76 years since Uncle Ho issued the Call for Patriotic Emulation: Emulation must be for patriotism

During his lifetime, President Ho Chi Minh often spent time reading, commenting and directly approving news and articles of VNA. Photo: VNA archive

Compete for independence, freedom and happiness

President Ho Chi Minh called for: The duty of the Vietnamese people, regardless of whether they are scholars, farmers, workers, merchants, or soldiers; whatever they do, they must compete with each other: Do it quickly; Do it well; Do it a lot. Every Vietnamese person, regardless of age, gender, rich or poor, big or small, must become a fighter on the fronts: Military, economic, political, and cultural.

According to Uncle Ho, emulation aims at a noble goal: National independence; Civil rights and freedom; People's happiness.

Patriotic emulation, once deeply rooted and widespread in all aspects and among all classes of people, will help us eliminate all difficulties and all enemy plots to achieve final victory.

Uncle Ho's Appeal created new vitality for the emulation movements launched before and promoted the birth of many practical and effective movements, contributing greatly to the victory of the resistance war against the French.

Responding to the slogan "All for the front, all for victory", hundreds of thousands of young men and women enthusiastically signed up to join the army or went to the militia to serve the front... contributing to the glorious Dien Bien Phu battle on May 7, 1954, ending the victory of the resistance war against the invading French colonialists.

After 1954, patriotic emulation movements continued to be implemented, especially after the Central Party Secretariat issued a Resolution on "Promoting patriotic emulation movements" in 1961.

In the North, there was a "Three best" movement in the army: First in military training and technical training; First in exemplary behavior and discipline; First in labor and production.

In the agricultural sector, there is the “Gio Dai Phong” movement, the emulation movement “Learning, catching up with and surpassing Dai Phong cooperative”: Improving techniques and increasing productivity; increasing crops and reclaiming land; developing many industries and occupations; improving cooperative management; strengthening political and ideological work in cooperatives.

In the industrial sector, there is the “Coastal Wave” movement: Rationalizing production; improving techniques.

In the field of education, there is a movement called "Two Goods" (Good Teaching; Good Learning) following the typical example of Bac Ly Secondary School (Ly Nhan district, Ha Nam province).

In the youth force, there are the movements “Three ready” and “Five volunteers”. Women have the movement “Three capable”…

In the South, the movements "Stick to the land and protect the village", "Don't move an inch, don't move a millimeter", "Kill the enemy and make achievements", "Brave warriors destroy the Americans", "Find the Americans to fight, find the puppets to destroy"...

The emulation movements in both regions made their worthy contributions to the Great Spring Victory of 1975, completely liberating the South and unifying the country.

During the renovation period (1986), especially after the Law on Emulation and Commendation (2003) and the implementation of Directive No. 39-CT/TW dated May 21, 2004 of the Politburo (9th tenure) "on continuing to innovate, promote patriotic emulation movements, discover, foster, summarize and replicate advanced models", many new patriotic emulation movements have emerged.

Typical movements include: "The whole country joins hands to build new rural areas"; "The whole country joins hands for the poor", "Vietnamese enterprises integrate and develop" and "Cadres, civil servants and public employees compete to practice office culture"...

The working force has the movement "Good workers, creative workers".

In rural areas, there is a movement of "Farmers competing in production and business, uniting to help each other get rich and sustainably reduce poverty".

The team of workers, civil servants, veterans, youth and students have the movements of "Loyalty, creativity, dedication, exemplary"; "Emulation to teach well, study well"; "Women actively study, work creatively, build happy families"; "Exemplary veterans"; "Accompanying young people to establish themselves and their careers"; "Volunteer students"...

In the army, there is a movement called “Emulation to win”. In the police force, there is a movement called “People’s Police learn and practice the six teachings of Uncle Ho”...

Eliminate virtual values in competition

Also in June, but 74 years after the Patriotic Emulation Call, on June 15, 2022, the National Assembly of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam promulgated the (new) Law on Emulation and Commendation, effective from January 1, 2024.

The principles of emulation are voluntary, self-conscious, public, transparent; solidarity, cooperation and mutual development.

The principles of reward are accuracy, openness, transparency, fairness and timeliness.

Therefore, we need to condemn some deviant phenomena such as formal competition, competition for virtual values, and fake achievements in order to seek fame and profit.

Showing off, exaggerating achievements, and chasing titles are not only useless because they do not contribute anything to society, but are also harmful, causing moral degradation among cadres and party members. In recent years, there have been leaders at all levels who have been disciplined and criminally prosecuted not long after being awarded emulation titles.

What is more dangerous is that unfair and objective rewards cause a number of cadres, party members and the masses to lose faith in the nature of emulation and reduce their enthusiasm for participating in patriotic emulation movements.

Resolution No. 04-NQ/TW of the Party Central Committee dated June 30, 2016 on strengthening Party building and rectification; preventing and repelling the degradation of political ideology, morality, lifestyle, and manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" within the Party clearly stated: The degradation of political ideology, morality, and lifestyle of a significant number of cadres and Party members has not been repelled, and in some cases, it has become more sophisticated and complicated; corruption, waste, and negativity are still serious, concentrated among Party members holding positions in the state apparatus.

In the section on identifying signs of moral and lifestyle degradation, there are signs of achievement disease, thirst for fame, showing off, hiding shortcomings, exaggerating achievements, polishing one's reputation; liking to be exalted and praised; "running for achievements", "running for rewards", "running for titles".

President Ho Chi Minh's call for emulation closely links "emulation" with "patriotism". The motivation for emulation is "only when you love your country can you compete" and the purpose of emulation is "emulation for patriotism". Separating "patriotism" from "emulation", emulation is only for achievements, for virtual values, which is harmful to the patriotism of the entire people.

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