Preventing and combating “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”

“Self-evolution” and “self-transformation” represent a threat to the survival of our Party, State, and socialist regime, being a method of the hostile forces for “depoliticizing” the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA). Thus, recognizing, preventing, and combating “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” within the VPA constitute a task of urgency today.

“Self-evolution” and “self-transformation” are social issues stemming from weaknesses in the Party building and the State’s management of society; from the negative impacts by the market economy and international integration; from the hostile forces’ plots and artifices, especially their “peaceful evolution” strategy; from the degradation in political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle among a section of cadres, party members and the masses. “Self-evolution” and “self-transformation” have been clarified with specific manifestations by our Party. At the same time, it has determined that proactively preventing, combating and repelling “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within are among the central tasks of the entire Party, people and VPA.

Within the VPA, “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” have not been clear or serious yet; however, they exist and directly impacts on the preservation of the VPA’s working-class nature and combat goals and ideals. Perceiving that, over the past years, under the leadership and direction by the Central Military Commission (CMC) and the Ministry of National Defence (MND), military offices and units have always actively prevented, combated and repelled the signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”, while considering this work as the centrepiece of the measures for preventing and combating the “peaceful evolution” strategy as we as building pure, strong party organizations and comprehensively strong units.

In the new situation, to effectively prevent and combat the signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” within the VPA, offices and units should synchronously adopt political, ideological, organizational, administrative measures and promote the strength of all organizations, forces, cadres, party members and the masses, with a focus on the following.

First, maintaining and enhancing the Party’s leadership over the VPA. This is the key measure as the ultimate goal and effect of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” are separating the VPA from the Party’s leadership. Thus, it is necessary to regularly maintain and strengthen the absolute, direct leadership by the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat and the CMC over the VPA and ensure that the VPA is always absolutely loyal to and abide by the Party’s leadership in all situations. The fundamental, urgent issue now is to consolidate and build pure, strong military party organizations politically, ideologically, morally and organizationally and make them capable of leading the entire VPA to successfully implement the military-defence lines and policies of the Party and the State. At the same time, it is important to align the building of pure, strong party organizations with that of comprehensively strong units, manage the relationships between leadership and command, party organizations and other ones within a unit, party members and the masses, and cadres and soldiers. A sense of unity within a unit and its party committee as well as among commanders and commissars must be achieved.

In addition, due regard should be paid to managing, training, and building a contingent of cadres with good morality and capability to successfully fulfil every assigned task. Great importance should be attached to building the political will of cadres, particularly campaign and strategic-level ones. The work of appointing, using and evaluating cadres must be conducted on a democratic, just, objective, accurate basis while due attention should be paid to carrying out the policy work and settling aspirations of cadres, party members and the masses to encourage their devotion to their job. Those are important factors to eliminate the seeds of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within.  

Second, consideration should be given to educating and training cadres, party members and the masses. There are many reasons for “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”, but the core one is that a proportion of cadres, party members and the masses lack self-improvement, have their combativeness undermined, fall into individualism and opportunism, ignore their responsibility for the Party, Homeland and people, show fearfulness for hardships, violate the Party’s charter, do not match their words with their action, and have degenerate political ideology, morality and lifestyle. Thus, significance should be attached to educating Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, the Party’s guidelines, patriotism, Vietnam’s cultural ground, and military traditions, making cadres and party members imbued with the working-class nature, thereby improving their combat ideal, ideological stance, and political will. At the same time, it is essential to regularly cultivate cadres and soldiers’ morality, pure, healthy lifestyle, self-improvement, and knowledge and make them devote themselves to their job, offices and units. Notably, all-level party committees and commands should frequently update themselves on the situation as the basis for rendering cadres and soldiers fully aware of hostile plots, artifices, and mode of operation, particularly the sabotage activities in cyber space, raising their “immunity” and capability to fight and refute the hostile forces’ viewpoints and distortions.

Furthermore, it is necessary to ensure troops’ material and spiritual life and build a diverse, fine, healthy military cultural environment so that the VPA could become the place where every soldier cultivates their morality and fine qualities. As a result, “immunity” and “membrane” for preventing hostile, exotic culture from infiltrating into the VPA could be formed. And that will provide the basis for preventing external impacts and neutralizing all of the hostile forces’ artifices and plots to step up “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” within the VPA.

Third, resolutely combating individualism, opportunism, corruption, bureaucracy and negative practices within the VPA. Those are the dangerous “enemy” that undermine the strength of organizations, cadres and party members and make “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” more complex. Therefore, all-level party committees within the VPA should grasp and strictly implement the Party’s viewpoints, guidelines and strong determination to prevent and fight against corruption, effectively adopt groups of measures for the Party building and rectification under the Resolutions of the 11^th and 12^th Party Central Committees’ 4^th Plenums in line with the study and following of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and lifestyle. In the spirit of “looking straight to the truth”, each office and unit should well exercise self-criticism and criticism, recognize and properly evaluate the danger of degradation and degeneracy to cadres, party members and soldiers. It is vital to clearly point out individualism, opportunism, bureaucracy and corruption within offices and units as well as their scale, extent and degree if they exist. Accordingly, it is necessary to formulate measures to strictly handle those manifestations, not to screen weaknesses or make unclear, general evaluations, to closely combine “building” with “fighting”. At the same time, due regard should be paid to well implementing the Regulations on Democracy within offices and units so that cadres and party members really have the right to discuss and supervise all operations of units via party, command and mass organizations.

Mechanisms for receiving and settling information about wrong, negative practices within offices and units must be created. Cadres and party members, especially the key cadres should well perform the exemplary role under the Regulations 08 by the 12^th Party Central Committee. Moreover, it is essential to further inspect and supervise party members and organizations’ implementation of the Party’s Platform, Charter, resolutions, directives, and regulations and the State’s law and policy; to resolutely handle party members and organizations’ violations; to effectively carry out the work of internal political protection to detect, prevent and repel negative phenomena within units opportunely.

Fourth, stepping up the fight on the ideological, theoretical front against wrong, hostile viewpoints. This is the most intense front today as the hostile forces always consider it as a lever for accelerating “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within. Thus, greater importance should be attached to training and cultivating a contingent of cadres in charge of the theoretical work within the VPA, ensuring that this staff is capable and sensible enough to keep pace with and fight against the development of the increasingly cunning artifices by the hostile forces. Besides, the work of political, ideological education must be centred on raising the awareness and responsibility of every cadre and soldier towards the task of preventing and combating wrong, hostile viewpoints. It is important to frequently educate troops to maintain vigilance against the enemy’s plots and artifices, especially their propagation and incitement on the Internet and social networks which could undermine our cadres, party members, and soldiers’ morale and will. Commanders and leaders of units should well perform the work of ideological orientation and management within their units against sensitive issues which draw great attention from the public.

The whole VPA should use all forces and various forms and measures to fight against “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”. Due regard should be paid to training a core, specialist force with a sense of responsibility, good theoretical knowledge, and courage to uncompromisingly fight against the enemy in all situations. At the same time, it is necessary to provide sufficient facilities and technological equipment and build the mechanism for quick, timely information for the forces in order to encourage all troops’ participation and form an extensive, multi-layer posture, thereby making contributions to the entire Party and people’s fight against “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”.

Preventing and combating “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” represent a requirement, task and responsibility of all cadres, party members and soldiers today. Successfully performing this task will contribute to making the VPA strong politically, organizationally and morally, foiling the hostile forces’ “Peaceful Evolution” Strategy, and defending the Party, State, people and socialist regime.