stand at the forefront to help the nation overcome the challenges.

What a coincidence, what a blessing!

On a mid-December evening, at My Dinh National Stadium, the national team lifted the Southeast Asian football championship trophy - AFF Cup after 10 years of waiting.

The unexpected success of Vietnamese football is truly a "double blessing".

In 2018, the fight against corruption is at its peak; the process of screening and selecting strategic cadres, reforming the apparatus, and perfecting the institutions has achieved initial substantial results; the country's economy continues to grow with a record GDP growth rate of 7.08% and shows signs of prosperity... With such highlights and the ultimate joy that football brings, it warms the belief in the country's increasingly stable and prosperous future.

Overcoming destiny

Ironically, the Vietnamese people have been forced by the times to choose between rising up to survive, or giving up, which means failure and decline. As a historical inevitability, the Vietnamese people have always accepted challenges, turned the situation around, and overcome fate. As a rule, in each historical period, when the country faces seemingly insurmountable challenges, there appear intelligent, patriotic, and people-loving people who stand at the forefront to help the nation resolve the challenges.

Like our country in the past few years...

Some people believe that with the resources of "golden forests, silver seas, fertile land", with the public assets saved by generations, if we only manage, exploit, and use them scientifically, harmoniously, and in compliance with the law, this country will be prosperous and the people will be happy!

Some people also commented that the fastest and most sustainable way to regain people's trust in the ruling Party and the regime at this time is to eradicate the internal invaders. If we only discover and eradicate a large part of corruption and waste, clean up individualism, cronyism, group interests and prevent them from recurring, then people's hearts will be at peace, the country's economy will not fall into a situation of being inferior to its brothers and sisters with high public debt and low average income per capita!

The negative and corrupt internal enemy is indeed a more dangerous force than the hostile force. Not only does it hinder the nation's path to greatness, it also distorts the institutional image, weakens the Party, and corrodes the regime. That is the challenge - the fate that puts the Party and the people in a survival situation.

Action messages

Just a few years ago, few people thought it was possible to "touch" the internal invaders, let alone eliminate them, when they, as former President Truong Tan Sang likened, were "a swarm of worms" that had gathered together, from the central to local levels, forming a force - a dark force - capable of covering the sun with their hands!

A few years ago, many people were skeptical and did not have much faith in the fight against negativity and corruption launched by the Party. Some even thought that the Party was just doing it for show, at most just "killing flies and mosquitoes", "washing from the shoulders down"!

But now, it is clear.

The first step is to criticize and self-criticize, to look in the mirror, to wash your face, to examine and correct yourself. “Whoever has been stained with dirt must voluntarily wash themselves clean” - the leader of the Party recommends.

That is the humane solution.

The next step is action, by state law and Party discipline. “Fighting against corruption and negativity, if anyone feels hindered or discouraged, stand aside and let others do it” - General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong sent a not-so-gentle message. Someone sneered at the policy of “hitting the mouse without breaking the vase”, then here, “power must be locked in a legal cage”. One by one, big and small mice, even mice that seem to have turned into spirits, still cannot escape the “legal cage”. In reality, the more intense the fire of fighting corruption and negativity, the more red the coals, the more motivation there is to reform the system, help stabilize politics, promote economic growth, and strengthen people's trust.

When the General Secretary asserted: The fight against corruption, waste, and negativity “has no forbidden areas”, “is not sporadic in each case, each task, but has now become a movement, a trend, and is being done systematically”, in reality, it has happened like that. The “big guys” who were once given “immunity cards”; the “big guys” generals, colonels, sometimes a whole chain, in agencies, ministries, and branches that were once considered sensitive, were disciplined by the Party organization one after another, many people were investigated, handled, and prosecuted by law enforcement agencies.

In nearly 3 years, since the beginning of the 12th Party Congress, more than 60 officials under the Central Committee's management have been disciplined and prosecuted, including 5 incumbent Central Committee members, 3 of whom were removed from the Central Committee. In his most recent speech, General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong continued to convey a strong message: "Disciplinary action is truly painful, but for the sake of Party discipline, the rule of law of the State, the purity, strength and prestige of the Party, and the will of the people, we must do it and will continue to do it in the future."

Fight to build, build to fight

On the last two days of December 2018, the 9th Conference of the 12th Central Executive Committee met to discuss and decide on two important issues: Approving the personnel planning for the 13th Central Executive Committee and considering disciplining Mr. Tat Thanh Cang, member of the Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, for having committed "very serious" violations.

More than anyone else, the head of the Party and State - General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong deeply understands the dialectical relationship between fighting and building, building and fighting; building to fight and fighting to build. Success or failure depends on people. "Cadres are the root of all work" (President Ho Chi Minh). The future of the nation and the fate of the Party depend on the results of the fight against degeneration, negativity, and corruption, but at the same time, it depends on the next generation of cadres with enough caliber, clean hands, talent, and a lot of salary, truly loving the country and people, to replace and shoulder the position of the country's pillars.

Closing the 9th Central Executive Committee Conference, term XII, after the Central Committee decided to discipline Mr. Tat Thanh Cang by removing him from all positions in the Party, General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong once again reminded his comrades: "Each of us must always remember in our hearts that the interests of the nation, the people, and the Party are supreme; and honor is the most sacred and noble thing for every person, first of all for every cadre and Party member."

What a coincidence, what a blessing. The hotter the fire, the redder the coals, not only on the front of preventing degeneration, negativity, and corruption.../.