Dr. Ho Ba Quynh: A lifetime of concern for farmers

Hundreds of "national and people benefit" reports

Portrait of Dr. Ho Ba Quynh. Photo source: Tien Phong Newspaper

Dr. Ho Ba Quynh was born in 1931 into a poor farming family in Phu Da village, now Quynh Bang commune, Quynh Luu district. He is a descendant of the Ho family's ancestor Ho Hung Dat (first place winner), a family line of "Van dai vi dan" (For ten thousand years for the people).

After graduating from university, he worked at the Department of Prices and Finance of Nghe An province until his retirement in early 2001. His main profession and expertise was "prices", but he did in-depth research in many fields: economics, history, society, architecture... His reports on "macro" issues were sent to agencies and leaders from local to central levels. The content of those reports expressed his views with logical, scientific calculations, and specific ways (like strategies) to implement ideas to build a prosperous country, a fair, democratic, and civilized society according to the Party's guidelines.

He was born in the land of mandarins, in a family of famous mandarins in Quynh Luu district. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Some bold proposals include: "Abolishing taxes in low-tax areas" sent to the National Congress of the Party in 1981; "Granting scholarships to pedagogical students" (1992); the issue of "Selling apartments to users" (1992)... Or before that, in the years from 1965 to 1985, he proposed "compensating price differences into salaries", "reducing interest rates for poor people to borrow capital"; "abolishing the slaughter tax"; "preparing for the stock market"; "forming joint-stock commercial banks and private enterprises"; "awakening the potential of intellectual labor by recruiting talented people"; "respecting copyright"... along with proposals to build cultural works and historical relics in Nghe An and the capital Hanoi.

Or many macro reports such as: Report No. 154/2010-HBQ he wrote in Ho Chi Minh City and sent to the United Nations Security Council "to prevent the formation of some storms in the Pacific Ocean"; "digging land to build a tunnel from the mainland to Ngu Island"...

Hoang Mai town seen from above. Photo: Nhat Thanh

Around 1996, he proposed to build Hoang Mai town (Quynh Luu district) as a satellite for Vinh city. According to him, located at the northern gateway of Nghe An, Hoang Mai would attract investment if it became a town, serving as a satellite for Vinh city. In 2013, Nghe An province announced the decision to establish Hoang Mai town.

Among his nearly 200 submissions and proposals, some of his ideas and proposals have been applied in practice, saving the state budget and bringing benefits to the people. Many of his ideas and initiatives have been highly appreciated by the Party and State leaders, and have been awarded the Certificate of "Creative Labor"... However, for him, "what is beneficial to the country and the people, then do it" and he has never cared about fame, money or expected benefits from his ideas and initiatives...

Father of "retired farmer"

What can farmers rely on when they are old? Old age always makes him feel anxious and worried, urging him to research the project "Discussion on retirement regime for farmers, including foresters, fishermen, salt farmers and non-state workers". Photo: Thanh Phuc

Coming from the Ho family (Quynh Luu) who were famous in the imperial examinations but had a peasant background, having worked hard in the fields, Dr. Ho Ba Quynh always had a deep affection for farmers, and was concerned about the disadvantages that farmers had to endure, including the pension system for farmers who worked hard. "When civil servants retire, they have a salary; what can farmers rely on when they are old?" - That concern has motivated him to spend nearly 30 years studying, diligently researching, and pursuing a scientific topic discussing the pension system for farmers. In 1992, he wrote a project "Discussion on the pension system for farmers, including foresters, fishermen, salt farmers, and non-state workers", which was completed in January 1993. He successfully defended this thesis and received the degree of Associate Doctor on July 4, 1994 at the National Thesis Evaluation Council with 10/10 votes in favor.

Currently, many Nghe An farmers have received pension benefits from his project. Photo: Thanh Phuc

The "Farmer's Retirement" project by Dr. Ho Ba Quynh is considered a work with a very creative and unique idea based on the scientific basis of economic management, an effective measure to practice the national policy of thrift, demonstrating the humanity and superiority of our regime. The "Farmer's Retirement" policy was issued by the People's Committee of Nghe An province under Decision No. 2121 QD/UB dated July 30, 1998 under the name "Farmer's Retirement Social Insurance", implementing the retirement regime for farmers who have participated in the fund for 20 years. On July 12, 2006, President Nguyen Minh Triet signed a Decree promulgating the Law on Social Insurance passed by the National Assembly on June 29, 2006. To implement the Law on Social Insurance, the People's Committee of Nghe An province decided to convert the Farmers' Retirement Social Insurance into voluntary social insurance.

Also from the above decisions, Dr. Ho Ba Quynh has submitted the 125th report to build a "draft to change the social insurance for farmers to voluntary social insurance" to the Prime Minister and relevant agencies, in order to perfect the policy to ensure benefits for farmers in old age.

Officials of Nghi Loc Farmers' Association propagate and popularize the superiority of voluntary insurance for farmers. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Up to now, the whole province has had thousands of people enjoying the farmer pension, ensuring social security for people who are not on the state payroll when they retire; at the same time, reducing the pressure of competing for the payroll. The scientific topic of "farmer pension" has been associated with the name, life and career of Nghe scholar Ho Ba Quynh. The contributions of the father of "farmer pension" to the people and the country will last forever...