The ninth National Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) wrapped up on September 20 after three days’ sitting. It sought measures to raise the efficiency of VFF’s member organizations in promoting the engagement of members and improving social oversight and criticism activities.
Achievements in the last tenure and orientations for the next
According to Tran Thanh Man, who is re-elected as President of VFF’s Central Committee, in its tenure from 2014 to 2019, VFF has always held high its role and responsibility as regulated in the Party guidelines and the Constitution, the Law on the Vietnam Fatherland Front as well as all documents enacted by the Party and State. Together with other mass organizations and socio-political organizations, it has acted as a mainstay in the course of national socio-economic development, national defense and security, and in other areas.
In the five years under review, the Front has worked closely with other government agencies and mass organizations in the national campaign for poverty alleviation. It has also acted as an active member in all diplomatic activities of the Party and Government and constantly renewed activities toward the grassroots level.
However, Man pointed out difficulties and limitations in the national socio-economic development, along with other issues like climate change, natural disasters and epidemics, and plots of hostile forces to undermine the Party and State and divide the great national unity bloc.
He proposed VFF to identify key tasks, utilize potential and resources, seek more international assistance, create social consensus, build the pure and strong Party, State and political system, consolidate the great national unity bloc, and constantly improve the material and spiritual life of people of all social strata with a view to rapidly and sustainably developing and firmly defending the nation.
Man suggested that in the next five years, VFF focus on consolidating and enhancing the great national unity bloc, fulfilling socio-economic and cultural development targets, ensuring national defense and security, protecting lawful rights and interests of the people, fighting corruption and waste, building the pure and strong Party and administration, intensifying international solidarity, expanding people-to-people exchanges, and renewing its operation methods.
Regarding the building national unity bloc in the last five years, VFF President said great national unity was a strategic political line of the Vietnamese revolution. It has become a strong motivation and driving force in the course of national construction and defense. As the living standards of Vietnamese people have steadily improved and their patriotism has been well preserved, their confidence in the Party and Government has been constantly consolidated.
Over the past five years, VFF has cooperated closely with all government agencies and organizations in launching many dissemination campaigns calling on Vietnamese people from all walks of life to join hands in creating and consolidating the Vietnamese unity bloc.
It has annually cooperated with government agencies and mass organizations in launching the campaign “For the Poor” through a live TV program. This campaign has received strong support from all people and organizations inside and outside the country.
Nevertheless, Man also pointed to various challenges facing VFF in the coming tenure. He said one of the most important missions of VFF was to carry out mass campaigns to mobilize the people to realize the Party’s and State’s policies and guidelines in the fields of environmental protection, food safety, traffic safety and law enforcement, among others.
Other important tasks are to carry out oversight activities and social criticism in the society as a whole. However, these activities have not been done as they should have been, particularly at the district and grassroots levels. In some localities, VFF has failed to act as a representative to protect lawful rights and interests of the people or to take the initiative in holding meetings and dialogues between local Party cells or administrations and the people.
All VFF chapters nationwide should act as the people’s representatives to protect their lawful rights and interests. VFF should constantly renew itself and adopt workable programs in the interest of its members and of the society as a whole.
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| The 9th Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front concludes in Hanoi on September 20 after three days of working__Photo: VNA |
Key activities and missions for the 2019-24 tenure
Speaking at the congress, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said VFF should better the communications work, uphold its key role in consultations, and continue to coordinate with administrations at all levels and its member organizations in carrying out patriotic movements and campaigns.
He urged the Front to make greater efforts in collecting public opinions and reporting them to Party and State agencies and localities, while coordinating with authorities in addressing issues of public concern, with due attention paid to ethnic minority, remote, border and religious regions, and former revolutionary bases.
It should continue mobilizing the public to engage in building the Party and administration as well as in the fight against corruption and waste, judicial reform, and improving the business environment.
The Party and State look forward to receiving more recommendations through VFF in order to improve policies, guidelines and leadership methods, the PM said.
At the congress, delegates agreed that with the theme “Unity, Democracy, Renewal and Development” for the 2019-24 tenure, VFF’s activities will focus on the following five missions:
The first is to concentrate on the task of consolidating national unity in the course of building and defending the Vietnamese homeland.
The second task is to launch a campaign to call on Vietnamese people to participate in the national emulation campaign so as to implement the country’s socio-economic programs designed for the 2019-24 period.
Another mission is to ensure practice of democracy to protect the lawful rights and interests of the people, including their right to freedom of speech.
VFF should also uphold its role in the country’s policy of people diplomacy under the motto “Be proactive, creative and effective”.
In addition, VFF chapters nationwide should renew their activities toward the goal of becoming a true representative of the Vietnamese people.
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| Pressing the button to inaugurate a website designed to receive opinions and recommendations from the business community__Photo: Phuong Hoa/VNA |
Solutions to promote VFF’s role in social oversight and criticism for Party building work
To enhance the role of VFF and socio-political organizations in social oversight and criticism for Party building work, VFF President Man proposed that it is necessary to enhance the Party’s leadership over the following issues:
Firstly, it is a need to raise the awareness of Party Committees at all levels about social oversight and criticism by VFF and socio-political organizations. This stems from the fact that here and there VFF was still regarded as an entity that only “participates in” or “responds to” the Party’s or State’s activities but not the one having independent voice and representing the people in the oversight and criticism over the formulation and enforcement of the Party’s guidelines and State’s policies and laws. The right of VFF and socio-political organizations to social oversight and criticism was disregarded while activities were carried out only within VFF without the involvement of its member organizations.
Secondly, policies and laws on social oversight and criticism by VFF should be improved. It is necessary to revise the Politburo’s regulation on engagement of VFF and socio-political organizations in social oversight and criticism activities. Specifically, related agencies should further improve the mechanism whereby VFF and socio-political organizations can perform oversight of Party organizations and members, and clarify responsibilities of Party organizations and members for oversight activities, and the mechanism for receiving and responding to post-oversight recommendations. It is also a must to draft a law on exercise of democracy at the grassroots level in replacement of the 2007 Ordinance on Exercise of Democracy in Communes, Wards and Townships, and a law on supervision by the people.
Thirdly, democracy should be further promoted in social oversight and criticism activities of VFF. Democracy is one of the basic requirements and principles in the organization and operation of institutions in Vietnam’s political system, including VFF. This requirement is applicable to the VFF Committees at all levels as well as coordination between VFF and its member organizations or between member organizations themselves in the course of exercising the right to oversight.
Fourthly, it is required to adopt a mechanism for enhancing the coordination between VFF and its member organizations and other agencies and organizations in oversight work. This is because oversight by VFF can promote their efficiency only in combination with oversight activities of other agencies and organizations in the political system. Specifically, oversight activities of VFF and socio-political organizations should be combined with inspection and supervision activities of the Party and oversight activities of the National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels.
Fifthly, it is necessary to institutionalize the Party’s viewpoints and policies on national great unity under the motto “people know, people discuss, people do and people monitor” and the relationship between Party’s leadership, State’s management, and people’s mastery. At the same time, appropriate mechanisms and policies should be effectively implemented to bring into play the role of the people in making decisions on major issues of the nation and ensure that all state powers belong to the people.
Finally, it is a need to clarify and publicize regulations on the responsibility to set examples of heads and key officials of agencies, organizations and units for the people to supervise. Regulations on contacts and dialogues by heads of agencies, organizations and units and regulations on the receipt of and response to petitions of VFF and socio-political organizations must be strictly complied with. Party Committees at all levels must direct the implementation of numerous solutions, including supervision and inspection by higher-level Party Committees of performance of the responsibility of officials and Party members to set examples in performing duties. Results of the settlement of issues related to morality, lifestyle and responsibilities of heads of agencies, organizations and units which are of public concern should be disclosed.
To further bring into play the role of VFF and socio-political organizations in Party building and national construction activities, greater attention should be paid to promoting and improving the quality of their social oversight and criticism activities as contributions to building the Party and administration to be clear and strong.-
