Online dialogue on studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and style

 

This is a program of great significance to mark President Ho Chi Minh’s 127^th birthday (May 19^th), contributing to carrying out Directive 05-CT/TW dated May 15th, 2016 by the Politburo on increasing the studying and following of President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and style.

 

The guests will answer readers main contents of the President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and style as well as the application of the contents in Party building and rectification; clarifying why to need to increase the studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and style in the current period of Party building and rectification; the results of one year after the implementation of Directive 05-CT/TW; some issues relating to plans and solutions to realise the decree in the upcoming time.

The guests of the online dialogue include:

- Prof. Dr. Hoang Chi Bao, senior expert, former member of the Party Central Committee (PCC) Theoretical Council;

- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoa, Head of the unit working on Directive 05-CT/TW under the PCC Commission on Popularization and Education;

- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Ngoc Anh, Head of the Institute on Ho Chi Minh and Party leaders under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics;

- Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Manh Ha, former Head of the Institute of Party History under the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics;

- Prof. Dr. Mach Quang Thang, an excellent teacher from the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics.

The online dialogue also aims to accelerate the implementation of the PCC (term XII) 4^th meeting resolution on increasing Party building and rectification; preventing and pushing back degradation of political ideology, morality and lifestyle in the Party.

Readers can send questions throughout the dialogue to email trangtinhochiminh@gmail.com.

Dr. Nguyen Trong Hau:  Reader Dang Xuan Ma at xuanma@gmail.com raises a question for Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Ngoc Anh asking for the main values and contents of President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology. This is also the question raised by a large number of readers.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Ngoc Anh: We mention President Ho Chi Minh as a thinker and a theorist. Studying Uncle Ho’s ideology has been carried out a long time in the world as well as in Vietnam. For an overview, the contents of President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology can be approached as follows:

 

Firstly, President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology can be understood as a system of comprehensive and profound theoretical viewpoints on basic issues of the Vietnamese revolution, or foundation issues relating to the revolutionary way and driving force, the regime, ruling Party, State, humans and culture.

 

Secondly, President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology can be accessed as a system of general knowledge that includes 5 basic areas: humanities and social sciences, economics, politics, culture and humanitarian morality.

We agree with the viewpoint that President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology contains outstanding Vietnamese values and cultural ideology, as well as human beings’ cultural quintessence, with the most notable point being Marxism and Leninism; therefore, President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology has contents that are noble humanitarian values of the era.

It can be confirmed that the contents and values of President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology are a combination of our cultural quintessence and of the whole human beings. The Party viewpoints show that President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology is the invaluable asset that forever lightens the success of our people’s revolution.

Dr. Nguyen Trong Hau: Reader Nguyen Van Chat in Hanoi at address: Chatctdctctri@gmail.com asked about new points of Directive 05-CT/TW of the Politburo (term XII) on promoting the study and following of ideology, morality and style of President Ho Chi Minh. Could Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoa talk about this?
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoa: Dear comrades, the study and following of the example of Uncle Ho has so far been a continuous process over terms of the Party Congress: term IX has Directive 23 of the Secretariat requesting the speeding up of the study and following of the example and morality of the President in the new period, term X has Directive 06, term XI has Directive 03 and term XI has Directive 05.

 

Firstly, compared to Directive 03, Directive 05 asked us to study and follow not only the example but also the ideology of Uncle Ho. Compared to Directive 23 (14 years ago) on the origin, role and position of the Party leader, Directive 05 set new and higher requirements which define the study of the ideology as a firm foundation to contribute to bringing the building of Vietnamese culture and people to a new height.

 

Secondly, while Resolution of 4th PCC meeting (term XI) considered the study and following of Uncle Ho as the top solution, Directive 05 defined the study and following as a content which comprehensively connects with all other contents on ideology, politics and morality in every field of Party building task.

Thirdly, Directive 05 asked to consider the study and following as a regular task, but not a movement which must be implemented in every political mission as well as in daily life.

Fourthly, the Directive underlined the importance of setting an example in staff, party members, especially the leaders. People who hold high positions must think more to strive, build morality in public affairs and strictly solve pressing problems in society.

Lastly, in comparison with the previous Directives, Directive 05 does not have time limits, but we have a Directive with broader connotation, higher requirement and longer time.

Dr. Nguyen Trong Hau: Prof. Dr. Meritorious Teacher Mach Quang Thang! What did Uncle Ho recommend for cadres and Party members to prevent the risk of regression and degeneration? (A question from reader Hoang Thanh Tu in Mo Cay, Ben Tre, at the address: tuthanhbt@gmail.com)

Prof. Dr. Meritorious Teacher Mach Quang Thang: We see that Uncle Ho had repeatedly recommended cadres and Party members to prevent the risk of regression and degeneration. Though the study of Ho Chi Minh, we find some of following basic points:

First of all, Uncle Ho said that the cadres and Party members must grasp the basic aspect of the problem: Joining the Party is not to become a mandarin. Uncle Ho used to use popular words for theoretical issues. It related to the motives for joining the Party today. We find that many people apply for Party membership not to serve the ideals of the Party and career of the country. First of all, they want to be promoted.

The second, Uncle Ho recommended that the cadres and Party members should strive all their lives for the career in revolution of the Party and Homeland.

The third, Uncle Ho recommends the cadres and Party members to get rich in case it is legitimate, such as getting rich for country and homeland.

The fourth, Uncle Ho recommended the cadres and Party members to serve the people as servants.

The fifth, Uncle Ho recommends that cadres and Party members always self-improve and practice to raise their quality and capacity. Qualities and abilities are the synthesis of many factors in training in qualities, skills, and expertise.

The recommendations by Uncle Ho are always topical and meaningful issues.

Dr. Nguyen Trong Hau: Dear Prof. Dr. Hoang Chi Bao, not only training cadres, Party members and our Party, President Ho Chi Minh himself is a shining example of self-criticism, criticism to train himself. Vo Van Tan, a reader from Binh Dinh province, with email address: vantanvo.bd@gmail.com has submitted the question, please could you tell specific stories about Uncle Ho relating to this content?

Prof. Dr. Hoang Chi Bao: The reader from Binh Dinh province has asked a very practical question, which deserves to be popular. We know that, when Uncle Ho was still alive, he specially emphasized self-criticism and criticism, however we still have a habit to say "criticism, self-criticism".

For Uncle Ho, self-criticism is the expression of his sense of responsibility and being an example.  Relating to this content, there were many moving stories to set an example for all of us. He even said, "An alive mirror is worth more than hundreds of speeches".

During the resistance war against France, Uncle Ho knew the implementation of guidelines and policies of the Party in many localities wasn’t right. He timely sent letters to the people and cadres. In letters to the people, he wrote that he had known the matter and he was very heartbroken, he admitted his mistake before the people because he hadn’t taught cadres properly so that they did wrong. I would like the people to calm down, be restrained, and together with the government to correct the situation. In the letter to cadres, he criticized strictly. He asked to organize a meeting with the people, announced the letters he had sent and asked the cadres to apologize to the people and make specific activities to correct the situation, and then report to him and the Central Committee of the CPV. Through the above example, we should learn from him the motto of specific guidance by actions.

Another example is that the major event that occurred after the 2nd National Party Congress in 1951, when we advocated to reduce land rent and reform, we made mistakes. When discovering the mistake, the Central Committee of the CPV   under Ho Chi Minh's direct direction, had reviewed seriously. Uncle Ho publicly apologized to the people and said with senior leaders that if necessary he would resign. This showed that the sense of responsibility of Uncle Ho was very high. This will also be a reminder of the responsible spirit, a sense of self- criticism and bravery to face the truth, with respect for dignity and honour. These are big things relating to guidelines and policies.

Uncle Ho is also very great in daily life. He even said: In life, everyone experiences good and bad things. We must make the good things blossom as flowers in spring, and the bad things gradually fade away.

Uncle Ho’s self-criticism and criticism must be placed in Ho Chi Minh’s major practice system, including consistent implementation of theory and practice; implementation of democracy and this represents the identity of Uncle Ho; implementation of mass mobilization, without missing any issues relating to the people; implementation of unity, great unity to create success, great success; and implementation of revolutionary morality of diligence, thrift, honesty and righteousness.

Uncle Ho recognized that he himself had two shortcomings in daily life: One is smoking; and two is not getting married. He even said that there were two types of people without defects: one is in the womb; and two is lying in the coffin. Defects are normal when living and working. The Party was the same. The Party was formed by Party members from the nation and society, but it wasn’t from the sky. The Party also sometimes did wrongly, rightly and had defects. Obviously, Uncle Ho taught one thing: self-criticism must be as frequent as washing the face every day, to meet the responsibility and confidence of the people.

He said that smoking was a defect, whether or not it was a habit. Finally, he also carried out the physician’s guidance of quitting smoking.

According to him, it is only honest and objective when there is honest and serious criticism.

The moving stories about the daily life of Uncle Ho show his humility and responsibility. He didn’t receive any medal, because he said that he didn’t deserve to get a medal. Uncle Ho’s sacrifice, great magnitude, nobleness were shown as the Party talked about him in his memorial ceremony 48 years ago.

Dr. Nguyen Trong Hau: We have received many questions from the community of Vietnamese students abroad, as well as overseas Vietnamese in Poland at nhoquehuong@gmail.com; overseas Vietnamese in Russia at nguoiviet@gmail.com, overseas Vietnamese in France at conlachauhong@gmail.com, overseas Vietnamese in Cuba at vietcuba@gmail.com, and overseas Vietnamese in Laos at toquocviet@gmail.com. All want to know how to search information about studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, morality and style, so that party committees in foreign countries can exchange, study, draw experience and apply in the near future.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoa: First of all, I highly appreciate the sentiments of overseas Vietnamese who have always directed thoughts to the country, and I would like you to learn experiences for the implementation of Directive 05.

I would like to give a short answer as following: The Communist Party of Vietnam Online Newspaper has a special page on studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s example in morality, and items in documents and archives. They provide official information about President Ho Chi Minh’s life, career, ideology, morality and works; update news on the implementation of Directive 05 in all localities and units nationwide, conferences of the Politburo, the Secretariat, the Party Central Committee’s Commission of Popularization and Education. The Vietnam Television also broadcast the exchange on outstanding people studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s example in morality and style on VTV1 channel. You can learn a lot from these examples.

In addition, you can access local portals that update activities, conferences and examples of studying and following Uncle Ho.