To express deep gratitude and determination to successfully realize the wishes of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong on resolutely and persistently fighting against individualism, preventing and combating corruption and negativity; Politburo member, Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Internal Affairs Commission, Deputy Head of the Central Steering Committee on preventing and combating corruption and negativity, Deputy Head of the Central Steering Committee for Judicial Reform Phan Dinh Trac wrote an article : "Deeply grasping the thoughts and viewpoints of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong - Continuing to promote the prevention and combat of corruption and negativity, contributing to building our Party and State increasingly clean and strong".
The World & Vietnam Newspaper respectfully introduces the article:
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| General Secretary and President Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at the National Conference reviewing anti-corruption work in the 2013-2020 period (Hanoi, December 12, 2020). (Source: VNA) |
Throughout his revolutionary career, regardless of his position or field of work, from when he was a young cadre to when he held the position of Party and State leader, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has always been concerned with the work of Party building and rectification, and the fight against corruption and negativity. In particular, with the responsibility of Head of the Central Steering Committee on corruption and negativity prevention and control, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has led and directed closely and decisively, with many extremely important viewpoints and policies, with profound theoretical and practical values, demonstrating the vision, mettle, intelligence, humanity, benevolence, and persuasiveness of the leader of our Party.
With the resolute, persistent, unceasing, non-stop leadership and direction, without any forbidden areas or exceptions, strict but very humane, and exemplary revolutionary ethics, the consistency between words and actions, actions go hand in hand with words of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity has been carried out very resolutely, methodically, comprehensively, in-depth, achieving many very important results, creating positive effects, spreading strongly throughout society, leaving a deep impression on cadres, party members, people and international friends.
Comrade General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong - an exceptionally outstanding leader, exemplary in qualities, talent, intelligence, and mettle of a loyal communist soldier, who devoted his whole life to the country and the people, has left us, but the thoughts and viewpoints of the General Secretary will forever be the "compass" for the actions of our entire Party, army, and people. More than ever, Party committees, Party organizations, and each of our cadres and Party members need to thoroughly grasp the thoughts and guiding viewpoints of Comrade General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, continue to promote the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity, contributing to building our Party and State increasingly clean and strong.
Corruption is "a congenital defect of power"; the fight against negative corruption is a necessary, inevitable task, an irreversible trend; it must be carried out regularly, resolutely, persistently, continuously, without rest, with high determination, concrete and drastic actions and "if anyone feels discouraged, step aside and let someone else do it"
With rich practical experience and sharp theoretical thinking, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has pointed out that corruption is "a congenital defect of power", it takes place within us, carried out by people with positions and authority; preventing and combating corruption and negativity is a struggle within each individual, in their own agency, organization, unit, and locality, related to material interests, money, position, honor, and reputation of organizations and individuals; affecting people with positions and authority.
Our Party and State have seen it early and have directed it to be done many times, resolutely, but there is still much work to be done and it must be done in the long term, more resolutely, with greater determination, persistence, perseverance, and cannot be hasty. The General Secretary requested that we must not be subjective or hasty, but also must not avoid or hold back, but must carry out regularly, continuously, resolutely, persistently, without stopping, without slowing down, or slacking off in the fight against corruption and negativity.
Even when the Central Steering Committee on Anti-Corruption was established, he also noted: The Steering Committee is not a "magic wand" that can immediately change the situation. From that, the General Secretary often reminded us to be deeply aware of the risks and harms of corruption, which paralyze the fighting spirit, damage the reputation, erode the prestige of the Party, and degenerate the Party, not only losing money and property, but also losing people and the regime. Therefore, the General Secretary affirmed: "The fight against corruption is a necessary and inevitable task; an irreversible trend", no matter how difficult it is, we must find every way to do it, do it by all means, do it to the end, "if anyone feels discouraged, step aside and let someone else do it".
The General Secretary believes that if all of us, from top to bottom, have great determination, high unity, drastic and feasible implementation measures, close direction with a correct, sober, calm, non-extremist way of thinking, not allowing bad forces to take advantage, distort, incite, and sabotage, then corruption and negativity will definitely be prevented and gradually pushed back. And when "the furnace is hot, even fresh wood will burn".
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| General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong chairs the 24th meeting of the Central Steering Committee on anti-corruption and anti-negativity. (Source: VNA) |
Degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle - the fundamental cause of corruption; must link anti-corruption with anti-negativity; link anti-corruption and negativity with Party building and rectification and the political system, and socio-economic development
Along with identifying the nature and harm of corruption, the General Secretary pointed out the objective and subjective causes of corruption and affirmed that it is mainly due to subjective causes and our own faults. In particular, the General Secretary emphasized that the fundamental and direct cause of corruption is the degradation of political ideology, morality, and lifestyle; ultimately, it is due to the inability to overcome individualism.
This is the root, the most dangerous thing that leads to corruption; on the contrary, corruption makes the degradation of political ideology, morality, and lifestyle more serious. Therefore, it is necessary to combine the prevention and fight against corruption with the prevention and fight against negativity, with the focus being on the prevention and fight against degradation of political ideology, morality, and lifestyle; if we only prevent and fight against corruption in terms of money and assets, it is not enough; money and assets can be recovered, but if there is degradation in morality and ideology, everything is lost; preventing and fighting negativity means getting to the root of corruption.
At the same time, the General Secretary requested that the fight against corruption and negativity must be linked to Party building and rectification, and socio-economic development; it is not necessary to close the door to rectify the Party; the fundamental issue in the fight against corruption and negativity is to prevent it early and from afar, with the focus on Party building and rectification, especially preventing and combating ideological, moral, and lifestyle degradation among cadres and party members; special attention must be paid to and emphasis placed on cadre work.
Consistent with the motto of no forbidden zones, no exceptions, no matter who the person is; very strict but also very humane, treating illnesses and saving people
During his leadership of the revolution, Lenin made it clear that corrupt communist party members must be "punished mercilessly, including by shooting," and that non-party members must be "punished three times more severely." President Ho Chi Minh upheld the death sentence for Colonel Tran Du Chau, Director of the Military Logistics Department, as a typical example of strictness in dealing with corruption.
Thoroughly grasping and creatively applying Marxism-Leninism, Ho Chi Minh thought and international experience, the General Secretary affirmed: The purpose of dealing with corruption and negativity is to cure diseases and save people, to discipline a few people to save thousands, warning, deterring, educating and preventing are the main things.
From there, the General Secretary requested to resolutely and severely handle corrupt and negative acts, but with reason, emotion, humanity, and kindness, with the principle: All cadres, party members, civil servants, and public employees in any working position who commit violations must be promptly, strictly, and publicly handled, strictly from top to bottom, with no forbidden areas, no empty areas, no exceptions, no privileges, regardless of who the person is, without pressure from any organization or individual; if there is a case, it must be verified and clarified; actively, urgently, and clearly handled to the extent possible; if there are signs of a crime, an investigation must be initiated and if a crime is concluded, it must be prosecuted and tried according to the provisions of the law; if the case has not yet reached the level of criminal prosecution, it must be strictly disciplined according to the regulations of the Party, State, and organizations.
The handling process must be carried out synchronously between Party disciplinary action, State administrative discipline, organization discipline and criminal handling; Party discipline is implemented first, creating the premise for administrative discipline, organization discipline and criminal handling; Party discipline is more strict than legal handling. Not only serious acts of corruption and negativity must be strictly handled, but also those who condone, cover up and assist corruption and negativity; those who take advantage of the fight against corruption and negativity to distort, incite, divide and sabotage the Party and the State.
At the same time, in directing the handling of corruption and negativity, the General Secretary always requires that the handling must be strict, but also very humane: It is necessary to detect early, handle from the beginning, not to let small violations accumulate into big violations; must take education, deterrence, and prevention as the main thing, combining punishment with leniency; in handling, it is necessary to thoroughly grasp objective, comprehensive, historical, and specific viewpoints, distinguishing between those who commit violations due to personal motives and those who commit violations without personal motives and without personal motives; must prosecute and try in absentia criminals who are on the run according to the law; the strict handling of many officials, including high-ranking officials who commit violations, is something that no one wants, even very painful, very heartbreaking, but for the common cause, for the strictness of Party discipline, the rule of law of the State, the purity, strength and prestige of the Party, the State and the will of the People, we must do it and resolutely do it.
These are the guiding thoughts and viewpoints throughout the process of detecting and handling corruption and negativity of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong; thoroughly grasped and seriously implemented by Party committees, Party organizations and functional agencies, bringing about clear results in practice, creating new breakthroughs, being bright spots and outstanding marks in the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity in recent times.
Linking anti-corruption and negativity with power control, "locking" power in an institutional "cage"
Power is always at risk of "degeneration", corruption is "the inborn defect of power". Therefore, the guiding viewpoint of the General Secretary is to effectively control the exercise of power, to ensure that power is operated publicly, transparently, correctly, in accordance with the principle: All power must be strictly controlled by mechanisms, must be bound by responsibility, with power comes responsibility, the higher the power, the greater the responsibility; taking advantage of and abusing power must be prosecuted and strictly handled.
The General Secretary requested: Leaders at all levels must remember that no one has absolute power outside the law; anyone who uses power must serve the people, be responsible to the people, and voluntarily submit to the people's supervision. Public funds belong to the public, so not even a penny or a cent can be spent indiscriminately; public power is for the people, so there must be no personal gain; one must be truly impartial, distinguish public from private, public first and private later, for the public while forgetting private; everything must originate from the people, for the people. Absolutely do not abuse or take advantage of power, do not rely on power to turn straight into crooked. Those who are assigned positions and powers must constantly cultivate, practice, regularly self-reflect and self-correct.
On the part of agencies and organizations, we must pay attention to tightening discipline, using strict discipline and strict supervision so that cadres and party members know how to preserve, remember prohibitions, and keep limits; we must strengthen supervision and effectively control the exercise of power by those in positions of authority; in personnel work and specialized, closed, and secret fields, we must pay more attention to inspection, supervision, and control of power, especially inspection and supervision from the outside; at the same time, we must publicize the process of using and exercising power according to the law for cadres and the people to supervise. From there, the General Secretary requested to urgently complete and strictly implement mechanisms on power control; to establish a mechanism for the people to supervise and control power that is truly effective and efficient; to "lock" power in a "cage" of mechanisms.
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| Cover of the book Resolutely and persistently fighting against corruption and negativity, contributing to building our Party and State increasingly clean and strong. (Source: National Political Publishing House Truth) |
Controlling power, practicing integrity and preventing and combating corruption and negativity must first be carried out seriously and effectively within anti-corruption and negativity agencies.
Agencies with the function of preventing and combating corruption and negativity are agencies that are assigned a lot of power, have many specific, complex and secretive activities; and often face negative aspects in society, making it easy for cadres and civil servants to fall and be bribed. Therefore, the General Secretary requires that more than anyone else, the agencies with the function of preventing and combating corruption and negativity and the cadres doing this work must be honest and clean; they cannot "With their own feet still covered in dirt/ Hold a torch to rub other people's feet".
Therefore, preventing and combating corruption and negativity must first be carried out seriously and effectively in the agencies that prevent and combat corruption and negativity. For the cadres working on preventing and combating corruption and negativity, the General Secretary set higher demands on responsibility and courage, with extremely profound and profound advice: "Must have a heart filled with revolutionary enthusiasm, ready to act for the country and the people; have a head full of courage and intelligence to overcome any difficulty, defeat any enemy; have strong legs and clean hands to stand firm, stand straight and reject all trivial temptations, maintain the honor of a cadre...; "as long as the Party exists, we exist", worthy of being the sharp "sword", the solid steel "shield" of the Party, the State and the People".
Even for the comrades who are members of the Steering Committee for the Prevention and Combat of Corruption and Negativity, the General Secretary also requested that they uphold their responsibilities, be truly exemplary models, resolutely fight against corruption and negativity, have enough courage, qualities, and qualifications to be worthy of the trust, affection, and aspirations of the people; if anyone is involved in corruption or negativity, "I" (the Party and the State) will deal with them first.
Consistently implement the "four no's" mechanism in preventing and combating corruption and negativity: "cannot", "don't dare", "don't want", "don't need" corruption and negativity.
To achieve the goal of preventing and repelling corruption and negativity, the General Secretary directed: It is necessary to build a strict prevention mechanism so that corruption and negativity "cannot" occur; a strict deterrent and punishment mechanism so that corruption and negativity "do not dare" occur; and a guarantee mechanism so that corruption and negativity "do not want" or "do not need" to occur. This is both a comprehensive viewpoint and motto in preventing and combating corruption and negativity, and at the same time, it is also one of the valuable lessons learned by the General Secretary through more than 10 years of directly leading and directing the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity.
To effectively implement the "four no's" motto, according to the General Secretary, it is necessary to perfect the institutions in the fields of socio-economics, anti-corruption and negativity, Party building and the political system must be very strict, without loopholes or shortcomings, so that "corruption and negativity cannot be committed"; timely and strictly detect and handle acts of corruption and negativity, without forbidden areas or exceptions, so that "no daring to commit corruption and negativity"; build a culture of integrity, no corruption and negativity into a way of life for cadres, party members, civil servants, public employees and all classes of people, so that "no corruption and negativity is desired"; implement a regime and remuneration policy appropriate to the contributions and talents of cadres, civil servants and public employees, so that "no corruption and negativity is needed".
Mobilizing the strength of the entire political system, relying on the people, building a solid "people's hearts" position in preventing and fighting corruption and negativity
During his revolutionary activities and leadership, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has always thoroughly grasped the invaluable historical lesson "the people are the root"; truly believed in, respected and promoted the people's right to mastery; tightened the relationship with the people, listened to their opinions, and relied on the people. Practice has shown that there is nothing that the people do not know, nothing that can be hidden from the people; only by fully promoting the people's strength can we push back corruption and negativity, creating an irreversible "movement and trend".
Therefore, the General Secretary repeatedly emphasized: The great strength and driving force of the fight against corruption and negativity is the consensus, support, response, and active participation of the people and the entire political system and the press, with the core being the agencies with the functions of preventing and combating corruption and negativity, such as internal affairs, inspection, auditing, investigation, prosecution, trial, and execution. Without relying on the people, the fight against corruption can hardly succeed.
The General Secretary cited the valuable teachings of President Ho Chi Minh to remind Party committees, Party organizations, cadres and Party members to deeply remember and implement: "We must know how to rely on the people, listen to the people, whatever the masses welcome and support, we must be determined to do and do it at all costs; on the contrary, whatever the people do not agree with, even hate and oppose, we must resolutely prevent, correct and strictly handle violations"; "must make the masses despise corruption, waste and bureaucracy; turn tens of thousands, millions of vigilant eyes and ears of the masses into spotlights shining everywhere, not allowing corruption, waste and bureaucracy to hide". The General Secretary requested to build a solid "people's hearts" in preventing and fighting corruption and negativity.
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| On March 2, 2023, the Party Executive Committee coordinated with the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to organize a conference to study and disseminate the General Secretary's book on preventing and combating corruption and negativity. (Photo: Anh Son) |
Gradually expand the fight against corruption and negativity to the non-state sector and improve the effectiveness of international cooperation in corruption prevention and fight.
Corruption and negativity not only occur in the state sector, but also have the help and support of subjects operating outside the state sector. On the other hand, corruption crimes are international in nature, a problem of all countries. Therefore, the General Secretary requested to effectively implement activities to prevent and combat corruption and negativity in the non-state sector, while strengthening international cooperation in preventing and combating corruption; solutions to prevent and combat corruption and negativity must be consistent with the cultural traditions of the nation and with the socialist-oriented market economy of Vietnam.
Promote negotiations and signing of judicial assistance agreements and cooperation agreements in the fight against crime with other countries; closely coordinate with judicial agencies of other countries and international organizations to arrest and extradite corrupt criminals in hiding, transfer documents and evidence, and recover corrupt assets that have been smuggled abroad. Actively participate in international initiatives and forums, research, and exchange experiences with other countries and international organizations in the fight against corruption.
Internalize and implement the United Nations Convention against Corruption in accordance with the roadmap and conditions of Vietnam. Regularly summarize and draw experiences, constantly innovate thinking, and perfect theories on preventing and combating corruption and negativity in Vietnam.
Close coordination, "right role, know the lesson", "unanimity from top to bottom, smooth operation"
One of the lessons that General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has drawn from the practice of leading and directing the work of preventing and combating corruption and negativity is to focus on improving the effectiveness and efficiency of operations, promoting the core role and close, synchronous, smooth, timely and effective coordination of agencies with the function of preventing and combating corruption and negativity.
During the operation, if a violation with signs of crime is detected, the competent authorities shall immediately transfer the case file to the competent investigation agency for investigation and handling in accordance with the provisions of law; if the violation involves cadres under the management of the Party Committee, it shall be reported to the Standing Committee of that Party Committee, and the case file and documents shall be transferred to the inspection committee at the same level for handling in accordance with the Party's regulations. The comrade requested that in the fight against corruption and negativity, there must be absolutely no "boxing and fighting", "crabs rely on their claws, fish rely on their fins"; there must be "the right role, know the lesson"; "unanimity between the top and bottom, and smooth communication".
To ensure centralized and unified leadership and direction from the Central to local levels, the General Secretary directed the research and submission to the Central Executive Committee for decision to establish a Steering Committee for anti-corruption and anti-negativity at the provincial level. Thanks to that, the work of anti-corruption and anti-negativity at the local and grassroots levels has had a clear change, gradually effectively overcoming the situation of "hot above, cold below", affirming the correct and timely policy of the Central Committee and of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
With 80 years of age, nearly 60 years of revolutionary activities are rich, persistent, professor, doctorate, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong with erudite and sharp wisdom has left for the entire Party, the entire people and the whole army of the valuable system of ideological and reasoning about the revolutionary road of Vietnam in the new era. The whole Party, the entire people and the whole army vowed to unite, united, joined forces, agreed, took advantage of the opportunity, overcome the challenge, continued to promote the prevention and fight against corruption and negativity, contributing to the construction of the Party and the State is really clean and strong;
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