Is it really necessary to make do with what you have?

(Baonghean)To ensure that youth union leaders can work with peace of mind, have a platform to fully develop their abilities and strengths, and improve the quality of youth union activities in rural areas, an open mechanism and sustainable solutions are needed. The model of the youth union secretary also serving as the village militia leader is being seen by some localities as an "open door" to this issue. However, expanding this model is facing difficulties...

Two-role leader

Mr. Nguyen Duy Van, Secretary of the Youth Union branch and Head of the Village Militia in Phuong Hoang hamlet, Thanh Tung commune, Thanh Chuong district, served two years in the military. Upon returning to his hometown, he wished to contribute his youthful energy and enthusiasm to building a more prosperous and beautiful village. When invited by the Commune Youth Union Executive Committee to become the Secretary of Youth Union Branch 8, he happily accepted. In his first year, he realized that the role of a Youth Union branch secretary would be more effective if he also took on the responsibility of leading the self-defense militia. With his experience in the military environment, Mr. Van boldly proposed this "two-in-one" model to the Commune Youth Union Executive Committee and the Commune Party Committee. With the approval of the Party Committee and the higher-level Youth Union, he fully utilized his abilities and responsibilities, taking the lead and daring to take action in managing security and order in the hamlet…

The militia training session for the village youth union secretaries of Thanh Tung commune. Thanh Chuong district.

Recognizing the effectiveness of the model where the Youth Union Secretary also serves as the village militia leader, the Executive Committee of the Commune Youth Union and the Commune Military Command issued a document "on the arrangement of Youth Union Secretaries also serving as village militia leaders." After two years, with the support of the Party Committee, the government, and the consensus of the people, the Executive Committee of the Thanh Tung Commune Youth Union has successfully established Youth Union Secretaries who also serve as village militia leaders in 10 out of 11 communes. Since taking on the additional role of village militia leader, the Youth Union Secretaries in the villages and hamlets have been able to utilize their abilities and enhance their prestige in gathering and implementing Youth Union activities. Tran Van Linh, Secretary of the Commune Youth Union, said: “Previously, the team of Youth Union branch secretaries in the villages and hamlets of the commune was constantly changing. In some hamlets, a secretary was appointed one day and the next day they would report and ask to “resign” with the reason of “moving south” to seek employment. Since assigning the responsibility of Youth Union branch secretary to also serve as village team leader, in addition to increasing the prestige of a Youth Union secretary, the significant increase in income from 800,000 to 1,000,000 VND has helped the Youth Union secretaries feel more secure and focus more on their work. This team has become more committed to their villages, to the fields, and to the movement…”

To date, many localities in Thanh Chuong district have implemented this model, such as Thanh Luong commune (8/13 branches), Thanh Ha (9/17 branches), Thanh Van (4/9 branches), Thanh My (9/15 branches), Thanh Lien (14/16 branches)... Mr. Le Dinh Tho - Secretary of the District Youth Union, said: “The model of the Youth Union branch secretary also serving as the village militia leader has initially achieved encouraging results. The District Youth Union closely coordinates with the District Military Command, strengthening the work of urging rural Youth Union branches to effectively promote activities in conjunction with grassroots movements. During this process, newly discharged Youth Union members returning to their localities continue to receive training and assume the position of Youth Union branch secretary also serving as the village militia leader. This combination serves both to implement the policy of supporting the families of soldiers and to select cadres who have been tested and trained to promote youth movements for socio-economic development and ensure security and order in each village.”

The model of the Youth Union branch secretary also serving as the village militia leader has been widely implemented in Tan Ky district. After 9 months of implementation, the entire district has assigned 74 Youth Union branch secretaries who also hold the position of village militia leader. For example, in Tan Huong commune, 8 out of 16 branches have Youth Union branch secretaries; in Huong Son commune, 8 out of 14; in Ky Son commune, 6 out of 17; and in Ky Tan commune, 6 out of 11 have Youth Union branch secretaries who also serve as village militia leaders. In Nghia Hoan commune, 9 out of 14 Youth Union branch secretaries also serve as village militia leaders; most are between 22 and 30 years old, making them well-suited to fulfilling these "two roles" for an extended period.

Comrade Tran Cao Cuong – Secretary of the Youth Union of Nghia Hoan commune, said: “In Nghia Hoan commune, the consolidation of the position of Youth Union branch secretary also serving as village team leader has significantly reduced the turnover of Youth Union branch secretaries, thereby making the Youth Union movement throughout the commune more vibrant. The number of young people going to work far from home has decreased significantly, and instead, many young people who did not pass the university entrance exam have participated in vocational training and built many economic models right in the locality.” The implementation of the model of Youth Union branch secretary also serving as village team leader in Nghia Hoan commune, Tan Ky district, has proceeded smoothly, even though the village team leaders here have been considered stable until now. This is thanks to the Standing Committee of the District Youth Union boldly advising the Party Committee and the government on the policy of merging "two-role" officials. Recognizing the advantages for stabilizing the role of youth leaders at the branch level, the Tan Ky District Party Committee issued Document No. 310 on the consolidation of the position of Youth Union branch secretary also serving as village team leader. This directive is considered the legal basis for the Youth Union to organize and strengthen its structure.

Difficulties

Initially, the model of the Youth Union branch secretary also serving as the village militia leader was assessed as effective. However, this is a new policy, a local directive, and lacks a systematic theoretical evaluation, so the understanding of some Party committees and local authorities is incomplete. While the "two-in-one" Youth Union branch secretary movement has been implemented in many localities of Thanh Chuong district, Thanh Phong commune currently has no Youth Union branch that has been fully established. This situation is due to the fact that the position of village militia leader here is stable, with most members aged 40-45, in accordance with the regulations of the Military Command. Furthermore, the village militia leaders in Thanh Phong are all reputable individuals who are active and reliable. Conversely, the Youth Union branch leaders are frequently changing; 3 out of 17 Youth Union branch secretaries are women, which is unsuitable for the dual role, and 4 out of 17 Youth Union branch secretaries are students preparing for university entrance exams, making it difficult for them to participate in local activities in the future. Comrade Nguyen Duy Hai, Secretary of the Thanh Phong Commune Youth Union, stated: “The Commune Youth Union also wants to be restructured to enhance the role of the branch secretary, increase the rate of youth mobilization, and stabilize the position of secretary, but due to objective conditions, it is very difficult to implement…”. Comrade Tran Ngoc Son, Deputy Secretary of the Thanh Phong Commune Party Committee, said: “To date, the Party Committee has not received any directive on this matter, so there is no plan or solution to guide and coordinate in this area…”

Similarly, in many communes, several youth union branches have yet to be fully reorganized, such as in Thanh Tuong commune, where only 1 out of 8 branches are fully reorganized, and in Thanh Hung commune, 4 out of 12 branches. Likewise, in Nghia Hoan commune (Tan Ky district), there are still 3 youth union branches that have not been reorganized because 2 of the branch secretaries are not enthusiastic about the assigned tasks, and the remaining branch has yet to find someone capable of fulfilling both roles.

Furthermore, some difficulties arise: when the Youth Union branch secretary has reached the age limit for Youth Union membership (35 years old according to the Youth Union Charter), but is still within the age range for village militia leader, the former Youth Union branch secretary will only hold the position of village militia leader. The Youth Union at all levels will then have to recruit young people to fill the position of Youth Union branch secretary. This creates a situation where they have to "cede ground," while the village militia leader is already familiar with the person and is experienced. Would the village militia leader, who has a stable income, happily accept this situation: reaching both the Youth Union age limit and the village militia leader age limit, when they should be 10 years away?

Regarding this issue, Comrade Tran Van Linh, Secretary of the Youth Union of Thanh Tung commune, Thanh Chuong district, said: “Currently, in the commune, the team of branch secretaries has reached the age of approximately 30, and the commune's Youth Union has not yet considered reorganizing…”. However, Tran Cao Cuong, Secretary of the Youth Union of Nghia Hoan commune, Tan Ky district, believes that “Former branch secretaries should happily ‘cede’ the position of village militia leader to the next generation.” So what is a feasible solution for the “two-in-one” model!? To create stability for Youth Union officials at the village level, in addition to the concurrent position of village militia leader, some units have flexibly merged the branch secretary with the security officer, such as some branches in Thanh Long, Thanh Luong, Thanh Lien communes (Thanh Chuong), Nghia Hoan commune (Tan Ky)…

To create stable conditions for this model at the grassroots level, the Provincial Youth Union is coordinating with localities to conduct surveys and assessments to accurately reflect the achievements and shortcomings, thereby finding optimal solutions to create long-term stability for the organization at the grassroots level, actively promoting the role of young people in socio-economic development and ensuring security and order in each village and hamlet.

Thanh Nga