Dried fish and…wooden fish

(Baonghean) - I am extremely impressed with the wooden fish that the Provincial Party Secretary recently chose as gifts for overseas Vietnamese from Nghe An during the recent Spring Festival gathering in 2016. The wooden fish is not simply a story of frugality; more than that, it is a symbol, a constant reflecting the cultural character of Nghe An. A unique, intelligent, and sophisticated choice. It transforms something that some people have long felt inferior or ashamed of into a source of pride.

The people of Nghe An possess the unique qualities of Nghe An, qualities that have never been diluted, born from the Lao wind and white sand. These qualities seem to be not only inherent in each individual from Nghe An, but we can also sense them from generations of provincial leaders.

Illustrative image.

During his time holding the important position of head of the province, he managed to leave behind hundreds of memories, each story having a very… artistic quality. A sharp, dedicated, upright, honest, decisive, and humble official. We are talking about him, former Provincial Party Secretary Truong Dinh Tuyen.

Going back in time, exactly 16 years ago, the Central Committee assigned him to work with the people of "Cá Gỗ" (a local denomination for the local people) amidst considerable challenges. He quickly grasped the practical situation and issued a series of decisive policies, drawing the entire system into a whirlwind of work. People immediately recognized the image of a humble and unassuming Party Secretary.

The story goes that the Party Secretary's "residence" was just a communal room always cluttered with books, documents, and especially filled with the pungent smell of dried fish, his favorite food during his time away from his wife and children because it was convenient and... economical. Even today, the small traders at Quan Lau market still remember the image of Mr. Tuyen, with his trousers rolled up to his calves and wearing flip-flops, cycling to the market to buy food to cook gradually. On the rare weekends, if he wasn't attending meetings, he would take the train to Hanoi to "find" a meal with his wife.

He had a habit of going to various locations alone by motorbike taxi without prior notice. As a result, he often "caught red-handed" the bureaucratic practices of the districts and communes he visited. In his capacity as the head of the organization, it can be said that he initiated a "reform" in the way cadres were appointed and utilized. The principle of "no forbidden zones" was applied from those early days. In less than three years, he dismissed a series of district Party secretaries, including some close friends from his hometown.

Despite all that, he was a man of his word and a compassionate person. When a director of a trading company showed signs of "bad debt," he didn't hesitate to suspend him from his duties to recover the debt, despite interference from all sides. After the matter was resolved, he reinstated him—a strong but humane decision. At the Party Congresses of the mountainous districts, he invited everyone to ride in a shared 16-seater van for convenience. When eating at restaurants, he always paid the bill because: "My salary is higher than yours." There are many more stories about him, each one imbued with the flavor of the hot winds and white sands of his homeland.

"Each official has his own movement," and his three years in Nghe An were three years of transformation. Importantly, his work ethic, imbued with the spirit of Nghe An, truly spread. His decisive leadership and close connection to the grassroots breathed new life into the province's civil service.

The lessons he taught about handling official matters were imbued with strictness but also full of compassion. His everyday conduct as a high-ranking official was exemplary. People admired him and obeyed his orders as if accepting what was right. No one resented him, even if their personal interests were affected to some extent. That's who he was, and that's what he left us. His style, a style distilled from the people of Cá Gỗ!

Comrade Truong Dinh Tuyen's simple meals and his style of leadership back then are beautiful stories. The country has changed a lot; in the age of the Internet and Facebook, no one demands that officials must eat dried fish and ride bicycles to reach the people. But wherever you are, whatever your position, whatever you are doing, please don't forget that you still have a source of pride: your homeland, the "Go" fish. The character of the people of Nghe An must endure on Nghe An soil and be nurtured in Nghe An officials. The gift from the Provincial Party Secretary at the beginning of the year sends a message, a reminder.

Nguyen Khac An