Theory Research Significance of the lessons: “The people are the root” and “The people are the center” in arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”
Significance of the lessons: “The people are the root” and “The people are the center” in arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”
PROF., DR. TRAN VAN PHONG
Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics
(PTOJ) - This article analyzes and enumerates five meanings regarding the lessons “The people are the root” and “The people are the center” in arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”: They are the basis and foundation for arousing and realizing this aspiration; they are the inner strength for arousing and realizing this aspiration; the people are the subjects who spark and realize this aspiration; serving the interests of the people is the goal of arousing and realizing this aspiration; the leadership of the Party is the key factor determining the success in arousing and realizing this aspiration.
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The 13th National Party Congress set forth the goal of “Strongly arousing the sense of patriotism, the spirit of national self-reliance, the strength of national unity, and the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”. In order to spark and actualize the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”, we must synchronously implement many solutions, including applying and promoting the meanings of the lessons “The people are the root” and “The people are the center”. This is due to the importance of “People are the root” and “People are the center” in arousing and realizing “the desire to develop a prosperous and happy country”, which is reflected in the following key points:
Firstly, the lessons “The people are the root” and “The people are the center” are the basic foundation for arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”(1).
The millennia of national history have revealed that “the fortunes of the country, whether thriving or declining, existing or disappearing, are determined by the power of its people. In other words, any dynasty that wins and unites the hearts of the people will create great fortune, whereas those that go against the desires of their people will sooner or later be defeated”(2). Marxism - Leninism also affirms the great role of the general public, stating that the revolutionary cause belongs to the people, and it is the people who shape history. Therefore, communist parties must forge strong connections with their peoples. President Ho Chi Minh repeatedly stated that the Party’s strength stems from its intimate kinship with the people. Distancing or detaching itself from the people will deprive the Party of its strength.
Similarly, if the work of arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country” is not based on the people, there will be no aspiration to be sparked, let alone its realization. The phrase the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country” refers to the justifiable and sound desires of all Vietnamese people and of the whole Vietnamese nation for an affluent and prosperous life with a strong inner urge to overcome all difficulties and challenges to achieve the nation’s goals, expressed through unremitting efforts and becoming an invaluable spiritual and traditional value of the nation. Obviously, this cannot be the aspiration of a single person, nor the aspiration of our Party alone, but the aspiration of the entire populace, of every Vietnamese citizen.
To arouse and realize this aspiration, we must rely on the people, believe in the people, and promote the strength of the people. It is no coincidence that the 13th National Party Congress concluded the following valuable lessons: “In all the work of the Party and the State, we must always be thoroughly consistent with the principle that ‘the people are the root’, truly believe, respect, and promote the right to self-determination of the people, and persistently implement the motto ‘the people know, the people discuss, the people do, the people inspect, the people monitor, the people benefit’. The people are the center and subject of the Fatherland’s reform, construction, and defensive work. All guidelines and policies shall really derive from the people’s lives, their legitimate aspirations, rights, and interests, with their happiness and well-being as the ultimate aim. Strengthening the close relationship between the Party and the people; relying on the people to build the Party; reinforcing and strengthening the people’s trust in the Party, the state, and the socialist regime”(3).
In all congress sessions, our Party has always determined that promoting the people’s power is the strategic guideline of the Vietnamese revolutionary cause and one of the great and important motivations and resources for the cause of national construction, development, and defense. Therefore, in arousing and implementing the “aspiration for a prosperous and happy country development”, if we do not rely on the people, do not trust the people, and do not harness the strength of the people, then we also cannot arouse or achieve this goal. Therefore, properly applying and promoting the lessons from the Congress that the “People are the root” and “People are the center” will create the basic foundation to arouse and actualize the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”.
Secondly, the principles “The people are the root” and “The people are the center” provide the inner strength and resources that arouse and realize the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”.
It is evident that the people are not only the agents in arousing the aspiration for a prosperous and happy country, but the people and the notion of “The People are Central” also serve as the internal force and inherent strength to realize the “aspiration for the development of a prosperous and happy country”. The 7th National Party Congress, with its Directive on building the country in the period of transition to socialism (1991), stated that “the communists of Vietnam and the entire Vietnamese people are of one accord, united ‘as one man with one heart’, determined to strive to build a strong and prosperous socialist Vietnam for the people’s happiness”(4). The 1991 Platform also defined “the goal of building a strong country with an affluent people via the path of socialism”(5) and “The general goal to be achieved at the end of the transitional period is to basically complete the construction of the economic foundations of socialism, with an appropriate political, ideological, and cultural superstructure, making our country a prosperous socialist country”(6). The aspiration to make our country a prosperous socialist country, as stated in the 1991 Platform, was further developed and organized by the subsequent 9th and 10th National Party Congresses. In 2011, our Party supplemented the 1991 Platform, and the 11th National Party Congress adopted the Platform (complemented and developed in 2011), going one step further in concretizing the aspiration to develop a prosperous country. That is, “ending the transitional period in our country means building the basic foundation of a socialist economy with the appropriate political, ideological, and cultural superstructure, creating the basis for our country to become an increasingly prosperous and happy socialist country”(7).
By the 13th National Party Congress, the aspiration for national development was not only expressed in the theme of the Congress on “arousing the aspiration for national development” and “striving to become a developed country oriented towards socialism by the middle of the 21st century”(8) but it was also concretized in the guiding perspectives, development goals, as well as the orientation for the country’s development for the period 2021-2030(9).
To arouse and realize this aspiration, we must rely on our internal resources and strength, which is the people - “the root” and “the center” of the State. Although capitalizing on international strength and the strength of the times to arouse and achieve the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country” is critical, the people’s internal resources and inner strength still play decisive roles in this regard. Moreover, international strength, and the strength of the time can only promote its role through internal resources and inner strength. Simultaneously, promoting people power will create synergy for arousing and effectively realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”. If the whole populace unites “as one man with one heart”, they will have the power to build and defend the Fatherland, to maintain public security, societal order, social safety, and to reach a social consensus that will allow them to arouse and realize their shared “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”.
Currently, the decisive issues in effectively utilizing and promoting the lessons “The people are the root” and “The people are the center” in arousing and successfully realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country” are that the Party and the State shall fully and deeply care for the people’s lives and interests; shall truly respect and promote the people’s right to self-determination; shall consolidate and build transparent and clean Party organizations and political systems by preventing and combating negative phenomena among cadres, party members, and civil servants, making the Party truly worthy of being the leader and faithful servant of the people. Only in this way will the entire people wholeheartedly follow the Party, believe in the Party, and devote themselves to the goal of nation-building and national defense.
Caring for the interests and happiness of the people is a goal, a noble ideal, a responsibility, a duty of the Party, and is the foundation for harnessing the strength of the people as a tremendous force to create a revolutionary movement of the masses, creating a bond between the Party and the people, and successfully achieving the goal of evoking and realizing the “aspiration for a prosperous, happy nation”.
Thirdly, the lessons “The people are the root” and “The people are the center” demonstrate that it is the people who arouse and actualize the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”.
The people are not merely the subjects who arouse this aspiration, but they are also the ones who carry it out. Aspirations, as we all know, are conscious ambitions of humans that have not yet materialized in reality. Therefore, although the desire to develop a prosperous and happy country is legitimate and laudable, it is essential to have well-defined goals, programs, plans, and organizations in place to turn this aspiration into a reality. The 13th National Party Congress of the Party envisioned “becoming a developed country following the socialist orientation” by the middle of the twenty-first century(10). To achieve this goal, the active participation of the people, executive organizations, and forces formed by the support and power of the people is essential, as President Ho Chi Minh once instructed: “The more support we have from the people, the more successes we will achieve; the less support we have, the fewer successes we will attain; complete victory can only be achieved with the full support of the people”(11). Obviously, without the assistance and active participation of the people, realizing our aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country becomes challenging. Therefore, we must rely on the people to realize this aspiration.
In other words, the work of arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country” must be carried out based on the people, attracting their participation, and fully embracing the lessons “The people are the root” and “The people are the center”. Only when the people are active subjects, holding a central position in arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”, will we succeed in this endeavor. Without the support and active participation of the people, the work of arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country” cannot achieve the desired results.
To promote the role of the people in arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”, it is crucial to engage the participation of all Vietnamese people, regardless of gender, religion, or age, whether they reside at home or abroad, in the pursuit to achieve this shared goal. The widespread involvement of people from all walks of life in arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country” should be demonstrated in all fields: economic, political, cultural, social, national defense, public security, international affairs, and environmental domains.
Fourthly, the lessons “The people are the root” and “The people are the center” emphasize that serving the interests of the people is the primary objective in arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”.
We all understand that our Party and State have no other goal but to wholeheartedly serve the people. The people, however, will only trust and follow the Party and the State when they believe that the Party and the State genuinely deserve their trust. Hence, the goal of serving the people must be simultaneously expressed and demonstrated in practice. To that end, every cadre and party member, every civil servant, and every official of the State must be true pioneers and role models in terms of ideology, politics, morals, lifestyle, wholeheartedly serving the people, and setting a good example for the people to follow. Therefore, our Party and State must comprehensively understand and implement the teachings of President Ho Chi Minh: “We must do our best at whatever benefits the people, and we must do our utmost to avoid whatever hurts the people. We must love and respect the people in order for them to love and respect us”(12).
On the other hand, the Party and the State must convince the people that the sole motivation for arousing and carrying out the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country” is to better serve and improve the people’s quality of life, both materially and mentally. On that basis, the public will actively and voluntarily participate in arousing and implementing this aspiration, as they understand that doing so serves their own interests. It is they, and no one else, who will benefit from the successful realization of the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”. Meanwhile, the Party and the State must ensure the welfare of the people, constantly improving their material and spiritual lives through practical measures.
The Party and the State shall also create the best conditions and environment for the people to participate in arousing and achieving the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”. To do so, each cadre, party member, and the entire political system must diligently adhere to the following requirements of the 13th Party National Party Congress: “All activities of the political system, cadres, party members, civil servants, and public officials must prioritize serving the interests of the people. It is essential to harmoniously resolve relations of interests in society, protect the lawful and legitimate rights and interests of the people, and continuously strive to improve and enhance their material and spiritual lives”(13). There must be different policies of practical care for each societal caste and class.
The practice of revolutionary leadership over the past 93 years by the Party has shown that the people always play an active and proactive role in shaping and implementing the Party guidelines and policies as well as the State laws and policies because these policies and laws are ultimately designed to serve the people and prioritize their interests. This also demonstrates the significance of the lessons “The people are the root” and “The people are the center”, indicating that all Party guidelines and policies, as well as State laws and policies, if created to serve the people and benefit them, will undoubtedly receive the support of the people and be successful. At the same time, the Party must continue to carry out effective public mobilization work so that the people can fully understand that the Communist Party of Vietnam and the State have no other objective other than to serve the people.
Fifthly, the lessons “The people are the roots” and “The people are the center” have proven that the Party’s leadership is the most important determinant in arousing and accomplishing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”.
The practice of the Party’s leadership over the past 93 years, especially through nearly 40 years of reform, has proven and affirmed that “the Party’s leadership is the pivotal factor determining all victories of the Vietnamese revolutionary cause”(14), including the leadership in arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”. The reality of the Vietnamese revolutionary movements over the past 93 years has also demonstrated that no political force other than the Communist Party of Vietnam possesses enough bravery, qualities, wisdom, experiences, morals, prestige, and abilities to lead the country through all difficulties and challenges, bringing the Vietnamese nation to the shores of glory and winning one victory after another. The practice of the Vietnamese revolution, particularly the practice of reform work, has “demonstrated the leading and ruling capacity and unwavering political bravery of our Party, as well as the great strength and creative talent of our people”(15). Thus, the Party’s leadership is the foremost determinant of successfully arousing and achieving the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”.
The Party’s policy of arousing and implementing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country” has been well-conceived, aligning with the aspirations, demands, and needs of the entire nation, as well as the country’s current reality. This is because the policy, first of all, is grounded in the hopes and desires of the entire populace. The aspiration of Ly Cong Uan (974-1028), the founder of the Ly dynasty (1010-1225), displayed visionary foresight and profound concern for the future generations of the Vietnamese nation, reflecting a strong desire to build a prosperous and happy country(16). Similarly, Quang Trung - Nguyen Hue (1753-1792) also expressed his vision of constructing a developed, affluent, prosperous, and joyful country at the end of the 18th century. Subsequently, the aspiration for reform to create a rich, prosperous, and happy country arose among the officials of the Nguyen Dynasty, with notable figures like Nguyen Truong To (1830-1871) exemplifying this desire. In the early twentieth century, the Duy Tan movement, of which two schools represented by Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chau Trinh, further demonstrated the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country. Upon the birth of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country continued to be embraced, rekindled, and gradually realized in practical life.
Secondly, the policy of arousing and fulfilling the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country” carries forward the cherished wishes and aspirations of the beloved President Ho Chi Minh, who expressed in his last will: “My last wish is: Our entire Party and people stay united in their endeavor to build a peaceful, unified, independent, democratic, and strong Vietnam, making a worthy contribution to the world’s revolutionary cause”.
Thirdly, the policy of arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country” continues working towards the objective set by our Party since its establishment. Since its inception in February 1930, our Party has put forth the task of liberating the nation and establishing a communist society. This vision was explicitly outlined in the Party’s Political Program. Though the Brief Political Program of the Party did not explicitly use the term “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”, it set forth the task of implementing “the civil rights bourgeoisie revolution and land revolution to pave the way for a communist society”(17). During the same period, the Brief Charter of the Communist Party of Vietnam also stated that “the Communist Party of Vietnam was organized to lead the enslaved and suffering people in abolishing imperialist capitalism and establishing a Communist society”(18).
At the 13th National Party Congress, the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country” was raised to a new level.
The Party’s leadership, as the determining factor in arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”, is demonstrated in its successful mobilization and encouragement of people from all walks of life to participate in this endeavor. Moreover, the Party also leads the State in creating institutions and mechanisms to attract a large number of people to contribute to the realization of this aspiration.
The aforementioned are the meaning of the lessons “The people are the root” and “The people are the center” in terms of arousing and realizing the “aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country”. These lessons complement and support each other, forming a value and meaning system that guides us in the process of arousing and realizing the aspiration to develop a prosperous and happy country. Hence, each level and branch must study and apply these lessons accordingly to suit their respective industries and fields.
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Received: June 18, 2023; Revised: June 24, 2023; Approved for publication: June 26, 2023.
Endnotes:
(1), (3), (7), (10), (13) CPV: Documents of the 13th National Party Congress, vol.I, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, p.110, 27-28, 71, 112, 165-166.
(2) Full text of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s speech on mass mobilization work, baochinhphu.vn, dated May 27, 2016.
(4), (5), (6) CPV: The Complete Party Documents, vol.51, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2007, pp.127, 235, 136.
(8) See: CPV: Documents of the 13th National Party Congress, vol.I, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, p.57.
(9) See: CPV: Documents of the 13th National Party Congress, vol.I, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2021, p. 110, 111, 116.
(11) Ho Chi Minh: The Complete Works, vol. 7, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2011, p.270.
(12) Ho Chi Minh: The Complete Works, vol. 4, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 1995, p.56.
(14), (15) Nguyen Phu Trong: Some theoretical and practical issues on socialism and the path towards socialism in Vietnam, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2022, p.34 (see also p.47), 249.
(16) See: Ly Thai To: Edict on the transfer of the capital and vision of planning, http://vusta.vn/chitiet/tin-tuyen-sinh-dao-tao/Ly-Thai-To-Chieu-doi-do-va-tam-nhin-quy-hoach-1011, October 19, 2010.
(17), (18) See: CPV: The Complete Party Documents, vol.2, National Political Publishing House, Hanoi, 2002, p.2, 7.
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