The root cause of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation”

 “Self-evolution” and “self-transformation” among a section of cadres and party members are the result of lacking political zeal and committing degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle. This is a major threat to the survival of our Party and socialist regime.

Generally, each person’s zeal is expressed in their determination to overcome difficulties and achieve their preset goal as well as in their assertiveness, resilience, confidence, honesty, and courage to “defend the truth and combat the wrong.” Cadres and party members, especially key leaders and managerial cadres must have political zeal. More specifically, they have to remain steadfast in their awareness and action, display their absolute loyalty to the Party, Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, actively fight against all plots and acts of sabotage by hostile forces, resist all material temptations, have good knowledge, professional competence, and great combativeness, dare to look straight at the truth, dare to admit and determinedly rectify their mistakes and weaknesses. However, some cadres and party members lack determination, easily change their mind when facing difficulties and hardships, have no political view, even commit degradation in political ideology, morality and lifestyle, lose their confidence and ideal, thereby leading to “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” in contrast to those who have political zeal.

Cadres and party members’ political zeal is shaped by a combination of political stance, knowledge, attitude, skills and courage. It was not born naturally. Human qualities only provide a favourable condition for building political zeal and it is formed by the process of education, self-improvement and self-training. Revolutionary realities always impose high requirements of political zeal on each cadre and party member especially when they hold key positions.

In the wars for national liberation, in spite of numerous difficulties and hardships, particularly in hard times and at great turning points of our revolution, our cadres and party members always expressed their political zeal, remained steadfast in the Party’s guidelines, and readily sacrificed their life for the Party’s revolutionary goal and ideal as well as national independence and freedom. Hence, our Party showed great maturity and led the Vietnamese revolution to surmount all challenges and win innumerable victories.

In the period of national construction and protection, especially since the inception of our Party’s renewal policy, our country has obtained outstanding achievements of historical significance. Nevertheless, the four threats pointed out by our Party still exist. It is worth noting that under the impacts made by the dark side of the market economy, the degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle amongst a number of cadres and party members as well as corruption and wastefulness have yet to be settled or pushed back. Meanwhile, the hostile forces and political opportunists are stepping up their “peaceful evolution” strategy, while promoting “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” from within together with new, cunning artifices.

For that reason, a section of cadres and party members, including senior ones have committed degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle, while falling into individualism, selfishness and material temptations. Several cadres and party members have even changed their political stance, gone against the Party’s revolutionary goal and ideal and the national interests, and advocated the hostile forces’ acts of sabotage against our country. Since the 12^th National Party Congress, nearly 100 senior cadres under the Party Central Committee’s management, including members of the Politburo and the Party Central Committee have been disciplined or even prosecuted. Disciplinary action and prosecution against those cadres have been strict, open and transparent, without “restricted area,” regardless who they are or what position they hold, which has proved our Party’s great political determination to purify its contingent of cadres for the Vietnamese revolution.

The root cause of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” amongst some cadres and party members is that they lack political zeal. They are unable to avoid material temptation, distinguish between right and wrong, and remain vigilance against malicious arguments and artifices by the hostile forces. Initially, they show vagueness and confusion, change their political ideology, betray the revolutionary goal and ideal, and lose their faith in the Party’s leadership and the goal of national independence and socialism. In fact, the signs of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” are part of the process of internal changes, from right to wrong, from positive to negative. This is an extremely serious problem as “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” will allow the hostile forces to take advantage of the situation to incite bad and discontented elements to implement their sabotage strategy against our revolution, thus threatening our Party’s leadership role and the socialist regime in Vietnam. In his opening speech at the 12^th Plenum of the 12^th Party Central Committee, General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong asked whether we should place emphasis on political zeal and steadfastness in the goal of national independence and socialism as a special criterion for members of the Party Central Committee, the Politburo and the Party Central Secretariat in the new tenure. The issue raised by the Party Chief proves the importance of building cadres and party members’ political zeal in the current situation.

To that end, first of all, we should continue to educate cadres and party members on Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s ideology as the basis for building their political view and consolidating their absolute faith in the Party’s goal and ideal. Besides, it is necessary to renew the contents and methods of teaching political theory in academies, universities, and educational institutions as well as stringently maintain the order for political study and training within offices and units. Each cadre and party member must be self-aware to actively improve their knowledge of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, proactively sharpen their political zeal, and avoid falling into “self-evolution” and “self-transformation.” On a yearly basis, party committees at all levels should develop their plan to organise refresher courses on political theory for their cadres and party members, while providing timely information and new knowledge in accordance with each group of cadres, sector and locality. Moreover, they should effectively execute the Politburo’s Directive 05 on studying and emulating Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and lifestyle and the 12^th Party Central Committee’s Resolution No.4 on the Party building and rectification.

It is a matter of paramount importance that we should step up a reform in the personnel work so that this work will be carried out an open, transparent manner as the basis for cadres and party members to strengthen their political zeal. Party committees at all levels should proactively detect and cultivate those who are both “red and expert” to use them properly. At the same time, due attention should be paid to the work of job rotation to create a favourable condition for cadres, especially the young ones to improve themselves in practice. Doing so will also enable them to improve practical knowledge and hands-on experience, gradually enhance their political zeal, and develop their skills in dealing with all difficulties and hardships. There should be mechanisms and criteria for identifying, training and using cadres with outstanding professional competence, ethics and political zeal so that they will become key leaders and managerial cadres.

The all-level party congresses have been taking place. One of the central tasks of those congresses is to elect cadres with sufficient qualities, capabilities and particularly political zeal to new party committees. They would be key leaders and managerial cadres of our Party and political system. Therefore, it is important to strictly maintain the principle of democratic centralism, openness and objectivity. Each party member must heighten a sense of political responsibility and wisely select cadres and party members with political zeal, good qualities and capabilities for new party committees. It is vital to avoid electing cadres who fail to meet the criteria, or especially those who show the signs of degradation in political ideology, ethics, corruption, ambition for power, bribery for job titles, and patriarchy, or those who undermine the internal unity and the Party’s prestige.

“Self-evolution” and “self-transformation” committed by several senior cadres of the Party partly result from party committees and competent offices’ poor performance of the inspection and supervision work. They are unable to prevent those cadres from violating the Party’s discipline and the State’s law opportunely. Moreover, competent offices often refuse to inspect and supervise their key leaders and managerial cadres. Hence, in the upcoming time, due regard should be paid to grasping and implementing the Politburo’s Regulation 205-QĐ/TW, dated September 23^rd, 2019 on “the control of powers over the personnel work and the fight against bribery for job titles” and combating the signs of degradation, “self-evolution” and “self-transformation.” There should be mechanisms for the Fatherland Fonts, unions and citizens to supervise and detect those who demonstrate dishonesty in property declaration and the signs of getting rich quickly and having many houses, properties and assets without clear source. Great value should be attached to combining supervision and inspection with disciplinary action and resolutely stringently handling cadres without political zeal or those who commit degradation in ethics and lifestyle.

Building a contingent of cadres and party members with political zeal is a matter of vital importance to the survival of our Party and socialist regime. With a sense of political responsibility of communists, cadres and party members, particularly the key ones should be self-aware to improve their political zeal as the basis for fighting against “self-evolution” and “self-transformation.” Political zeal must be a criterion of paramount importance for our key leaders and managerial cadres in the current situation.