Party building on ethics - a precious spring gift

Illustrative photo. Source: Party Building Magazine

Exactly 4 years ago. That was the Resolution of the 12th Party Congress, January 2016, clearly stating the goal of "Building a Party that is clean and strong in politics, ideology, organization and ethics".

In fact, the importance of ethics in Party building has been raised by Uncle Ho and our Party for a long time, not just now.

As the founder and trainer of our Party, in his two famous works - The Revolutionary Path (1927) and Changing the Way of Working (1947), Uncle Ho paid special attention to the issue of Party building. In The Revolutionary Path, even before our Party was born, Uncle Ho pointed out that revolutionaries must "maintain their ideology firmly" and "have little desire for material things". In Changing the Way of Working, Uncle Ho wrote: "The Party is not an organization for officials to get rich. It must fulfill the task of liberating the nation, making the Fatherland rich and strong, and the people happy".

Uncle Ho once said: "The Party is morality and civilization." He believed that cadres must practice four virtues: diligence, thrift, integrity, and uprightness. If one virtue is lacking, they will not become human. Training cadres must focus on both morality and talent. Talent is important, but morality is the foundation. "Improving revolutionary morality, wiping out individualism" is the last invaluable work he left behind.

Before passing away, he left a will: “Our Party is a ruling Party. Each Party member and cadre must be truly imbued with revolutionary ethics, truly diligent, frugal, honest, upright, impartial and selfless. We must keep our Party truly clean, and be worthy of being a leader and a truly loyal servant of the people.”

Since then, those precious teachings have always been present in our Party's cause of building and rectifying the Party.

Over the past 30 years of renovation, our Party has increasingly perceived Ho Chi Minh's Thought as more correct, comprehensive and profound. During the three Central Committees' 9th, 10th and 11th terms, our Party launched a movement to study Ho Chi Minh's Thought, then to study and follow his moral example.

That said, it does not mean that the picture of Party building is all rosy. No. Along with the bright spots, there are also gray and dark spots.

Therefore, the 11th Party Congress (January 2011), while evaluating the Party building work in the 5 years 2006-2010 which achieved "some positive results", made the following comments: "The state of degradation in political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle among a large number of cadres and Party members, and the state of corruption, waste, bureaucracy, negatives and social evils have not been prevented or pushed back, but continue to develop in a complicated manner, along with the polarization between rich and poor and weaknesses in management and administration at many levels and in many sectors, reducing trust in the Party and State, threatening the stability and development of the country".

To concretize the Resolution of the 11th Congress, the 4th Central Conference issued the Resolution “Some urgent issues on Party building at present” (January 2012). Accordingly, there are 3 urgent issues whose most important and urgent focus is: “Resolutely prevent and push back the degradation of political ideology, ethics and lifestyle of a large number of leaders and managers at all levels to improve the leadership capacity and fighting strength of the Party, and strengthen the trust of Party members and people in the Party”.

The 12th Congress (January 2016), through reviewing the Party building work over the past 5 years, besides affirming the "important results achieved, once again pointing out many limitations and weaknesses related to the issue of ethics building, the Congress Document severely criticized the manifestations of "not really being positive", "not being serious" in implementing the contents of the Party's resolutions, directives, guidelines and policies on training qualities, ethics, lifestyle..., "implementation is still a formality" in studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh. That the situation of running for positions, power, age, degrees... has not been prevented or pushed back. The situation of corruption and waste is still serious, with increasingly sophisticated and complicated manifestations (such as group interests) causing social outrage.

Quoting a few things above helps us see clearly the reason why the 12th Congress set out the general direction for the next term: Further promoting the work of Party building, focusing on resolutely and persistently continuing to implement Resolution of the 4th Central Committee (11th term)". The general goal is "Building a clean and strong Party in terms of politics, ideology, organization and ethics".

To concretize the Resolution of the 12th Congress, the 4th Central Conference (October 2016) issued a Resolution on Party building and rectification. In which, preventing the degradation of political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle, which was one of the three urgent issues on Party building in the 4th Central Resolution (11th tenure), has now been raised to the title of the new Resolution. In addition, it is necessary to prevent and repel the manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" within the Party.

Through the study of 27 manifestations of "degradation" and "self-evolution" and "self-transformation", it is clear that degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle is qualitatively different from "self-evolution" and "self-transformation". However, from degradation to "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" is only a short step, even a very short one, with unpredictable dangers. It can turn cadres and party members into accomplices or collaborators with evil, hostile forces, betraying the ideals and revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation.

It is noteworthy that our Party warned about the seriousness of the risks. With the 11th Congress, it was "reducing the people's trust in the Party and the State, threatening the stability and development of the country". As for the Resolution of the 4th Central Conference (12th tenure), it was "reducing the leadership role of the Party, hurting the sentiments and reducing the people's trust in the Party, a direct threat to the survival of the Party and the regime".

The question now is how to evaluate the results of implementing the Resolution of the 12th National Congress on "Party building in ethics"?

Honestly, I do not have enough knowledge nor authority to make an assessment. I would just like to reiterate some comments raised in the recent 11th Central Conference Document. The draft report summarizing the Party building work stated: The Party building work "has achieved quite comprehensive results in terms of politics, ideology, organization and ethics, especially focusing on a number of difficult, complicated, sensitive areas that have existed for a long time, such as the fight against corruption, negativity, strict handling of violating cadres and party members, innovation, streamlining the apparatus, streamlining the payroll and fighting against the practice of buying and selling positions and power. Specifically: The study and following of Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style, associated with the implementation of the responsibility of setting an example, has achieved important initial results. The fight to prevent and repel degradation, manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" within the Party have been carried out seriously and effectively... The fight against corruption has been strongly implemented, with new progress, achieving clear results, creating a breakthrough in detecting and handling corruption. The situation of corruption has been gradually controlled, prevented and repelled".

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 11th Central Conference, General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong said: Since the beginning of the 12th term, the Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Central Inspection Commission have disciplined more than 70 senior officials under the Central Committee's management; including 1 Politburo member and 4 members of the 12th Party Central Committee. "It is painful but we cannot help but do it, there is no other way! All for the common cause of the Party, the country, and the people. This is a profound lesson, a valuable lesson for all of us" - Comrade Nguyen Phu Trong said.

Very reasonable and also very affectionate!

However, it would not be objective if we did not point out the limitations and shortcomings that the Draft Summary Report continues to emphasize, such as: The pioneering, exemplary, and moral qualities of a number of cadres and party members have declined; the state of degradation, the manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" within the Party are still complicated. The fight against corruption, although achieving many positive results, is not really solid...

It is no coincidence that the Draft Summary Report continues to raise three key tasks in the coming time, in which the first key task is: "Effectively fighting to prevent and repel the degradation of political ideology, ethics, lifestyle, and manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" within the Party, associated with continuing to promote studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, ethics, and lifestyle and his Testament".