Communist Review - In Ho Chi Minh thought, education and training of the revolutionary morality for cadres and party members have occupied important position and role and it has always borned the current affairs character.

Ho Chi Minh Thought on revolutionary morality

Throughout His revolutionary activities, President Ho Chi Minh always pays attention to educating the revolutionary morality for the contingent of cadres and party members. He stresses that to make the Party pure and strong, worthy of being moral, being civilized, each cadre and party member has to be imbued with the revolutionary morality, to be the leader, the really loyal servant of the people. In His Testament, He instructs: “Our Party is a party in power. Each party member and cadre has to be imbued with the revolutionary morality, has to be really industrious, economical, incorruptible and impartial. It is a must to keep the Party really pure, to be worthy of being the leader, the really loyal servant of the people” (1).

President Ho Chi Minh has not only laid stress on morality as the root of human being in all times, but also put forth the concept of new morality with a new content, reflecting morality in a new height which is larger and deeper; it is the revolutionary morality of cadres and party members. He points out that the revolutionary morality has made the strength of the Party and is an important factor that ensures the Party’s leading role, ensures the victory of the revolutionary cause led by the Party.

Ho Chi Minh thought on morality originates from the values of the traditional morality of the Vietnamese nation which was formed and developed throughout the process of the struggle for national construction and defence. This is also the creative application and development of the quintessences of culture and morality of mankind which He had got access to in the process of His revolutionary activities full of difficulties and challenges, for the goal of national liberation, class liberation and human liberation. For the Vietnamese revolution, the demand for morality is even higher, because the Vietnamese revolution had been carried out in a special situation: It was carried out in a backward agricultural country and it had to cope with the hostile forces which were most  reactionary and most cunning. President Ho Chi Minh points out: The revolution is certain to be successful, but whether the success is fast or slow, the degree of success is big or small…, all depends on the revolutionary morality of the revolutionaries, the level of the revolutionary consciousness and the fighting willpower of the masses of the people.

In that spirit, President Ho Chi Minh has set a bright example of the revolutionary morality and throughout His life of revolutionary activities, He has constantly educated the whole of cadres, party members and people about the qualities of the revolutionary morality. The revolutionary morality, on the one hand, is an inevitable requirement of the revolutionary cause in the past as well as at the present; on the other hand, it is the prerequisite condition for the success of the leaders.

President Ho Chi Minh believes that the revolutionary morality is the foundation to create the motivation for the correct action, to create the willpower and determination to fulfill the tasks of the revolutionary. And since then, President Ho Chi Minh has considered the revolutionary morality as the root of the revolutionary. Once there is the revolutionary morality, upon facing difficulties, hardships or defeats, the revolutionary never hesitates, flinches or when having advantages or successes, the revolutionary still maintains the spirit of simple-mindedness, simplicity and modesty; the revolutionary is concerned about how to fulfill the tasks well without being envious about enjoyment, without having an air of being an official of great merits, without being bureaucratic, without being arrogant, without becoming depraved.

President Ho Chi Minh has highly valued both morality and talent in each person. In the relationship between morality and talent, He affirms that morality is the root that decideds the great spiritual strength of human being, the strength of the national unity; thanks to it, morality, particularly the revolutionary morality, has made a great contribution to the success of the Vietnamese revolution. That is why, President Ho Chi Minh has always attached importance to education and training of morality in general as well as the revolutionary morality in particular for everybody, first of all, for the contingent of cadres and party members.

After all, the viewpoint of President Ho Chi Minh on the revolutionary morality comprises the following fundamental points:

Firstly, the quality of being loyal to the country, filial to the people.

According to President Ho Chi Minh, this is the most important quality, the most inclusive quality that governs other qualities. From the old concept of morality of “being loyal to the king, being filial to the parents” in the Oriental feudalist society, President Ho Chi Minh has introduced to it a new content which is much higher and larger: “being loyal to the country, being filial to the people”. He affirms: “Being loyal to the country, being filial to the people, every task can be fulfilled, every difficulty can be overcome, every enemy can be won” (2). This guidance of His is both the call for action and the political and moral orientation for every Vietnamese, and it is not only in the struggle for national independence, but also lasts forever.

Secondly, the love for human being.

President Ho Chi Minh talks about the love for human being in an all-round and  unique manner. He determines that the love for human being is the noblest quality in the moral sentiment of mankind. He has always reserved His immense love for the miserables, for the oppressed and exploited labouring people. In President Ho Chi Minh there lies His immense, profound and all-sided love for the compatriots, the comrades without making any differences of regions, areas, young or old, boys or girls and so on, but if being the patriotic Vietnamese, they always have a place in His benevolence. In His sacred Testament for generations, He instructs: “There must be the comradeship of mutual love” (3); each cadre and party member has to pay attention to the love for human being.

Thirdly, the qualities of being industrious, economical, incorruptible, impartial and disinterested.

According to President Ho Chi Minh, being industrious means working hard, deligently, creatively with plan, high productivity, with the spirit of self-reliance, without being lazy, without relying on others. Being economical means economizing the labour power, time and money of the people, of the country and of their own; it is necessary to be thrifty from what is big and what is small, because a lot of small things once accumulated they become the big things. Being economical also means having no extravagance, no squandering, no glitz, no formality, no binge and something like that. Being incorruptible means that the public property and the people’s assets must be always respected and guarded, not a penny, a paddy grain of the State and of the people can be transgressed; one must be pure, with no greediness, no avarice for position, for wealth, for a life of plenty, no desire for being fawned upon and thanks to it, one can be fair and upright and never become depraved. Being impartial means no debauchery, means frankness, decency; not having high opinion of oneself; one has to study hard and wishes to be progressive, always criticize oneself to develop the good things, to amend the bad things for oneself; no flattering of the superiors, no disdaining of the people at the lower level, always have the attitude of modesty, sincerity, unity, honesty without having any deceitfulness, any cheating; as for the work, the public work must be placed above the private work. Being disinterested means that “working for the common cause, placing the public interests above all else; no self-profit seeking, no working for one’s own benefits” (4). Whenever one does something, never thinks about oneself first, and when it comes to enjoyment, one is the last to come, one has “to give care to the people first and one is the last to enjoy”.

President Ho Chi Minh thinks that each people, particularly the people who have the posts that influence the society and community, has to always strive to cultivate, train and practice these four virtues: being industrious, economical, incorruptible, impartial and disinterested; if one lacks one virtue, one cannot be a human being.

Fourthly, the pure international spirit.

This is the proletarian international solidarity spirit, the unity spirit among the communists with the oppressed nations and the working pepple in the world, for which He had taken great pains to cultivate with His revolutionary actual activities and with the revolutionary cause of the whole nation. This is also the spirit of solidarity, cooperation and friendship of the Vietnamese people with the whole progressive people in the whole world, for the goal of peace, justice, social progress and national independence.

Highly valuating the role of the revo;lutionary morality, President Ho Chi Minh has put forth the criteria of a good cadre who must have talent and morality, in which morality is the root. It is He who has set the brilliant example of the revolutionary morality, the quintessence of all the best qualities of the Vietnamese and the noble qualities of the communist morality of Marxism-Leninism. The moral principles that He has pointed out have become the tremendous spiritual weapon of the entire nation of Vietnam in the struggle for independence, freedom and socialism, for peace, cooperatkon and friendship with all the nations in the world. Throughout 53 years of implementing His Testament, Ho Chi Minh thought about the revolutionary morality continues to be the torch to shine the path, to lead the revolutionary cause of our country, particularly in the current new context.

To continue to enhance education and training of the revolutionary morality for cadres and party members following Ho Chi Minh thought in the new context

President Ho Chi Minh points out: To let each cadre and party members always maintain their fine moral quality, be conscious of their revolutionary ideal, be firm in all conditions, in different social environment, then, together with the self-consciousness in training and striving, it is also necessary to have the help, inspection and supervision of the Party. Especially, in the condition that the Party has become the Party in power, so the building and revamping of the Party is considered by Him as the work that has to be carried out more regularly and continuously. With his especially sensitive political outlook, He has clearly recognized the inherent two-sided character of the power: On the one side, the power has very great strength to reform the old society, to build the new society if it is used correctly; on the other side, the power also has the terrible destructive force if the power-holding man is depraved and degenerated, falling into the path of desire for power, running after power, disputing for power; taking advantage of the power in order to usurp the power, to misuse the power, turning the people’s power into the privileges and special advantages. Therefore, the Party has to pay special attention to building and revamping the Party and renewing its leading mode so as to prevent, push back and continuously do away with all the evils caused by the degeneration of cadres and party members, in the conditions that the Party holds the power and leads the State and society comprehensively.

Through over 35 years of renovation, with the great achievements of historic significance, our country has never had such a career, potential, international position and prestige as today. The exercise of democracy in the Party and in the society has seen certain positive changes and the people’s rights to mastery has been brought into full play. The majority of cadres and party members have actively improved and trained their moral qualities, professional abilities; they are the vanguards, the ones who are exemplary, dynamic and creative in work, who play the key roles in the renovation. However, before the impacts of a lot of objective and subjective factors, in which there are the wrong sides and the active sides of the market economy, globalization, international integration, the scientfc and technolofical development and so on, a no small part of cadres and party members have got the expression of degeneration in the political ideology, morality and lifestyle.

At the the Party Congresses and the following plenums of the Party Central Committee, the Party has got the straightforward judgements of these dangers; in which prominent are the worrying manifestations: They are the manifestations of “self-evolution”, “self-transformation” within the Party, the ideology and confidence in the Party, in the socialist society have got faded. What is especially dangerous is the “emergence” of individualism, the selfish, self-seeking lifestyle, running after the materials values, disregarding the spiritual values; they only get things for themselves while they are indifferent, dodging their responsibilities with the Party, with the Fatherland and with the people. Loyalty (even in ideology, politics and morality) of no small number of cadres and party members has got seriously declined. Words do not go with deeds. There is the envy in position, the dispute over rights and powers, using all tricks and ploys to look for the relationshps, the linkage of unjust “group interests” which are “advantageous for themselves and harmful for other people”, using money gained from corruption to buy titles and posts, defying their sense of decency and morals. Corruption has existed for a long time and developed ever more complicatedly and sophisticatedly, causing twinges to the morality in the Party, thus weakening seriously the confidence of the people and society in the leadership of the Party and in the regime.

So, the state of declining in morality and lifestyle of a no small part of cadres and party members has caused a very serious consequence, thus doing harm to the prestige and the name of the Party and if it is not stopped and thoroughly pushed back, then it will make serious impacts on the existence of the Party, of the regime. The moods of the society and the wishes of the people are now that they earnestly wish, and at the same time, are strict to demand that the Party be pure and strong  that starts from morality. Cadres and party members have to prove in fact that with their work, behaviour and action, they are the moral people.

Having seen clearly that state of affairs, at the 12^th Party Congress, the Party has laid stress on the issue of building the Party in morality and this is one of the new points, very fundamental and important in expanding the content of building the Party: “To focus on implementing the goal: ‘To build the Party to be pure and strong in politics, ideology, organization and morality’” (5). For the first time, the Party has put the content of building the Party in morality – an important content in the Party building work – into the documents. The 13^th Party Congress, another constituent added in the Party building work is cadres: “In the coming years, a special importance must be attached to and enhanced further the comprehensive building and revamping of the Party in politics, ideology, morality, organization and cadres” (6). This is both the practical orientation and the guidance to assess the results of the current Party building and revamping.

In the time to come, to enhance the education and training of the revolutionmary morality for the contingent of cadres and party members following Ho Chi Minh thought, it is necessary to pay special attention to a number of contents as follows:

Firstly, all cadres and party mbmers have to be self-conscious to study, cultivate and train their revolutionary morality following Ho Chi Minh thought, morality and style. This has to be determined as the primary important measure, the regular and long task in the revolutionary cause of Vietnam. Education and self-education to improve awareness of cadres and party members concerning the revolutionary morality  must be carried out regularly and continuously.

Secondly, to improve the quality in the Party building and revamping work. This has been determined as the key link to implement the raising of the sense of responsibilities of cadres and party members, against individualism, words must go with deeds, overcome the state of degeneration in morality and lifestyle of a part of cadres and party members now.

To implement well this content, it is necessary to maintain the principle of organization and operation of the Party, to promote democracy in the Party, to carry out well self-criticism and criticism, to implement seriously all the resolutions and stipulations of the Party on fulfilling the task of setting example of cadres and party members, particularly the leader (7).

Thirdly, to attach importance to building the working regulations, clearly determining the rights and responsibilities of each individual and organization; at the same time, to enhance to inspection and supervision of the performance of functions and responsibilities of each individual and organization. On the one hand, to raise the sense of responsibilities of each cadre and party member, it is required, first of all, to determine clearly the responsibilities and tasks of each person, each organization so that the organization and unit can be able to operate effectively. The fact shows that there must be clear responsibilities and rights so that each individual can be able to make specific contributions to the organizations and “words will go with deeds” and take part in the collective unit against individualism. On the other hand, to encourage the spirit of responsibilities and limit the laziness, irresponsibilities, reliance on others, self-interest of cadres and party members, it is necessary to enhance the inspection and supervision of the implementation of the tasks and rights of cadres and party members. At the same time, to discover and treat in time the cadres and party members who commit behaviours and degeneration in morality, lifestyle, the opportunist and discontented elements, causing the internal disunity in the Party, violating the principles of the Party’s organization and activities.

Fourthly, to constantly perfect the mechanisms, policies and laws in combination with the further enhancement of strictness of the Party discipline and the law of the State. The process of the renovation, the proactiveness and activeness in international integration, in building the socialist rule-of-law State at present have made the request that it needs to be urgent to perfect the mechanisms, policies and laws to limit the “loopholes” that can be easily made use of; especially, it is necessary to intensify the discipline, the law of the country and the strictness of the law so as to consolidate the people’s confidence in the state agencies. At the same time, to enhance the promotion of democracy in the Party and carry out the discipline of the Party in a really strict way; to treat in time and openly the cadres and party members for their violations, in spite fo their posts and titles; to resolutely struggle against the vices in the Party.

Fifthly, to bring into full play the role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, the political and social organizations and the people of all strata in supervising cadres and civil servants. This is the solution which is both urgent and prolonged of the Party building, as well as the prevention of individualism and of the state of degeneration in morality and lifestyle of a part of cadres and party members now. Besides, it is necessary to promote the active side of the social public opinion, the mass media in the struggle to guard against corruption and negativities. To carry out well this solution will help make a contribution to educating and deterring cadres and party members, struggling against the state of degeneration in the political ideology, morality and lifestyle./.

-----------------------

(1) Ho Chi Minh: Complete works, the National Political Publishing House Sự Thật, Hanoi, 2011, tomb 15, p. 622

(2) Ho Chi Minh: Complete works, Ibid, tomb 14, p.619

(3) Ho Chi Minh: Complete works, Ibid, tomb 15, p. 622

(4) Nguyễn Phú  Trọng: “Striving to study, making great efforts to train constantly to follow the ideology, morality and lifestyle of President Hồ Chí Minh”, Communist Review, No. 968, June 2021, p. 5

(5) The documents of the 12^th Party Congress, the office of the Party Central Committee, Hanoi, 2016, p. 202

(6) The documents of the 13^th Party Congress, the National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, tomb I, p. 180

(7) Like: Provision No. 101-QĐ/TW, on June 7, 2012, of the Secretariat, “On responsibility to set an example of cadres and party members, particularly the key leading cadres at different levels”; Provision No. 08-QĐ/TW, on October 25, 2018, of the Party Central Committee, “On the responsibility to set an example of cadres and party members, first of all, the Politburo members, members of the Secretariat, members of the Party Central Committee”.

This article was published in the Communist Review No. 996 (August 2022)