General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong visits to Hung Yen city - Photo: tapchicongsan.vn

The Party’s leadership method is a system of forms, measures, and ways in which the Party, the leading subject, affects the leading objects (the State, socio-political organizations, etc.) to demonstrate its leadership contents and its purposes. President Ho Chi Minh was the first to use the term “leadership method” in the Report on Resolutions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Indochina (circa October 1930). He wrote: “so the mass leadership method is extremely important, the Party has to pay great attention”⁽¹⁾. Later, in the book “Modifying the Way of Working” (October 1947), he used the term “leadership style” and outlined the basic principles of said leadership style.

1. Renovation of the Party’s leadership method - Achievements and limitations

After 15 years of implementing the Resolution of the 5th Party Central Committee, Tenure X on Renovation of the Party’s leadership method for the operation of the political system, it can be broadly assessed as follows:

Achievements

The functions, tasks, authority, and responsibilities of the leading Party are more and more defined with the functions and tasks of the State and socio-political organizations. Since then, the situation of overlap and duplication in the activities of each organization has gradually been overcome, further improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the Party’s leadership over the State and socio-political organizations.

The awareness of the Party’s leadership method and renovation of the leadership method is becoming clearer, more specific, and more appropriate. The Party attaches great importance to the renovation of the leadership method for the political system with a focus on the State. The 1991 Platform, supplemented and developed in 2011 clearly defined the channels of the Party’s leadership method: “The Party leads by the Platform, strategy, orientations on policies and major guideline; by communication, persuasion, mobilization, organization, inspection, and supervision and by exemplary actions of party members, etc. The Party leads through party organizations and party members operating in the organizations of the political system”⁽²⁾.

Over the years, the Party has issued many resolutions to specify the Party’s leadership method. For example, Regulation No. 08-QD/TW dated 25th October 2018 on the responsibility of setting an example for officials and party members, specifically, members of the Politburo, members of the Secretariat, members of the Central Committee, and heads of committees, organizations, agencies, and units. This regulation is aimed at not only building the Party’morality but also promoting officials and party members as role models in strengthening the leadership of party orginizations, members and so on.

The functions, tasks, powers, and working relationships of organizations in the political system are reviewed, supplemented, and gradually improved, thereby overcoming overlap and duplication. The Central Committee issued and directed the implementation of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW dated 25th October 2017, on a number of issues including on continuing to renovate and reorganize the political system in a  lean, effective, and efficient way, and Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW dated 25th October 2017 on continuing to renovate the organization and management system, and improving the quality and performance of the public service units. Thanks to renovative thinking, drastic implementation of resolutions with high level of political determination, great effort, and focus, , a number of limitations and shortcomings that had  persisted for many years in terms of the organizational apparatus, have been overcome.

The organizational apparatus of the political system has been streamlined by reduction at a few key focal points, intermediate levels, the number of leading and managerial officials, and headcounts, promoting decentralization and empowerment, and building the e-government, etc., thereby, improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the leadership method.

The Party has developed and issued the working regulations for the Central Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, and Party Committees at all levels; issued many statutes and regulations on the relationship among the Party’s committees, organizations, agencies, and the State’s organizations, agencies, and socio-political organizations: formulating, organizing the signing of coordination statutes among organizations in the political system.

The Party’s inspection, supervision, and discipline were conducted in a drastic and synchronously way, thereby educating, deterring, and alerting officials and party members; continuing to push the prevention and fight against corruption and negativity with the motto “no forbidden zones, no exceptions”, which is strongly supported by officials, party members, and the people, and has strong pervasive power in the society. Thereby, it has the effect of reinforcing and enhancing the people’s trust in the Party, State, and in the socialist regime.

The Party’s leadership method has been gradually renovated to be more suitable for the functions and tasks of each branch of power (legislative - executive - judicial), more suitable and more specific to different levels of government (Central - local); consistent with the principles of compromise and democracy of the Vietnam Fatherland Front. Thanks to this, on the one hand, the Party has maintained its leadership role over the State and socio-political organizations, ensuring socio-political stability and development of the country, and on the other hand, simultaneously developing the role, responsibility, initiative, and creativity of the State and socio-political organizations, reducing the overlap and the “encroachment” among party organizations, government organizations, and other socio-political organizations.

Therefore, the Document of the 13th National Party Congress affirms: “The Party’s leadership method continues to be renovated. Many regulations are issued and implemented to ensure the Party’s leadership role, uphold the rule of law, and promote democracy, initiative, creativity, and responsibility of the State’s agencies, the Vietnam Fatherland Front, and socio-political organizations. The way of studying is renovated, and the resolution is thoroughly understood, attaching the importance to the leadership, directing the organization and implementation, strengthening the inspection, supervision, preliminary, and final review of the implementation of the Party’s resolutions. The renovation of the working style of the Party’s leading agencies from central to local has made progress, attaching importance to promoting the roles and responsibilities of Party organizations and members, especially the heads of Party committees, party organizations, state agencies, and socio-political organizations”⁽³⁾.

By accelerating the construction and comprehensive rectification of the Party in terms of politics, ideology, morality, organization, and officials, including renovation of the Party’s leadership method, and building of a transparent and strong political system, during the term of the 12th National Party Congress, we have achieved many important and comprehensive achievements, making many outstanding impressions. These achievements have created the conditions and set precedents for the country’s quick and sustainable development in the coming years, in order to realize the goals set out by the 13th National Party Congress.

Limitations

Despite the many achievements and progress in the renovation of the Party’s leadership method, the Document of the 13th National Party Congress stated: “The Party’s leadership method for the political system is still slow and confused in the renovation. The mechanism for controlling power in the Party and the State is not complete and synchronous; effectiveness, efficiency is not high”⁽⁴⁾. A situation of making excuses to replace or loosen the leadership role of party committees and organizations also occurs in some places. The administrative reform in the Party is still done at a slow pace and has not met the requirements. The practical review and theoretical research have not been given proper attention and have not met the requirements; a number of new, difficult, and complex practical problems have not been clarified. The implementation of regulations on the responsibility of officials and party members to set an example has not yet become a discipline and lackseffectiveness. The supervision of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front, socio-political organizations, and the people on moral cultivation and training, the lifestyle of officials and party members in some places is not practiced regularly and effectively. The exemplary pioneering and moral qualities of a part of the party members have declined, even some of the party members who are senior leaders have violated the law and got caught up in this kind of behavior. The renovation and arrangement of the organizations and apparatus in some places lacks resoluteness and synchronization and has not achieved the set goals; there is a situation where the apparatus is arranged mechanically, more compactly, but not highly effectively and efficiently. The inspection and supervision of the implementation of some of the Party’s resolutions are not regular; the self-inspection, detection, and handling of violations on many levels of Party committees and organizations is still at a weak stage, which has not been detected in a timely mannor, norhas there been strict handling of party members who violate Party’s discipline and State’s laws; there is still a lack of mechanisms for the people to supervise officials and party members in order to detect violations of the party organizations. The renewal of contents and modes of operation of the Vietnamese Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations in some places has not kept pace with the requirements and tasks of the new situation.

2. A number of directions and solutions to strongly continue the renovation of the Party’s leadership method in new conditions

After nearly two years of implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, the situation around the world has basically developed as predicted by the Congresss. The world is going through great and unpredictable changes, causing a lot of instability, insecurity, and anxiety for many countries.

Domestically, after more than 35 years of renovation, our country has never had the opportunity, potential, national strength, international position, and prestige as it has today. This creates great and favorable conditions, and the premise to consolidate confidence, create new motivations as well as a new atmosphere for the whole Party and all people to strive to accelerate the work of renovation, leading the country to develop quickly, sustainably, and follow the path of socialism.

However, our country still faces many difficulties, challenges, and limitations. Economic development is not really sustainable, productivity, quality, efficiency, and the competitiveness of the economy are not yet high. Leadership, economic - cultural - social management, resource usage, and environmental protection still have many shortcomings; hostile forces are increasingly and fiercely uprising. Organizational and official work, practical review, theoretical research on the ruling Party, and renovation of the political system... are still limited. The leadership capacity and fighting strength of many party organizations and party members are still not up to the task. Organizing the implementation of the Party’s resolutions is still a weakness. Those difficulties, limitations, and shortcomings require our Party to have a high level of determination, and make a great efforts to act more decisively in building the Party and the political system, continuing to strongly renovate the Party’s leadership method within  new conditions.

In order to strongly continue the renovation of the Party’s leadership method, it is necessary to implement the following directions and solutions:

The awareness of the meaning and importance of the Party’s leadership renovation over the State, the political system, and the whole society within new conditions shall be raised. Only when a correct, scientific and appropriate leadership method is put in place can the content and purpose of the Party’s leadership be realized in everyday life, as well aspromotion of the Party’s leadership role. The rapidly changing situation internationally as well as domestically requires the leadership style to be changed as well. Subjectivity shall be consistent with objectivity. It is necessary to closely monitor the changes in the domestic and international situation. The renovation of the Party’s leadership method shall be considered as part of the political renovation, in line with economic renovation; renovating the Party’s leadership method shall be held up as an important part of Party building and the rectification mission - Party building in terms of leadership.

The Party’s leadership method shall be renovated in the direction of building three basic pillars of the socialist development model of Vietnam. These are socialist-oriented market economy, socialist law-governed state, and socialist democracy. The Party’s leadership method shall be consistent with the rules of the socialist-oriented market economy, with the standards and institutions of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and make the most of the resources and motivations of the socialist democracy.

The renovation of the Party’s leadership method shall be synchronized with the renovation of the organization and operation of the political system. Continue to renovate and consolidate organizations in the political system towards being streamlined, operating effectively and efficiently, being close to the people, and respecting the people’s right to ownership. Building a team of officials and civil servants with sufficient quality, capacity, and prestige, on par with their tasks, leading the organization to effectively implement the policies and guidelines of the Party, policies, and laws of the State; focus on renovation leadership, improvement of legislative quality, administrative reform, and judicial reform. Party organizations and members operating in state agencies shall both be exemplary in observing the Constitution and laws, while also enhancing their pioneering role in the implementation of the Party’s policies and guidelines, as well as the policies and guidelines of the state. OThe current state of making excuses must be overcome, as it leads to replacing or loosening the leadership role of the Party.

There should be specific regulations on the Party closely sticking with the people, serving the people, subject to the people’s supervision, respecting the people’s legitimate and justifiable interests, and implementing the motto “People know, people discuss, people do, people check, people supervise, people benefit”; accountable to the people for the Party’s decisions.

The decentralization associated with strict inspection, supervision, and control of power, and the resistance to the corruption of power, especially in official work should be accelerated; there should be a mechanism to deal with the relationship between promoting the right to be proactive and creative, upholding the responsibility of localities and ensuring the unified leadership, direction, and management of the central government.

The power and responsibility of the leaders and the relationship between the collective Party committees, Party organizations, and the leadership should be strengthened, having a mechanism to strictly implement the principle of democratic centralism (recently, quite common violations are due to the violations of the principle of democratic centralism), the collective leadership, the individual in charge; there should be a mechanism to deal with violations commited by leaders.

The inspection and supervision, preliminary and final reviews and lessons learned on the implementation of the Party’s resolutions should be accelerated. The theoretical research and practical summaries on renovating the Party’s leadership method, renovating the organization and operation of the political system, and the leading Party in new conditions should be boosted; the relationship between “the Party leads, the State manages, the people own” should be institutionalized and concretized.

The propaganda, mobilization, education, and persuasion of people from all walks of life should be strengthened and renewed, creating unity within the Party and consensus in society for the effective implementation of the Party’s policies and guidelines, as well the policies and laws of the State.

The Party’s leadership style, the working style of officials and party members according to Ho Chi Minh’s style with outstanding features of democracy, proximity to the people, understanding of the people, for the people, progressive spirit, closeness to reality, speech going along with actions, should be strongly renovated. The administrative renovation within the Party should be promoted, strengthening the application of information technology, and strongly promoting democracy within the Party. The quality of constructing and issuing the Party’s resolutions in the direction of “better fewer but better” should be continuously renovated and improved, ensuring the conditions for implementing the resolutions.

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Received: June 30, 2022; Revised: July 1, 2022; Accepted for Publication: July 15, 2022.

Endnotes:

(1) Ho Chi Minh: Complete Works, vol.3, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.618.

(2) CPV: Document of the 11th National Party Congress, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, pp.88-89.

(3), (4) CPV: Documents of the 13th National Party Congress, vol.I, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, pp.76-77, 93.

PROF., DR. LE HUU NGHIA

Former President of Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics,

President of the Philosophical Society