Tet gifts: Which ones are flattering, which ones are innocent?

The story of giving Tet gifts to leaders is not new, but it is hot every year. Because under the guise of sweet feelings, the story of giving Tet gifts to bosses is increasingly distorted according to the diverse and limitless development of social life.

This year, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc continues to request that leaders not be given New Year greetings, gifts, or envelopes. In localities, leadership and direction on this issue seems to be very drastic, as searching on Google, a series of cities such as Hanoi, Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh... have also issued orders to ban giving gifts to bosses for Tet.

In fact, the regulations on banning New Year greetings to leaders are not new this year. Seven years ago, the Secretariat issued Directive No. 21-CT/TW, dated December 21, 2012 of the Secretariat on promoting thrift practice and combating waste. Directive 21-CT/TW also clearly stated: “Strictly prohibit all forms of giving Tet gifts to superiors; do not use money, means, and public assets contrary to regulations for Tet activities.”

Although the regulations of the Party and the State are complete and have existed for a long time, it seems that "the king's law is weaker than the village's custom", the story of not giving gifts to the boss seems to be very difficult to put into practice, especially at the provincial, district and commune levels. The last days of the year of Mau Tuat 2018 are passing, but coming to public offices these days, it is not difficult to see many Tet gift baskets and bags prepared in advance to visit and wish the boss a happy new year.

Who is the boss here? To put it simply, the boss includes first of all the people who sign the document. If the document wants to be implemented, the officials and bosses must be the pioneers, setting an example in refusing to accept Tet gifts. If they sign a document one way but do another, who will believe them? As General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong said: “The "officials" who say one thing and do another, are extravagant, wasteful, and spend the people's tax money... will damage the Party's reputation and the people's trust.”

The story of giving Tet gifts is always hot every year. Illustrative photo

Reverse thinking when giving Tet gifts

Last year, when I was working in a district-level locality, from around the 20th of December onwards, agencies and localities would flock to wish their leaders a Happy New Year as an indispensable ritual of the New Year. Sometimes, when one group came to wish their leaders a Happy New Year, they would meet another group and avoid each other by stopping somewhere to sit and talk, waiting for their turn before entering.

After the office, then each individual comes to wish the boss a Happy New Year. If they can't wish at the office, they go to their own home... Everyone who comes to wish the boss a Happy New Year quickly, quickly and then leaves, because they know that someone else is waiting, and honestly, no one wants to see anyone at the office or the boss's home. The scene of having to be sneaky and hasty when giving a New Year gift to the boss is truly a disgusting and ugly image.

It is offensive and ugly not only because it destroys the dignity and daily demeanor of the gift giver - because many of them are also the leaders or deputy leaders of a subordinate unit, but also creates a contrast. That is, the higher the position, the more delegations come to visit and congratulate. As for the subordinates, the civil servants, and ordinary workers, no one comes to visit.

Although we know that giving Tet gifts shows personal feelings, where does the money for giving gifts come from? It could also be the money of the gift giver. But it is worth mentioning that many people have taken advantage of public funds of agencies and units to visit and give Tet gifts to their superiors in order to strengthen and tighten personal relationships. And who can take advantage of public funds? Aren't they also people in positions of power? Like a cycle, state money is flowing into the pockets of those in positions of power.

We are talking a lot about the buying and selling of positions and power in society. Here, the image of superior leaders enjoying more benefits, bonuses, and gifts than their subordinates during holidays and Tet like this is also one of the typical examples that creates that attraction. No one wants to be a civil servant or an ordinary worker to only receive a salary for their whole life.

Giving Tet gifts is a story about Vietnamese culture and customs during Tet. However, under the influence of the market mechanism and in an environment of power that is difficult to control, this traditional beauty is gradually being transformed and exploited for selfish purposes.

Also in the last days of 2018, the Prime Minister signed and issued the Project on Public Service Culture, which requires: "For superior leaders, cadres, civil servants, and public employees... do not flatter or curry favor for impure motives". However, determining the boundary between feelings and "impure motives" in the above story of giving Tet gifts seems very difficult and is easily exploited.

Perhaps, along with strictly prohibiting giving Tet gifts to superiors, we should encourage giving gifts to subordinates as a form of encouragement and recognition of the contributions of those who directly carry out the tasks. Only by “thinking in reverse” like this can we eliminate the mentality that only leaders can enjoy benefits and gifts. And instead of everyone “looking up” and “looking towards” the leader, let’s “look down” at the subordinates.

This is the true humane nature of giving Tet gifts, and at the same time, it is the driving force to promote development and increase the effectiveness of the public apparatus in particular and of society in general.