During his lifetime, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong devoted his time and affection to all provinces and cities in ethnic minority and mountainous areas. From these trips, the General Secretary, together with the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Central Executive Committee, developed strategic and breakthrough theories in solving ethnic issues.
General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visited a Thai ethnic household in Sang village, Quang Chieu commune, Muong Lat district, Thanh Hoa province (Photo: Document).
Our hearts ached to hear of the passing of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
As a journalist who has been following ethnic affairs and ethnic minority and mountainous areas for many years and as a lecturer of Party History, the two of us sat at our desks, turned on our computers and looked up information about the visits and work of the Comrade in 52 provinces and cities in the region as a way to commemorate the General Secretary.
Our research shows that: In 12 years, from 2011 to 2023, the General Secretary visited all 52 provinces and cities of ethnic minority and mountainous areas. We truly admire and respect the extraordinary working capacity of the head of our Party. Despite being extremely busy with countless domestic and foreign affairs of the country and the head of the ruling Party, even when he was over 79 years old, the General Secretary still took time to return to ethnic minority areas. From those trips, the General Secretary, together with the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Central Executive Committee, continued to lead the implementation of the correct guidelines on ethnic issues and ethnic work of our Party, while at the same time developing strategic and breakthrough theories in this field.
General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong learns about the economic development model from tea trees of ethnic minorities in Ban Bo commune, Tam Duong district, Lai Chau province (Photo: Document).
Close to the people, listen to the people's voices, and seek development directions with the people
During his visits to ethnic minority and mountainous areas, there were trips arranged by the local authorities, and there were trips where the General Secretary went directly to the people before working with local leaders. Regardless of the method, most of the places that the General Secretary directly visited were communes and villages with extremely difficult circumstances, with a very high percentage of ethnic minority people and poor households. That shows the boundless love of the General Secretary for ethnic minority people in the most remote, poorest and most difficult places. And the handshakes and bright smiles when welcoming the General Secretary were extremely beautiful images, showing the people's feelings about the simplicity, closeness, sincerity, always being close to the people, listening to the voice of the people of the leader of our Party.
We can recall the General Secretary's trip to Kham I village (Trung Ly commune) of the Mong ethnic group; Sang village (Quang Chieu commune) of the Thai ethnic group in Muong Lat district, Thanh Hoa province in 2011; the trip to the ethnic minorities: Co Tu, Ta Oi, Pa Hy, Pa Ko in the highland commune of Hong Ha, mountainous district of A Luoi, Thua Thien Hue province; the trip to the Raglai ethnic group in Phuoc Dai commune, poor district of Bac Ai, Ninh Thuan province in 2014; the trip to the people of Ayun commune (Chu Se district, Gia Lai province) - where 100% of the population are ethnic minorities, of which 88% of households are in particularly difficult circumstances in 2017...
In the places he visited, in a friendly, open and democratic atmosphere, the General Secretary spent a lot of time talking with the people about production and life... The General Secretary always observed closely and shared the joy of the people with each achievement. "I see that the administrative headquarters are simple but the schools, clinics, and roads are solid and clean... that is really commendable; seeing the enthusiasm and joy of the cadres and people here", the General Secretary confided to the people of Hong Ha commune, A Luoi district, Thua Thien Hue province.
In the places he visited, the General Secretary always advised people on specific, familiar actions that were easy for everyone to understand and follow, such as: not to indulge in alcohol or gambling, not to get married early or incestuously, and to practice family planning...
In the places he visited, he was happy with the people for each achievement, but what the General Secretary always worried about was why the poverty rate among ethnic minorities is still very high compared to the national average. The General Secretary discussed, analyzed, and thoroughly understood the causes with the people to propose solutions. For example, in Ayun commune, he agreed with the people that the lack of water was one of the causes leading to the difficult situation. The General Secretary emphasized: "We must solve the irrigation problem, here it is drinking water and especially production water"; at the same time, he directed to speed up the construction project of Plei Keo irrigation works, creating conditions for people to have water for daily life and production, first of all serving the production of 500 hectares of agricultural land.
Together with the people, to find out the objective causes, the General Secretary also suggested many solutions for the people to escape poverty sustainably. That is, it is necessary to improve the people's knowledge, change the way of thinking, the way of doing, have a strong will to rise up, and not accept poverty. "In the commune's report, there were a series of campaigns, in which I noticed a campaign to change the way of thinking and working among ethnic minorities, to gradually escape poverty sustainably. We must renew ourselves, improve our level, rise up, think further" - the General Secretary's profound advice is not only true for the people of Ayun commune but also suitable for ethnic minorities in all regions of the country and will always remain relevant over time.
General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong was simple, close and kind when visiting the life of war invalid Dinh Phi in Tung Ke 2 village, Ayun commune, Chu Se district, Gia Lai province (Photo: Le Tri Dung - VNA).
To historic decisions for sustainable development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas
As a Professor, Doctor of Political Science specializing in Party Building and since January 2011 becoming the head of the Communist Party of Vietnam - the Party founded and trained by President Ho Chi Minh, to continue the ideals and revolutionary career of the beloved Uncle, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong regularly studies Ho Chi Minh's thought. During his lifetime, in a speech at the Conference of Mountainous Cadres, President Ho Chi Minh emphasized: "The policy of our Party and Government towards the mountainous areas is very correct. In that policy, the two most important things are: National unity and improving the lives of our compatriots".
In 2018, our Party decided to summarize 15 years of implementing Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW dated March 12, 2003 of the 7th Conference of the 9th Central Executive Committee on ethnic work in the new situation. The process of summarizing from the grassroots level shows that ethnic work still has many shortcomings and limitations. Some important goals set out in the Resolution have not been achieved. Compared to the general development of the whole country and each locality, the lives of ethnic minorities still face many difficulties, the socio-economic development is slow; the rate of poor and near-poor households and the risk of falling back into poverty is high; the gap between rich and poor tends to increase. Backward customs, practices, and superstitions are slow to be overcome; there are still potential complications in terms of political security, order, and social safety.
After completing the summary, in 2019, the Politburo, headed by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, issued Conclusion No. 65-KL/TW dated October 30, 2019 on continuing to implement Resolution No. 24-NQ/TW of the 7th Conference of the 9th Central Executive Committee on ethnic work in the new situation. The Conclusion requested the National Assembly Party Delegation and the Government Party Committee to lead the development of the Overall Project on socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas and the National Target Program on sustainable socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021 - 2030.
Under the leadership of the Party, which is regularly and directly led by the Politburo, the Secretariat and General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, on the basis of Conclusion No. 65-KL/TW of the Politburo, at the 8th Session of the 14th National Assembly, Resolution No. 88/QH14 dated November 18, 2019 approved the Overall Project on socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the period 2021 - 2030. The Project has institutionalized the Party's viewpoints, policies and guidelines on socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas; institutionalized the provisions of Article 5 of the 2013 Constitution: "All ethnic groups are equal, united, respect and help each other to develop together. The State implements a policy of comprehensive development and creates conditions for ethnic minorities to promote their internal strength and develop together with the country".
Then, on June 19, 2020, at the 9th Session, the 14th National Assembly passed Resolution No. 120/2020/QH14 approving the investment policy of the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period, as a basis for the Prime Minister to approve the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period on October 14, 2021, for the Prime Minister to approve the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development in Ethnic Minority and Mountainous Areas for the 2021-2030 period, Phase I from 2021-2025.
In January 2021, the 13th National Congress of the Party was held. The General Secretary is the Head of the Document Subcommittee. The General Secretary's leadership ideology on ethnic issues and ethnic work for the period 2021 - 2025 is expressed in the Congress Document, which is: "Focus on perfecting and implementing well ethnic policies in all fields, especially specific policies to solve the difficulties of ethnic minorities. Create livelihoods, jobs, stable settlement for ethnic minorities, especially in remote, isolated and border areas. Focus on effectively implementing the National Target Program on Socio-Economic Development of Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas for the period 2021 - 2030. Protect and develop the population of ethnic minorities with less than 10,000 people, especially ethnic minorities at risk of ethnic decline".
Not long after the 13th Congress, on the occasion of the 131st anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2021) and the election of deputies to the 15th National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the 2021-2026 term, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong wrote an important article: "Some theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path to socialism in Vietnam". In the article, the General Secretary analyzed and stated clearly: one of the characteristics of the socialist society that the Vietnamese people are striving to build is that "the ethnic groups in the Vietnamese community are equal, united, respect and help each other to develop together"...
To promote equality and solidarity among ethnic groups, under the leadership of the Party's leading theorist - General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, from 2019 to 2021, the system of viewpoints and guidelines on ethnic issues, ethnic work, and ethnic policies of our Party has been continuously improved. Perhaps it is the working trips to the provinces of ethnic minority and mountainous areas, directly witnessing the difficulties that the people are still struggling to overcome, combined with a kind heart, wholeheartedly loving the people, so that in the position of the head of the Party, the General Secretary is the core leader in forming and developing a breakthrough viewpoint, that is, investing in socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas is investing in the sustainable development of the country. This breakthrough viewpoint has created the premise for the National Assembly and the Prime Minister to issue particularly important and historically significant decisions in a short period of time from 2019 to 2021, strongly demonstrating the viewpoint and determination to implement Ho Chi Minh's ideology so that "the mountainous areas can catch up with the lowlands", creating new momentum and opportunities for the ethnic minority and mountainous areas to develop comprehensively and sustainably.
From the Party's leadership, headed by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the Party and State's care for ethnic minority and mountainous areas is increasingly profound, demonstrated through an unprecedented "huge" figure, estimated at about 137 trillion VND to implement the National Target Program on socio-economic development of ethnic minority and mountainous areas in phase I from 2021 - 2025.
Up to now, after more than 3 years of implementation, the average poverty reduction rate in ethnic minority areas has reached 3.4% (reaching over 3% of the assigned plan target). The rate of communes with asphalt or concrete roads to the commune center has reached 98.6%. The rate of villages with hardened roads to the center has reached 89.5% (exceeding the 70% assigned plan target). The rate of solidly built schools and classrooms has reached 91.4%. The rate of solidly built health stations has reached 95.7%. The rate of households using the national grid and other suitable power sources has reached 98.9%. The rate of ethnic minority people using hygienic water for daily life has reached 94% (exceeding the 90% assigned plan target). The rate of ethnic minority people watching television has reached 94.9%. The rate of ethnic minorities listening to the radio reached 94%... Equality among ethnic groups was basically guaranteed; solidarity among ethnic groups continued to be consolidated. The grassroots political system was strengthened, the staff was improved, better meeting requirements and tasks. National defense, security, and politics were maintained and stabilized; the great national unity bloc was strengthened... These achievements show that the characteristics of Vietnam's socialist society are gradually being realized in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
Due to the nature of our work, we regularly have to monitor information related to the Party's policies and guidelines on ethnic issues, ethnic affairs, ethnic policies and ethnic minority and mountainous areas, so we have the opportunity to see hundreds and thousands of photos reflecting the General Secretary's trips to the people. We are particularly impressed with the photo "General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visits and presents gifts to the families of war invalids in Gia Lai province" by author Le Tri Dung - Vietnam News Agency. The photo captures a moment during General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's working trip to Gia Lai on April 12, 2017.
As the author shared: "I took this photo when the General Secretary visited the family of war invalid Dinh Phi, a policy family with especially difficult circumstances in Tung Ke 2 village, Ayun commune. The image of the highest leader of the Party sitting simply on the doorstep, holding hands, giving gifts and kindly asking about the life of war invalid Dinh Phi made a strong impression on the local people and the working delegation because of his closeness, intimacy and attachment to the people. The work sent a message about the attachment between the Party and the people. The closer, the simpler, the more sincere the people trust the Party."
We also remember our working trip to the core area of Na Hau Nature Reserve in the particularly difficult commune of Na Hau, Van Yen district, Yen Bai province. There, we met Mr. Giang A Chau - who has been the Secretary and Chairman of the Commune People's Committee for more than 20 years, the "old tree" of the Mong ethnic people here. Mr. Chau firmly affirmed that the commune has invested in building a medical station, a standard school, and asphalted roads, creating favorable conditions for people to develop the economy, trade, and travel conveniently. The people are living happier and happier lives. All thanks to the ethnic policies of the Party and the State.
General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has left this world to join Marx, Lenin and President Ho Chi Minh. However, the erudition in researching, developing and correctly applying the theories on solving ethnic issues of his predecessors is the precious legacy that the General Secretary left us. That legacy is being carried out by our entire Party, army and people to open up a new and better future for the ethnic minority and mountainous areas on the path of sustainable development.
I would like to express my gratitude and respectfully bow before a great personality, a person who has devoted his whole life to serving the Fatherland and the People; a great heart that always strives to make the rapid and sustainable development of the ethnic minority and mountainous areas a reality.
Journalist Phuong Lien - Dr. Ly Thi Thu/dangcongsan.vn
Source: https://baophutho.vn/dau-an-cua-tong-bi-thu-nguyen-phu-trong-voi-dong-bao-dan-toc-thieu-so-216199.htm
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