Focus on directing the successful organization of Party congresses at all levels.

(Baonghean) - Comrade Nguyen Huu Lam, Standing Committee Member and Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department, gave an interview to Baonghean Newspaper.

PV:Could you please share some specific results regarding the pilot congresses of grassroots Party organizations?

Comrade Nguyen Huu Lam:To date, units have completed the organization of pilot congresses at the grassroots level. The entire province has selected 94 out of 1,616 (5.82%) grassroots Party committees and branches as pilot sites for congresses, including 12 out of 94 (12.76%) that piloted the direct election of the standing committee, secretary, and deputy secretary. On March 27, 2015, the Provincial Party Committee also held an online conference to promptly draw lessons learned. The conference affirmed that the organization of pilot grassroots-level congresses basically met the requirements and content, ensuring quality; specifically, the assessment highlighted several key aspects as follows:

Delegates cast their votes to elect the Executive Committee of the Party Committee of Quynh Loc commune (Hoang Mai town) for the 2015-2020 term. Photo: Nguyen Van

The firstParty grassroots organizations have effectively disseminated Directive No. 36-CT/TW and Circular No. 11-TTr/TU on Party congresses at all levels leading up to the 12th National Congress of the Party, as well as other guiding documents from higher levels, to cadres and Party members; proactively established subcommittees and working groups to guide the congresses; and promptly organized training for key cadres on propaganda, inspection, supervision, drafting of documents, personnel procedures for the new Party committee term, and new contents in the Party's election regulations issued under Decision No. 244-QĐ/TW dated June 9, 2014, of the Central Committee of the Party.

Monday:The drafting of political reports, congress resolutions, and Party committee review reports was quite well prepared by the units. The process of soliciting feedback on the political reports followed the guidelines of higher levels; some places organized workshops to gather input from district-level departments and agencies, thereby helping grassroots Party committees formulate practical and appropriate policies, objectives, and solutions tailored to the specific situation of each locality and unit.

TuesdayThe personnel preparation process generally ensured adherence to principles, procedures, and democratic and objective processes. The Party committee personnel plan clearly defined the standards, number, and structure according to regulations, thus all grassroots-level congresses elected the required number of Party committee members. One of the most notable new points in this term's personnel work is that the newly elected Party committee members all meet the standards and possess the required professional and political theory qualifications. According to statistics from the pilot congresses, the proportions and structures meet the general requirements: the percentage of women in the Party committees reached 15.11%, young cadres reached 12.51%, the renewal rate reached 27.92%, and there are three age groups in the Party committees and standing committees.

Wednesday:Propaganda work before and during the congress was given attention by the grassroots units; many Party committees and branches organized vibrant emulation movements; logistics and facilities serving the congress were meticulously and fully prepared; the congress took place safely and economically.

Thursday:The higher-level Party committees have focused their leadership and guidance on this matter. The Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department, in coordination with the Provincial Party Committee Office, advised the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee to directly attend, inspect, and direct the organization of congresses at various units, especially those selected by the province to serve as pilot congresses at the district and equivalent levels. Leaders of the departments, the Provincial Party Committee Office, and specialized staff regularly inspected, urged, and closely monitored the units to guide the congresses; promptly identifying and resolving difficulties and obstacles at the grassroots level…

PV:Through directing and inspecting the work of pilot grassroots congresses, preparing for mass grassroots congresses, and moving towards higher-level congresses in Party organizations, could you share the difficulties and obstacles that are currently being faced?

Comrade Nguyen Huu Lam:Directive No. 36-CT/TW and related guiding documents from higher levels concerning the preparation of content and personnel for the 2015-2020 Party Congress; especially the Party's election regulations, which contain many new and different points compared to previous Party Congresses, have caused confusion among grassroots Party committees, and even higher-level Party committees, in directing and guiding implementation, leading to limitations and shortcomings that need to be addressed, specifically:

- Regarding preparation: In some places, the political report was lengthy, did not adhere closely to the outline, and contained general and vague content. Some areas failed to clearly define targets and solutions for implementation linked to the socio-economic development and national defense and security plans of each locality and unit. For the Party committee's self-criticism report, some Party committees duplicated content already mentioned in the political report, failing to highlight strengths, weaknesses, and causes in leadership, management, implementation, work procedures, and the situation and level of task completion of the previous Party committee.

- Regarding personnel matters for the congress: In some places, the preparation of Party committee personnel was still hesitant and reactive; the review and supplementation of the A3 planning did not closely match the projected personnel structure of the new Party committee. The handling of information, monitoring of internal Party member sentiments, and resolution of complaints and denunciations were not timely in some places, leading to situations where complex issues had to be addressed during the congress; in some places, the former Party committee secretary was not elected to the new Party committee. In some areas, the newly elected Party committees still lacked the required professional and political qualifications; the proportion of women, young people, and new members in the Party committees remained low.

- Regarding the organization of the congresses: In some congresses, the program was not very well-structured; the presidium's management was still disorganized. Some presentations were too long and lacked focus on the goals and directions for the next term, especially regarding Party building. Contributions to the draft documents of the higher-level Party congresses were mainly summaries of feedback prepared by the previous Party committees, with few direct speeches from delegates at the congresses. In some places, the Party's election regulations were not fully understood, and the selection of vote counting committees lacked experience, leading to significant delays in the election process.

- Regarding guidance from higher levels: The guidance, direction, and inspection by the immediate superior Party committees in some units are still limited. In some places, the cadres directly in charge have not fully grasped the regulations and guidelines, leading to a lack of uniformity in guidance. In some places, after the congress approval, the standing committee of the higher-level Party committee did not inform the lower-level Party committees of the approved contents, or if they did inform them, they lacked inspection and follow-up, resulting in limited acceptance and revision of the feedback on the congress documents and programs.

PV:Based on the issues mentioned above, could you please highlight some points to note and lessons to be learned for the grassroots-level and higher-level Party congresses, leading up to the 18th Provincial Party Congress, ensuring that they are conducted in accordance with the Politburo's directives and requirements, and are a resounding success?

Comrade Nguyen Huu Lam:To successfully guide the mass grassroots-level congresses and higher-level congresses leading up to the 18th Provincial Party Congress, in the coming period, Party committees at all levels need to synchronously implement the tasks and solutions outlined in the report assessing the situation of the pilot grassroots-level congresses, focusing on the following issues:

The first:Party committees at all levels need to lead the effective implementation of ideological and propaganda work; linking it with the study and emulation of Ho Chi Minh's moral example according to the 2015 thematic plan.

Monday:Directing the drafting of documents to be submitted to the congress, ensuring quality:

- The political report needs a logical structure; the assessment section must clearly state strengths and weaknesses, identify targets that were not met and their causes; the direction section should define the title of the congress, set forth goals and targets that are proactive but at the same time scientifically grounded, realistic, feasible, and avoid voluntarism.

- The Party Committee's review report should be concise, assessing the leadership role of the Executive Committee and Standing Committee in political tasks, Party building work, and the political system of the locality and unit, as well as the implementation of Central Resolution 4 (11th Congress) in conjunction with Directive 03 on promoting the study and emulation of Ho Chi Minh's moral example.

- When discussing and providing feedback on Central Committee documents, political reports, and the standards, number, and structure of Party committees at the grassroots level, it is necessary to do a good job of synthesizing feedback; at the same time, adequate time should be allocated at the congress to discuss and focus on issues where there are differing opinions and to vote on them.

TuesdayPersonnel work for the congress must be carried out in a truly democratic manner, in the spirit of innovation, avoiding favoritism and clinging to positions, paying attention to ensuring the proportion of women, young people, and ethnic minorities, but prioritizing standards and aiming to improve the quality of the executive committee and standing committee. It is necessary to combine the personnel of the Party Committee for the 2015-2020 term with the positions of the People's Council and People's Committee for the 2016-2021 term.

Wednesday:Strengthen inspection, supervision, and internal political security; focus on promptly resolving outstanding or newly arising issues, complaints, and denunciations. Issues related to personnel for the congress (within the processing timeframe) must be resolved and conclusions reached before the congress as prescribed.

Thursday:Effectively mobilize the masses to widely gather opinions from all strata of the people to contribute to the draft documents of the Party congresses at all levels. Inspire and organize emulation movements, build projects to celebrate the Party congresses at all levels, create motivation and impetus for striving, and awaken the revolutionary spirit of the people to successfully carry out the political tasks of the locality and unit.

Friday:Continue to lead the implementation of tasks related to socio-economic development, national defense and security, Party building, and the political system; proactively resolve emerging issues at the grassroots level, focusing on directing the completion of political tasks in 2015 and the goals set forth in the Party Congress Resolution for the 2010-2015 term, especially the program for implementing Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW of the Politburo.

SaturdayImmediately implement necessary tasks following the congress, promptly complete the procedures for approving the Party committee; develop regulations, work programs of the Party committee, action programs, and assign responsibilities to quickly put the congress's resolutions into practice. Proactively review and effectively implement policies for cadres who are not re-elected to the Party committee.

Eighth:Strengthen the leadership and guidance of higher-level Party committees at the grassroots level. Clearly assign responsibilities and areas of responsibility to each member of the Standing Committee and the Executive Committee. Focus on directing efforts in areas facing difficulties and obstacles in personnel work; in directing, it is essential to firmly grasp the principles, regulations, and procedures to ensure overall uniformity and prevent confusion at the grassroots level. After the grassroots congresses, a review meeting should be held to learn from experience, promptly examine and address any violations; at the same time, review the documents of the grassroots level to supplement and adjust them to conform with the regulations and guidelines of the higher level, and prepare well for the upcoming congresses at the higher-level grassroots level.

PV:Thank you, comrade!

Mai Hoa(Perform)