President Ho Chi Minh's unique thinking and humanistic depth on Party building work

Uncle Ho at the 3rd National Party Congress (September 5, 1960). Photo archive

"Only when the Party is strong can the revolution succeed"

Before passing away, President Ho Chi Minh left the entire Party, the entire people and the entire army his historic Will. Among the contents of the Will, the part about the Party was placed at the top position by Uncle Ho. He emphasized: “Our Party is a ruling Party.

Every party member and cadre must be truly imbued with revolutionary ethics, truly diligent, frugal, honest, impartial and selfless. We must keep our Party truly clean and worthy of being a leader and a truly loyal servant of the people.

The thesis "The Party is both the leader and the truly loyal servant of the people" not only demonstrates Uncle Ho's unique thinking about a new type of ruling Communist Party, but also demonstrates the humanistic depth of a great thinker.

Regarding the Party's leadership role, Uncle Ho affirmed as early as the 1920s: "First of all, there must be a revolutionary Party to organize and mobilize the people internally, and to connect with oppressed peoples and the proletariat everywhere externally. Only when the Party is strong can the revolution succeed, just as only when the helmsman is strong can the boat sail."

Uncle Ho's Will

Since the founding of the Party (February 3, 1930) until now, our national history has verified:

The Communist Party of Vietnam is the only political force capable of leading the Vietnamese revolution from one victory to another.

The success of the August Revolution in 1945, the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam; 30 years of resistance against French colonialism and American imperialism were completely victorious; along with the great achievements of more than 3 decades of renovation, are both vivid practical evidence and the basis and reason to affirm the historical role of our Party in the Vietnamese revolution.

The Party is "The truly loyal servant of the people"

This is shown in the fact that our Party is a loyal representative of the interests of the working class, the working people and the entire nation, as Uncle Ho once pointed out: “Our Party is great because apart from the interests of the class, the people and the nation, our Party has no other interests”. The Party is always closely attached to the people, shares the same joys and sorrows with the people and wholeheartedly serves the people. This is vividly demonstrated in the cause of resistance war for national liberation, building and defending the Fatherland.

Wherever it is and whatever it does, our Party is protected, sheltered, helped, and supported by the people both materially and spiritually, even sacrificing its life to protect the revolutionary base and preserve the Party's secrets. Not letting down the people's trust, our Party always maintains its fighting will, steadfast stance, political mettle and the spirit of communists to steer the Vietnamese revolutionary ship through all storms.

According to President Ho Chi Minh's point of view, "Our Party is great because besides the interests of the class, the people, and the nation, our Party has no other interests." Photo courtesy

Born and matured in the national liberation movement, our Party is deeply imbued with the meaning and value of independence, freedom, unity of the country and happiness of the people. Therefore, our Party always cares for everything from the big things of "making the Fatherland rich and strong, the people happy" to the small things like taking care of "soy sauce, tomato sauce, fish sauce, salt" for each citizen.

It can be affirmed that, over the past 90 years, our Party has basically fulfilled its duty as a loyal servant of the interests of the people and nation, worthy of its status as a true revolutionary Party, a Party of the people, for the people.

Need to properly resolve the "two in one" relationship

The relationship between “the Party as a leader” and “a truly loyal servant of the people” is an organic and intimate one. Without one of these two elements, the Party no longer has a reason to exist. Improving the Party’s qualities, leadership capacity and fighting strength is not only to perform well the function and role of “a leader”, but also to fulfill the noble duty of “a truly loyal servant of the people”.

On the other hand, if the Party fulfills its role as a wholehearted and dedicated servant of the people, it is clear that the Party is truly and fully demonstrating its noble revolutionary nature and practical qualities and capabilities in the process of leading the revolution. As a servant, one must have the qualities of loyalty, dedication, honesty, thrift, integrity, worrying before the people, and being happy after the people.

As a leader, one must have intelligence, qualifications, capacity, and insight beyond others, be far-sighted, respect, and promote the people's right to mastery. Therefore, to be worthy of its mission, the Party must be both virtuous and talented, both kind and wise, demonstrating the true caliber of "the Party is moral and civilized".

Teachers and students happily welcome President Ho Chi Minh. Photo: Archive

The question here is, is there a contradiction in the Party's role as both leader and servant of the people? If there is a contradiction, can it be resolved? This is a contradiction that exists in unity. Successfully resolving this contradiction is the driving force for the Party to develop and progress. The Party leads the people to realize the goals and ideals set forth by the Party; but on the other hand, the Party is a component part of the political system and a member of that system.

In order for the Party to not deviate from its course, it is essential that the Party submit to the supervision of the people. In other words, the people only believe in and follow what the Party believes is right, and the Party must truly care for the practical and legitimate interests of the people. In fact, exercising its leadership role is only a path and a method, but in the end, the first and foremost purpose of the Party is still to serve the highest interests of the people and the nation.

Uncle Ho once said: “The Party is not an organization for officials to get rich”, and he advised: “No matter what position we hold or what job we do, we are all servants of the people. The food we eat, the clothes we wear, the materials we use, all come from the sweat and tears of the people. Therefore, we must compensate the people properly”.

However, the reality of Party building work in recent years shows that we have not always and everywhere followed Uncle Ho's testament: "The Party is the leader and the truly loyal servant of the people."

The Party's revolutionary leadership achievements cannot and no one has the right to deny. However, the weaknesses and shortcomings that still exist in Party building work, especially the 27 manifestations of degradation in political ideology, ethics, lifestyle and "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" of a significant number of cadres and Party members as pointed out in Resolution 4 of the Central Committee (12th tenure), are partly due to incomplete awareness and incomplete implementation of Uncle Ho's idea that the Party must both demonstrate its leadership role and be a dedicated and devoted servant of the people. There has been and is a group of Party members and officials with authority who are inclined towards "leadership", and have little or not fulfilled their responsibilities and duties as "truly loyal servants of the people".

Don't forget Uncle Ho's advice

71 years ago, after our country had just gained independence, in the letter “To the Comrades of the North” (March 1, 1947), Uncle Ho warned: “Towards superiors, they look down on them, towards subordinates, they abuse their power to bully. Towards the masses, they act like revolutionary mandarins, making them afraid. That “general” or “general” mentality has caused so much antipathy, so much division, making superiors distant from subordinates, organizations distant from the people... There are comrades who are status-minded, trying to compete for this committee member, that chairman. There are comrades who care about eating well and dressing well, worrying about appropriating public property for private use, taking advantage of their position and work to do business to make a fortune, worrying more about personal matters than public matters. No matter what revolutionary ethics or public opinion criticizes them.”

The joy of students when meeting Uncle Ho. Photo archive

Uncle Ho's warning is still relevant today. In reality, there are still cadres who have fully exercised the "power" of a leader, while limiting themselves to the point where they can be devoted "servants and public servants" of the people. There are also cases of being fake "servants and public servants", outwardly shouting and calling for attention, care and improvement of people's lives, but in reality, they are not closely attached to the people, not wholeheartedly serving them.

However, we also criticize cadres and party members who act as “servants” of the people in a “following the crowd” manner, without the courage to be decisive, to dare to think, to dare to do, to dare to take responsibility. Such manifestations are not only unworthy of being leaders, but also do not fully demonstrate the meaning of the role of “truly loyal servants of the people”.

It has been 50 years since our beloved Uncle Ho passed away, but his thoughts on the role of the Party as both a leader and a "truly loyal servant of the people" still retain their value and have profound current significance.

Historical practice has proven that only when the Party performs well its leadership role and serves the people wholeheartedly, will the Party always be trusted, loved and loyal to the Party by the people. Wherever and whenever the Party members and cadres are always pioneers and exemplary in all aspects, fulfilling their assigned duties and responsibilities, and fulfilling their duties as "servants and public servants" of the people, then there and at that time the Party organization will be clean and strong and will be embraced, sheltered and protected by the masses.

In the current cause of building, protecting and developing the country, to maintain and strengthen its leadership role, our Party needs to continue to enhance its will, mettle, qualities, intelligence, leadership capacity and fighting strength, wholeheartedly serving the working class and the people. Take the Party's revolutionary goals and ideals and blend them with the genuine belief and invincible strength of the people to successfully achieve the goal of "A rich people, a strong country, democracy, fairness and civilization". By doing so, our Party is certainly "worthy of being the leader, the truly loyal servant of the people" as President Ho Chi Minh instructed in his Testament.