KEY TASK

Party building and rectification is the process and lessons learned throughout the history of the Communist Party of Vietnam, since its establishment until now. The Party and President Ho Chi Minh always attached great importance to and regularly take care of building a clean and strong Party in all aspects, so that the Party deserves to be “virtuous and civilised”. The work of Party building and rectification has always been considered by the Party as a key task of vital significance. In recent terms of the Party Congress, the Party building and rectification work has been identified in many documents - in the Platforms and Documents of the Party Congress, the Resolutions of the Central Committee and the Politburo, and it is especially important that it, has been drastically implemented by the Party in practice.

“Cadres are the root of every task.” In the team of cadres, key leadership cadres are the core fore, the most important factor in the apparatus of the Party, State and organisations. They are heads of a unit, a locality, a sector, who are responsible for organising the implementation of guidelines and directing their subordinates to fulfil the assigned tasks. The quality of the apparatus is closely and dialectically linked to the “quality” of its heads. The quality of key cadres plays a major role in forming the overall quality of the apparatus. The leadership efficiency of its leaders contributes to the functioning efficiency of the apparatus. Building a team of key cadres with adequate virtue and the capacity to assume their roles is an important task in Party building. It is also a task given special attention by the Party and President Ho Chi Minh.

A new context with new tasks, new challenges and difficulties requires the Party to make new efforts to overcome challenges. Such efforts first need to be placed on enhancing the capacity and virtue of each Party member, along with enhancing the capacity and virtue of the entire Party. Morality comes under the Party’s leadership method. The Party leads by platform, by convincing and by setting an example. Setting an example is to make people believe and follow. The Party’s morality must be typical of social morality.

Moral degradation among Party members and officials is regarded as a serious issue with many forms. Some ills have become national ills, causing public discontent. The cases that have been exposed lead to the loss of many Party members and organisations deteriorated by corruption and abuse of power. Such a loss has also reached high-ranking officials, which is undermining the people’s trust in the exemplification of Party members and the leadership role of Party organisations.

Since 1990, along with implementing the task of Party building in the resolutions of the Party Congresses from the 7th to the 13th tenure, the Party has also introduced important documents on Party building and rectification. For each resolution, the Party always conducts a review to assess what has been done and what hasn’t, then draw a lesson. Based on that, the Party formulates and promulgates new resolutions with higher political determination, sets specific goals, tasks and solutions, and imposes higher requirements for Party organisations and members in accordance with the new situation. This process affirms the leadership role, the correct path, and enhances the combat capacity, leadership and ruling capacity of the Party.

From the 11th and 12th Congresses to the 13th Congress, the Party has stepped up the task of Party building and rectification with aggressive measures. The two 4th Plenums of the 11th and 12th tenures promulgated resolutions on some urgent issues regarding current Party building and on enhancing Party building and rectification; preventing and expelling degradation in political ideology, ethics, lifestyle, manifestations of internal “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”, which have demonstrated the Party’s strong determination in Party building and rectification.

The Resolution of the Party Central Committee (PCC) 4th Plenum, 11th tenure, on "Current Urgent Issues in Party Building” stated three main contents: Preventing and reversing the degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle of a number of cadres and Party members, especially leaders and managers; Building the contingent of leaders and managers, notably those at central levels, who can meet the requirements of the cause of industrialisation, modernisation and international integration; and clearly defining the individual authority and responsibility of the heads of Party committees and authorities, in relation to the collective Party committee, authorities, agencies and units.

The Resolution of the PCC 4th Plenum, 12th tenure, which inherited the resolutions on Party building and rectification, especially the Resolution of the PCC 4th Plenum for the 11th tenure, added many important connotations that concreted the manifestations of the degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle, and the “self-evolution” and “self-transformation. Each individual and organisation in the Party can “self-reflect”. Each citizen can be a “surveillance camera” to detect cadres’ and party members’ mistakes, so that "appropriate" measures can be taken to rectify them. Over the past five years, the Party has actively and thoroughly implemented the Resolution of the PCC 4th Plenum, 12th tenure, as well as its directives and guidelines, achieving important results and creating a clear change in Party building and rectification, which was supported and appreciated by the entire Party and people.

The strictness and rigor of the Party during the implementation of the Resolution of the PCC 4th plenum, the 12th tenure, as well as the drastic and synchronous policies, clearly showed the determination and bravery of the Party, in eliminating "ulcers" to keep the people's trust in the Party.

The process over 35 years of carrying out the Doi Moi (Renewal) cause, 30-year-implementation of a political Platform for national construction in the transitional period to socialism, and ten years of implementation of the Platform (with supplements and development compared to 2011), have given the Party valuable lessons and experiences, in Party building and rectification.

The political report at the 13th Party Congress stated, that the building and rectification of the Party and the political system during the 12th tenure, were enhanced comprehensively, synchronously, drastically and effectively, in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organisation, cadres, inspection, supervision, party discipline, corruption prevention and control, and innovation of the Party's leadership methods.

The 13th Party Congress required that in the coming years, the Party building and rectification should be given special attention, in a comprehensive manner, in terms of political work, ideology, ethics, organisation and personnel. The 13th Party Congress also emphasised that it is crucial to “innovate and implement synchronously the work of studying and following President Ho Chi Minh's thought, morality and lifestyle and the manifestation of internal "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" as well as resolutely and persistently fight against the individualism, bureaucracy, corruption, wastefulness and opportunistic, pragmatic and factional lifestyle among cadres and Party members”. “The Party’s discipline of violations should ensure the strictness and synchronisation with the State’s handling and laws for offending cadres, even those who have changed jobs or retired.” (Document of the 13th National Party Congress). 

Immediately after the 13th National Congress, many regulations, directives and conclusions on strengthening the Party building and rectification were promulgated by the Party, such as Regulation No.22 on inspection, supervision and discipline of the Party; Regulation No.24 on the implementation of the Party's charter; Regulation No.37 on things that Party members are not allowed to do; Regulation No.41 on dismissal and resignation of cadres; Conclusion No.21 on promoting the building and rectification of the Party and political system, as well as strictly handling cadres and party members who have degraded political ideologies, morality and lifestyle and the manifestation of “self-evolution" and "self-transformation"; and Conclusion No.14 endorsing the policy of encouraging and protecting the dynamic and innovative cadres, who work for the common good…

In his speech, at the National Conference on the implementation of the Resolution of the fourth plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee on Party building and rectification, held on December 9, 2021, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasised:

Speaking at the National Conference on the implementation of the Party Central Committee’s conclusions and regulations on Party building and rectification, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said that, with the expansion of content and scope of the Party Resolution, to the entire political system, the institutions in the fight against corruption and the building of a pure and strong political system, has become more comprehensive and synchronous. We also have the State's legal system, which is gradually being perfected, especially the law on cadres and civil servants, emulation and commendation, the fight against corruption, and the protection of those who dare to think, speak, and take responsibility with pure motives. Institutions to continue promoting the implementation of the Resolution of the fourth plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee and conclusions and regulations of the fourth plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee, were also expanded more comprehensively and synchronously.

The Politburo has recently issued Regulation No. 41-QD/TW, on the dismissal and resignation for those who have made mistakes, and no longer have enough prestige or capacity to work, without waiting until the end of their term or time of reappointment. These regulations are considered “special drugs” to help us prevent and treat “diseases” arising in the body of the Party and the political system, helping cadres and Party members to increase resistance and prevent deterioration of political ideology, morality, and lifestyle.

With high political determination, the entire Party has paid great attention to thoroughly studying and actively implementing the Party Central Committee’s guidelines, conclusions and regulations, issued during the 13th National Party Congress. The Hanoi municipal Party Committee, has promulgated ten working programs, of which the first one focusses on enhancing Party building and rectification, developing a pure and strong Party Committee and political system and promoting administrative reform in the 2020-2025 period. According to the leaders of the Hanoi municipal Party Committee, this is the most important programme which oriented other programmes for the entire tenure.

Regarding the Central Military Commission, t­­he General Department of Politics has directed the research and building, on drafting a resolution of the Central Military Commission, for promoting the quality of “Uncle Ho's soldiers” and resolutely fighting against individualism; the project on promoting the army’s role in preventing and combating corruption and waste. To date, the contents of the project and the draft resolution have been completed on schedule, illustrating high determination, specific solutions and actions, to build a truly pure and strong military Party committee, which is a vanguard in the work of Party building and rectification, as well as in the fight against negative phenomenon and individualism.

Speaking at the national conference on Party building and rectification, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong stressed that:

Following the guidelines of the Party Central Committee and the request of Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the national conference on Party building and rectification, attention must be attached to placing the implementation of the Party’s conclusions and regulations on Party building and rectification, as an important part in the overall implementation of other resolutions issued by the Party Central Committee, the National Assembly, and the Government, as well as in the deployment of regular political tasks of the entire political system, thus facilitating the realisation of economic, cultural and social development tasks and maintaining politics, diplomacy, security and national defence. Party committees and organisations at all levels, agencies and units within the political system, must promote high determination and make specific action plans and programmes, to carry out the conclusions and regulations, in accordance with each locality, agency and unit’s situation. Missions and solutions should be implemented synchronously and comprehensively. Each official and Party member is to be an example to others. The criticism and self-criticism must be conducted thoroughly, seriously and carefully. All officials and Party members must have high determination and consensus, and take drastic and feasible measures in the work.