On the occasion of the 2018 Lunar New Year (Tet) festival, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong granted Nhan Dan (People) Newspaper an interview.

The Party chief sent his best wishes to the entire Party and people with a strong political determination to build a truly clean and strong Party in a political, organisational, and ethical manner that is able to lead the country to develop quickly and sustainably, thereby deserving the respect and love of the people.

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong joins residents in Hai Phong city at the great national unity festival. (Photo: VNA)

Q: 2017 is the second year of implementing the 12^th National Party Congress’ resolution; the country has made many important achievements in all fields, notably in the work of Party building. Could you share your deepest impressions on this key task over the past year?

A: Following the fourth plenum of the Party Central Committee in 2016, the fifth and sixth plenums of the Party Central Committee discussed and resolved many important issues related to the organisation of the apparatus, personnel, and discipline. This long-term task aims to build a clean and strong Party while promoting all sources of power among the people. The building and rectification of the Party in association with combating and preventing corruption are among my deepest impressions of 2017.

Since its founding, the Party has experienced a number of moments of self-rectification, but never previously achieved such positive results. The Party Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat have promulgated many important legal documents to deal with a number of issues related to personnel and corruption.

Because the Party’s discipline has no “prohibited zone”, after objective and careful examination, the Party Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Central Committee’s Inspection Commission decided to discipline many officials and party organisations at all levels for various types of violations. Any case at all levels that violates discipline must be strictly handled in order to maintain the discipline of the Party, to regain and consolidate the trust, love, and respect of the people for the Party.

The results obtained in 2017 have emboldened the whole country as for the first time in many years, Vietnam fulfilled and surpassed 13 socio-economic development targets, one of which was the GDP growth rate which reached 6.81 per cent, the highest level in nearly ten years. National defence and security have been maintained while the country’s position in the international arena has been exalted to a higher level of regard with steady progress made in the work of diplomacy.

Q: Besides the obtained results, what are your main concerns at the moment?

A: There are a lot of things to do. Corruption, wastefulness, and negative phenomena are still taking place in a serious and developed manner, which diminish the people’s trust in the Party and the régime. The negative effects of the market economy, the temptations of daily life, the ideological, ethical, and lifestyle degradation, as well as the manifestation of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation,” are present every day and every hour.

The Party always persists in its resolute struggle, driven with a strong political determination and great effort, in a continuous endeavour across all sectors at both the central and local levels.

Each Party cadre and Party member must be acutely aware of his responsibility to the Party and the nation to implement the resolution seriously and effectively, avoiding manifestations of indifference, insensitivity, a passive bystander mentality, or judgmentalism.

It is necessary to get the whole political apparatus involved. This is not only an urgent and frequent task for each Party committee, but also the responsibility of socio-political organisations, the members of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and people from all walks of life.

Party committees and agencies at all levels and heads of such units should truly unite and look straight at the truth with strong enough solutions to make clear changes in the work, while creating a harmonious combination between the “build” and “against” and focusing on definitively settling urgent issues that had been pointed out.

The building and rectification of the Party aims to strengthen solidarity and unity, enhance the Party’s leadership, strengthen the consensus among the people, and maintain the principles and discipline of the Party. Fighting to reverse any hint of degradation of political ideology, ethics, and lifestyle, as well as the internal expression of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation” was a tough struggle, but a must-do as it involved the fate of the Party and the system.

Q: What is the crucial issue in the personnel work?

A: Renovation in personnel work is an important part of Party building and one of the essential conditions to build a clean and strong Party. It can be said that the organisation and personnel of the Party have been attributed great importance with an aim to enhance the quality and capacity of the cadre.

The Party units and standing boards of the municipal and provincial Party Committees must comply with regulations on personnel work, ensuring transparency, openness, and objectiveness and contributing to improving the quality of personnel.

It is also essential to fight corruption in personnel work, as well as negative phenomena such as inpidualism, group interests, and factionalism. Shortcomings and limitations in Party building work must be addressed with a focus on preventing power abuse and paying bribes for higher positions. Inspection of officials and Party members via press agencies and public opinion should also be strengthened. In addition, procedures and regulations relating to personnel work and management should be improved towards greater democracy and more transparency.

Q: On the occasion of the New Year, what is your message to people across the country?

A: I cordially send New Year greetings to all citizens, comrades, and soldiers in every part of the country, and to all compatriots overseas. The entire Party, people, and army united as one to bring into full play the results and success the past year. May the New Year bring peace, prosperity, happiness, and new victories.

Thank you very much!

VNF/NDO