“Fight from the root”, from the empowered person himself

The phenomenon of "buying positions, buying power", "cronyism, and familiarity" is still a chronic disease. On July 19, 2025, in his closing speech at the 12th Conference of the 13th Party Central Committee, General Secretary To Lam stated: We are determined not to let those who do not meet the standards, conditions, and are not worthy of participating in the 14th Party Central Committee "slip through"; at the same time, we must have effective solutions and measures to limit and promptly overcome the situation where personnel who have just been elected to the Party Central Committee or have just been planned and appointed have to be reviewed, disciplined, or prosecuted for criminal liability. This is an urgent issue, especially when the entire Party is preparing personnel for Party congresses at all levels leading up to the 14th Party Congress and the election of National Assembly deputies and People's Council deputies at all levels for the new term.

In 2024, more than 700 party organizations and 24,000 party members were disciplined for violations; of which 68 were officials under the Central Committee's management. Many people were once considered "promising young officials", newly appointed, commended... but were later disciplined, even prosecuted. The common point is that they could not control themselves in the face of material and power temptations.

Public opinion has repeatedly spoken out about cases of “unclear support” and rapid appointments that violate regulations, but the Party organization there remained silent until the press and the people reported it. That raises the question: Is there any collusion, connivance or compromise due to familiarity and interests in the implementation of personnel work? We need to frankly acknowledge: “Corruption of power” is the most dangerous. Because it distorts Party principles, eliminates healthy competition and loses the trust of the people.

A strict process will be meaningless if the person implementing it does not have a pure heart. President Ho Chi Minh once advised: "We must put the interests of the revolution, the Party, and the people first and foremost" - that is the spirit of "putting public service first" that needs to be strongly aroused in the cadre team, especially those working in organizational and personnel work and Party committees at all levels.

In reality, when streamlining the organizational apparatus and rearranging administrative units, the selection of personnel requires more seriousness and strictness. Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Trong Phuc, former Director of the Institute of Party History, once emphasized: It is not a lack of procedures, but a lack of people who properly implement the procedures with the spirit of serving the Party and the people. When self-interest is involved, all regulations can be invalidated.

Illustration photo / lyluanchinhtri.vn

Therefore, it is necessary to enhance the political capacity, public ethics, loyalty to the Party and responsibility to the people of those working in personnel work. Regulation No. 114-QD/TW dated July 11, 2023 of the Politburo on controlling power and preventing and combating corruption and negativity in personnel work is an important tool to do that.

Blocking negativity is not just about slogans

There have not been many cases where people who introduce wrong cadres have been disciplined, while this is the key link leading to the consequences. Responsibility must be clearly assigned to organizations and individuals who introduce and promote cadres, allowing violations to occur. Along with that, it is necessary to end the practice of "transferring units to avoid the storm" - transferring cadres with signs of violations to become deputies or hold higher positions elsewhere. In fact, such practices further undermine people's trust in the Party.

Some ministries, sectors and localities have piloted competitive examinations for leadership positions. This is a good model that should be expanded. But to be objective, it is necessary to evaluate actual capacity, ethics and get opinions from the grassroots.

For those officials who know they have violated the law but still accept promotions and appointments, when discovered, they need to be dealt with more severely. Honest officials are not afraid of being monitored and discussed by the people.

Preventing negative manifestations in personnel work cannot be done by words or resolutions alone. It is a process of strict and persistent struggle, closely combining “building” and “fighting”, “process” and “people”. Therefore, only when personnel workers truly put the interests of the Party and the people above all else, only when the appointed person has heart, vision and talent, can the right person be chosen, assigned the right job, and a team of cadres be built to meet the country’s requirements in the new period.

In lieu of a conclusion

Incorrect appointment of cadres is not necessarily due to incorrect procedures, but sometimes because we have not seen through the whole person in terms of both virtue and talent, both motivation and behavior. When evaluation is still emotional, supervision is not strict, and responsibilities are not clear, then errors in reviewing, evaluating, and appointing cadres can still occur, even though the process seems complete. The core is how to make each stage of cadre work truly aim at selecting the right people - people with heart, vision, and responsibility to the Party and the people. To do so, we need a mechanism that is both strict and humane; transparent and flexible; a team of cadre workers with courage, vision, and true impartiality. When cadre work is operated with both clear reason and correct emotions, we will limit the selection and appointment of incorrect cadres and create a solid foundation for the long-term, sustainable development of the country.

REPORTER GROUP

*Please visit the section Protecting the Party's ideological foundation to see related news and articles.

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/phong-chong-tu-dien-bien-tu-chuyen-hoa/dung-quy-trinh-du-tieu-chuan-vi-sao-bo-nhiem-van-sai-bai-5-ngan-chan-bieu-hien-tieu-cuc-trong-cong-toc-can-bo-tiep-theo-va-het-837795