From 'red seed' to 'expensive mistake'

The Secretariat decided to discipline Mr. Nguyen Ba Canh. (Photo: VNA)

The fact that Mr. Nguyen Ba Canh - Member of the City Party Committee, Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Da Nang City Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Commission, was disciplined once again shows that our Party is very determined in handling cadres, even though they are young and promising cadres, who have been given attention for training, fostering, and long-term planning, but due to lack of training, practice, and early satisfaction, they have committed serious violations, negatively affecting the reputation of the Party organization, the agency, and themselves.

On May 14, based on Regulation No. 102-QD/TW dated December 15, 2017 of the Politburo on disciplinary action against violating Party members, considering the content, nature, level, consequences of the violation and the working process of Mr. Nguyen Ba Canh, the Secretariat decided to take disciplinary action by removing him from all positions in the Party.

Previously, on October 6, 2017, the Party Central Committee decided to discipline Mr. Nguyen Xuan Anh by removing him from the position of Secretary of the Da Nang City Party Committee for the 2015-2020 term and removing him from the position of member of the 12th Party Central Committee.

Next, on December 26, 2018, at the 9th Conference of the 12th Party Central Committee, it was decided to discipline Mr. Tat Thanh Cang by removing him from the position of member of the 12th Party Central Committee, Standing Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, member of the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee for the 2015-2020 term.

Mr. Nguyen Ba Canh, only 36 years old, used to hold the position of Secretary of the Da Nang City Youth Union, was elected as a delegate of the 9th Da Nang City People's Council (term 2016-2021) and was appointed as Deputy Head of the Standing Committee of the Da Nang City Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Committee in August 2017.

Mr. Canh lived with another person as a couple and had a child while he was married during his legal marriage, violating moral qualities and lifestyle; violating the Law on Marriage and Family, Regulation No. 47-QD/TW, dated November 1, 2011 of the Party Central Committee on things that party members are not allowed to do, Regulation No. 101-QD/TW, dated June 7, 2012 of the Secretariat and Regulation No. 5946-QD/TU dated September 13, 2012 of the Da Nang City Party Committee on the responsibility to set an example for cadres and party members, especially key leaders and heads at all levels.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Anh became Secretary of Da Nang in October 2015 when he was only 40 years old. For two consecutive years, he was the "youngest Secretary (of the City Party Committee, Provincial Party Committee) in the country". He made very eloquent statements that excited the people of Da Nang when he first took office.

However, according to the conclusion of the Central Inspection Committee, Mr. Anh must bear primary responsibility for the violations and shortcomings of the Standing Committee of the City Party Committee for the 2015-2020 term. He himself violated the principle of democratic centralism and the Party and State's regulations on personnel work; chaired the review and decision of a number of personnel with signs of imposition; directly directed many specific tasks of the government; declared and used degrees that were not in accordance with regulations, were dishonest, violated the standards of Party Committee members and the Regulations on what Party members are not allowed to do; lacked exemplary behavior in receiving and using cars donated by enterprises and using 2 houses of enterprises, causing bad public opinion in society.

Mr. Tat Thanh Cang was once considered a young and capable cadre, well-trained and matured through many positions in the political system from state management agencies to party agencies in the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee.

At the 11th Party Congress, he was elected as an alternate member of the Central Executive Committee when he was just 40 years old. Five years later, he was re-elected to the 12th Party Central Executive Committee. However, according to the conclusion of the Central Inspection Committee, Mr. Cang was irresponsible, lax in leadership, direction, inspection and supervision, allowing many violations of the law to occur in the assigned areas, causing great damage to the city.

However, in reality, many young leaders, despite being trained, nurtured, and given the opportunity to contribute and grow by the Party and the State, lack the courage, training, and practice to make serious mistakes when they hold power. And the disciplinary actions against Mr. Nguyen Xuan Anh, Mr. Tat Thanh Cang, and Mr. Nguyen Ba Canh... are "expensive" lessons.

So how can young cadres - the "seeds" in the incubation process - avoid making the same mistakes and regrettable mistakes as in the above cases?

In his closing speech at the 9th Central Conference of the 12th tenure on the afternoon of December 26, 2018, General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong requested that each Central Committee member and all cadres and party members, including young cadres and party members, “need to regularly cultivate, practice, regularly self-reflect and self-correct to avoid making the same mistakes, causing unnecessary consequences and losses to the Party, the country and the people, leaving pain for relatives, family, comrades and friends”.

In addition, it is necessary to promote the role and responsibility of Party committees, Party cells, agencies and units in detecting and preventing wrongdoings of cadres and Party members, especially young cadres; strengthen criticism and self-criticism, regularly inspect and supervise to promptly detect, sincerely give comments and correct deviant manifestations, help them realize their mistakes to correct and continue to practice.

It is also important to have an effective mechanism to control power, especially for young leaders who have little exposure to reality and are not yet resistant enough to be immune to the temptations of fame, power and material things.

At the 7th Conference (May 7-12, 2018), the 12th Party Central Committee passed Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW dated May 19, 2018 on focusing on building a contingent of cadres at all levels, especially at the strategic level, with sufficient qualities, capacity and prestige, equal to the task. The Resolution identifies 5 viewpoints and 7 main groups of tasks and solutions on focusing on building a contingent of cadres, emphasizing the group of tasks and solutions on "strictly controlling power in cadre work"...

In order for the "red seeds" to continue to flourish, blossom and bear fruit, for young leaders to continuously train, contribute and mature, it is extremely important to imbibe and implement the five guiding viewpoints on personnel work stated in Resolution No. 26-NQ/TW. In particular, it emphasizes the harmonious and reasonable handling of the relationship between standards and structures, in which standards are the main ones; between building and fighting, in which building is a strategic, fundamental, long-term task, fighting is an important, regular task; between virtue and talent, in which virtue is the root; between universality and specificity; between inheritance, innovation and stability, development; between individual and collective authority and responsibility./.