Every Party member should be aware that the national unity cause and the close relations between the Party and people are of vital importance to the Party and the existence of the Government, said President of Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committee Pham The Duyet.

He said that under the clear-sighted leadership of the Party Central Committee and the Politburo, the people have made many important achievements during the past five years. They include maintaining a stable situation across the nation, comprehensively developing the national economy, raising the people’s living standards, and expanding Vietnam's external relations.

However, Vietnamese people are still concerned about many new and continuing problems, such as the limited scope of State management of many ministries, sectors and localities, the poor quality of education and health care, and the continuing problems associated with traffic accidents and social vices.

They are angry at continuing corruption, wastefulness and bureaucracy - which are not under control. Problems related to employment, democracy and social equality need urgent attention.

Mr Duyet said the Party should effectively implement the Party building and rectification campaign and ensure Party organisations at all levels were transparent and strong. Policies on national unity, nationalities and religions should be comprehensively implemented.

Under the Party leadership, a strict supervision by the Fatherland Front and the people is necessary, he said.

Working class links 

President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), Cu Thi Hau, called on the Party to uphold its working class tradition and continue to strengthen the working class as a decisive political and social force in the country’s process of modernisation and industrialisation. 

She proposed the Party map out a comprehensive strategy to strengthen and enhance the working class’s role in the new development period. The Party should guide the State in building and effectively implementing a national development programme targeted at the working class, which she said is a yardstick to differentiate between a socialist-oriented market economy and a capitalist market economy.

She said that attention should be paid in the immediate future to the training and re-training of workers so that they can meet the requirements of national industrialisation and modernisation. She also called for stronger Party leadership in designing policies regarding workers’ lives, such as those on salary and housing. In addition, stricter inspection and supervision of the enforcement of labour laws to protect workers’ interests is needed.

The VGCL President called on the Party to strengthen and uphold the working class nature of the Party, whose link to the working class has a direct effect on Party lines and strategy.

The Party should also promote Party building work and mass organizations among the working class, said the union leader, adding that attention should be paid to fostering cadres among outstanding workers.

“The Party should continue to renew its leadership style towards the VGCL, and the State should create favourable conditions for the VGCL to operate effectively,” Ms Hau concluded.

Theoretical studies proposed

The National Ho Chi Minh Politics Institute proposed a number of issues relating to theoretical studies and the practice of socialism in the future to the 10^th National Party Congress.

Vice Director of the National Ho Chi Minh Politics Institute, Nguyen Van Sau, emphasised the need for intensive study of Marxism-Leninism in order to ensure the country develops scientifically and socially, and remains steadfast to its socialist principles.

He stressed the Party's socialist theory and ideology, imbued with the scientific and revolutionary spirit of Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh's Thought, played an important role in the country's successes during the Renewal process.

He noted as a necessity the reviewing of theoretical points, particularly those which were judged to be right, accurate and proper in the previous eras when initiated, but is no longer suitable to the present realities and requires new perceptions and developments.

The study must be performed in a spirit of constructive criticism to properly assess those theoretical ideas which aren't working and need revision, said Mr Sau. He added that the work will help people fully understand and liberalise their ways of thinking and ideological foundation, thus ensuring positive, new initiatives.

Mr Sau also argued that the study should be carried out in a spirit of self-criticism and self-renewal. Many of the theoretical and ideological views of past classical theorists had been misinterpreted or distorted by dogmatic attitudes and limited understanding.

Making the best of the power of critical thinking, we must move beyond these limitations in order to access the true ideologies of Marx and Lenin, Mr Sau stressed.

"Lessons drawn from the socio-economic, political, scientific-technological, and cultural development of our country will be decisive for us to accurately define the concept of socialism and the way towards socialism.
"If we don't review our past experiences, our Party and people won't have the materials to further revitalise Marxist-Leninist theory and Ho Chi Minh Thought in the new era, and we won't aid our country on its way towards socialism," Mr Sau said.

International integration

Foreign Minister and member of the 9th CPV CC, Nguyen Dy Nien, stressed that “bringing into play the nation’s internal strength while taking advantage of external resources, must be a combination of national strength and historical strength.”

While the world is following the trend of globalisation, the country should attach importance to creating and seizing opportunities and taking advantage of its strength through actively integrating into regional and international arenas.

However, to bring foreign strength into play, the country’s internal strength must be fortified. In other words, if we do not prepare the country well, foreign strength will not have any good effects, said Mr Nien.

In order to successfully carry out the resolution put forward by the 10th National Party Congress, foreign affairs is still an important front and is a bridge for combining the nation’s and the era’s strength and creating a more favourable international environment for the country’s development, said Mr Nien. External activities must conform  to the interrelations between the country’s position and its strength, between national development and international integration.

The world will continue to face quick changes and complicated situations. Vietnam will have more opportunities for development, but will also face more challenges. The Party and State must take every chance and overcome every challenge in external activities while continuing to pursue independence, peace, co-operation and development.

Vigorously boosting administrative reforms

Over the past five years, administrative reforms have contributed to accelerating the renewal process, especially in establishing a legal framework for the market economy, boosting economic growth, maintaining social stability and accelerating international economic integration, said Interior Minister Do Quang Trung.

The reforms have also helped to expand social democratisation, realise grassroots democracy, and enhance awareness and transparency in the operations of the State administrative bodies.

The above-mentioned achievements, however, still fail to meet the country's requirements. Administrative reforms remain slow and inefficient and administrative bodies reveal many weaknesses, unable to meet the requirements for building a socialist law-governed State and synchronising legal environment with socio-economic development.

Administrative procedures remain cumbersome, causing many problems to people and businesses. The contingent of cadres and civil servants remain weak in qualifications as well as ethics. The problems of corruption, wastage, bureaucracy, authoritarianism and irresponsibility pose serious challenges.

"Overall, our administration lags behind other countries in the region and the world," Mr Trung said, mentioning three main reasons for this situation.

"First, there is a lack of full awareness and determination for substantial and resolute administrative reforms. Second, administrative reforms have not been undertaken in co-ordination with the renovation of the political system, and economic, judicial and legislative reforms. Third, Party Committees at all levels and heads of local authorities have failed to fulfil their duties and implement administrative reforms," he said.

He suggested the following measures to strongly boost administrative reforms in the future: political and State institutions, including administrative organs, have to consistently co-ordinate their efforts; agencies related to the State administrative system have to continuously revise their functions; duties and responsibilities of every cadre, civil servant and official in these institutions, especially heads of organisations, have to be clearly defined; new criteria have to be set for recruiting the contingent of cadres and civil servants; responsibilities and code of conduct of public servants have to be clearly framed; personnel training and retraining have to be conducted in a more substantial manner so as to meet the requirements of industrialisation, modernisation and integration; and administrative discipline and responsibilities of leaders have to be enhanced.

Building a strong contingent of cadres

Hanoi city delegate Phung Huu Phu said the most important factor in the area of developing Party personnel is to correctly evaluate officials, especially during a time when the nation has to deal with the multi-faceted impacts of the market economy, international integration and sabotage by hostile forces.

More attention should be paid to discovering talented and skilful cadres, he said, adding that it is necessary to improve ways of selecting and managing cadres in personnel work.

Active integration and rapid development

HCM City delegate Hua Ngoc Thuan outlined ways to raise the innate capability of the national economy.

He said as international economic integration will create many new opportunities, along with many difficulties and challenges. Quality human resources with advanced political ability are needed.

He said the Party and State should have more open policies to encourage domestic enterprises in every economic sector to take control of the domestic market and raise their capability, particularly in services that were limited in the non-State-owned economic sector.

An average economic growth rate of 9 per cent should be targeted, said he.

Agriculture and rural issues are key to modernisation

Delegate Vu Ngoc Ky, chairman of the Vietnam Farmers Association, said more active solutions are needed in the effective implementation of the Party’s policies on agricultural and rural issues.

The quality of planning should be improved in order to ensure that our agricultural production meets domestic and international demands, providing a foundation for further developing export-oriented production.

"We also need to define specific agricultural products for every region to increase regional competitiveness and allow farmers to continue to produce traditional products in modern ways," said Mr Ky.

"Furthermore, we should push up the restructuring process in rural areas with a focus on improving quality, increasing effectiveness and honing the competitive edge of agriculture in co-ordination with the nation’s integration into the world economy".

Besides developing a small, yet modern agricultural and industrial processing industry, the nation needs to form a close relationship between farmers and enterprises, in which they can jointly invest in production and share profits.

"Last but not least, the model of connecting the farmers, entrepreneurs, and scientists with the State, which holds a leadership role, should be further promoted," said Mr Ky.

VNS