Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng. —VNA/VNS Photo

Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng talks to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the upcoming Tết (Lunar New Year) about the significance of strengthening Party building and rectification.

Following the success of the 13th National Party Congress, it is necessary to research, study and implement its Resolution. How has this task been executed in its first year?

The 13th National Party Congress has a special important meaning in continuing to comprehensively and synchronously promote the Đổi mới (Renewal) process. The congress defined development orientations, missions and targets for the country in the next 5-10 years and to 2045, which will mark the 100th birthday of the Democratic Republic of Việt Nam, or the Socialist Republic of Việt Nam at present.

The congress ended but it was just the beginning. Whether we can turn the resolution into reality, can create wealth and material possessions and can bring in prosperity for the country and happiness for the people or not – that will be the real success of the congress. Therefore, researching, studying, mastering and implementing the resolution of the congress is very important and must be carried out seriously, drastically and methodically.

Right in the first year of its term, the 15th National Assembly held two sessions; and the Government, the Việt Nam Fatherland Front and relevant ministries, sectors and agencies have organised national conferences to implement the resolution.

Following these conferences, Party committees and organisations at all levels promptly built action programmes and plans to implement the resolution in line with conditions of each locality, sector and agency.

Each cadre and Party member, and first of all, leaders and senior officials at all levels, must set examples and uphold responsibilities in implementing the resolution towards the goal of building Việt Nam into a more prosperous and developed country and making Vietnamese people happier.

We have discussed much about strengthening Party building and rectification. This is a very tough and complicated task that cannot be done overnight but must be carried out in a fundamental and systematic manner. How will this task continue to be executed?

Party-building and rectification is an important requirement that directly links with the development of the Party and the nation. Right from entering the Đổi mới process in 1986, the Party issued many resolutions about Party building and rectification.

During the last three terms (11st, 12nd and 13th), the fourth plenums of the Party Central Committee discussed and issued important resolutions and conclusions about Party building and rectification, creating positive and clear progress in Party building and rectification, gaining trust and support from the people, and making important contributions to socio-economic and cultural development, national defence and security, and the country’s international integration.

However, shortcomings remained. A section of cadres and Party members, including some leaders and senior officials, have failed to be fully aware of the meaning and importance of the Party building and rectification task; and failed to set examples and uphold responsibilities, particularly falling into individualism, leading to degradation and violations of Party rules and State laws, forcing them to be disciplined or face criminal charges.

Meanwhile, the national construction and protection cause is setting great requirements and tasks, urging the Party to continue to improve to be capable of leading the country to develop more rapidly and sustainably.

Therefore, the conclusion of the fourth plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee was issued with the aim of strengthening the building and rectification of the Party and the political system to build a more transparent and stronger Party and political system.

A new point of the conclusion is the synchronous implementation between the building of the Party and the political system; and between the building of revolutionary morality and selfish individualism prevention, gradually driving back and strictly handling activities relating to corruption, negative phenomena and signs of degradation among cadres and Party members.

The conclusion expanded its scope, covering not only the Party building and rectification but also construction of the political system, targeting not only Party members and Party committees and organisations but also civil servants, public employees and authorities at all levels of the political system, including law enforcement agencies and anti-corruption agencies.

Also, the conclusion supplemented and clarified a system of signs of degradation in ideology, morality and lifestyle, and of 'self-evolution' and 'self-transformation' in line with the new situation.

Together with the conclusion, the Party has supplemented, completed and issued many important documents to strengthen the Party building and rectification.

In the context of the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic, what policies and guidelines does the Party Central Committee's Secretariat have to help ensure effective pandemic prevention and control, while striving to promote socio-economic development and fulfil targets set by the resolution of the 13th National Party Congress?

The Politburo and the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat have regularly followed and guided in a timely manner with many concrete decisions.

There are three main groups: a group of issues relating to pandemic prevention and control; a group of issues relating to ensuring social security and taking care of people’s life; and a group of issues relating to economic recovery and development.

Although we still have to face many difficulties and challenges, the pandemic has basically been kept under control and all aspects of social life and socio-economic development activities have gradually been resumed in line with the new context.

This achievement resulted from the synchronous implementation of related tasks from the Party Central Committee to the National Assembly and the Government and most importantly, all ministries, sectors, localities and people nationwide joined efforts to synchronously take drastic and strong measures to prevent and control the pandemic. We have initially gained positive results: the macroeconomy is stabilised, social security is ensured, national defence and security are maintained; foreign relations are expanded in many fields; important and big political events of the country were successfully organised.

In the future, the situation is forecast to continue developing complicatedly and unpredictably, urging us to be more proactive and drastic in leadership and direction, sparing the highest efforts and time and prioritising all resources to effectively, flexibly and creatively implement the master programme on COVID-19 prevention and control in connection with socio-economic recovery and development programme during the 2022-2023 period.

I believe that with joint efforts of the whole nation and consensus of the whole Party and whole people in mind and action, together with assistance from overseas Vietnamese and international friends, we will certainly win in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to the global efforts for a world of safety, peace, friendship, cooperation and prosperity. — VNS