Q: When it comes to Party building and rectification, and the fight against corruption and negativity, the people highly appreciate the results achieved in recent years, but concerns about corruption and negativity are still complicated. Could you share something about this situation and tell us how to fight corruption and negativity?

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A: Fighting against corruption and negativity is always a very difficult, sensitive and extremely arduous task, related to people because it is a struggle with bad habits of our comrades, our children and sometimes ourselves. With the determination to repel this disease, the Party Central Committee, the Politburo and the Secretariat, have directed persistently and decisively. The more they do, the more experience they can draw, go into depth and methodically gain the people's consensus, love and support. The root of corruption is individualism, degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle. Some cadres have not done anything but think about making money, plundering for "full of greed". This is the most dangerous root leading to corruption, not only losing money but also losing cadres. If this situation is prolonged, we may lose the regime.

From that fact, on September 16, 2021, Politburo issued Regulation No.32, which clearly and fully stipulated the functions and tasks of the Central Steering Committee for Anti-Corruption. The Steering Committee not only directs works against corruption but also directs the fight against degradation in political ideology, morality, lifestyle, “self-evolution”, and “self-transformation” in the cadres, party members, civil servants and public employees, first of all, leaders and managers at all levels in the political system, across the country. This is a new point in the direction of leadership because if the moral and political ideological degradation among cadres and party members is prevented, there will be no more corruption.

Another highlight in 2022 is the implementation of the Resolution of the Fifth Plenum of the 13th-tenure Party Central Committee, under which all localities established provincial Steering Committees on anti-corruption. Thus, the Party’s leadership role in anti-corruption in localities has also been strengthened. This demonstrates the Party’s determination to repel corruption.

The fight against corruption has been conducted by the Party for a long time, but most drastically and effectively since the 11th-tenure Party Central Committee, until now. However, it should be seen that corruption remains complicated and is occurring in many new areas, such as securities and real estate. In particular, there were corruption cases of taking advantage of the Party and State policies regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, to gain illicit profits. That is unacceptable, both breaking the law, and being immoral and inhumane, so it must be punished seriously.

At the same time, we must build a strict prevention mechanism so that ‘corruption is impossible’, a strict deterrent and punishment mechanism so that people ‘don't dare to corrupt’, and a guarantee mechanism so that ‘there is no need to corrupt’. The prevention of corruption must be combined with proactive detection of corruption and a prompt and strict handling of corruption acts, in which corruption prevention is the main and long-term task, while the detection and handling of corruption is the key breakthrough. It is also necessary to combine the prevention and fight against corruption with the building and rectification of the Party and the political system, the studying and following of Uncle Ho's ideology, morality and lifestyle, the thrift practice, the prevention of wastefulness, the anti-degradation in political ideology, ethics and lifestyle, the ‘self-evolution’, and ‘self-transformation’ within the Party. Power must be controlled in Party and State agencies while promoting the core role and close coordination among anti-corruption agencies.

The most important issue is to highly promote the role of the leader. No matter how much we talk, no matter how synchronous a solution is, if the leader is not determined, it will not work. At the same time, the Party Central Committee must have a policy which encourages those who have committed mistakes - if they voluntarily resign and hand over the corrupt payments, they will be lightly handled or even exempted from punishment. It is not good to have all severely punished, or to remove all from office.

Q: Entering the second year of implementing the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress, public opinion highly appreciated the renewal of the resolution-making process and the organisation of its implementation. Can you tell us what issues need to be noted in order to soon realise the Resolution of the Congress?

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A: As I have said many times, the end of the congress is considered just the beginning. Whether it can be done or not, whether to turn the Resolution into a vivid reality, to create material wealth, to bring wealth to the country and to bring happiness to the people, that is the actual success of Congress. Therefore, the study, mastery, and implementation of the resolution is very important. It is necessary to be done in a serious, drastic, methodical and scientific manner across its entire term. 

In order to concretise the Resolution adopted at the 13th National Party Congress, the resolutions, conclusions and regulations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Politburo of this term show many new points in thinking and implementation solutions, not only orienting for the next 5 years, but also through a longer vision. 

If in 2021, the Politburo and the Party Central Committee Secretariat renewed the promulgation and organisation of national conferences to thoroughly grasp and implement the Resolution by sectors and fields, this year, the Politburo will issue and organise national conferences to thoroughly grasp and implement all resolutions on building and developing the six regions in the country: Northern midland and mountainous region, Mekong River Delta region, Central Highlands region, Southeast region, North Central and Central Coastal Regions, and the Red River Delta Region. 

In particular, it clearly shows new ideas, guiding views, much new content, and new solutions with a goal to 2030 and a vision to 2045.

This is a very meaningful job, properly assessing the location and potential to maximise the strengths of each locality, each region in new conditions, and at the same time strengthen the linkage between regions; not only creating higher advantages but also ensuring synchronous connectivity in socio-economic development, defence and security throughout the country, as proposed by the Resolution of the 13th National Congress.

Here, it should be noted that the implementation of the Resolution has long been considered a weak point. I often jokingly said that “That's good/It seems that there are many problems in the implementation”.

After the Resolution is thoroughly grasped, Party Committees at all levels must develop action plans for the entire tenure and specific goals for each year as well as clearly assign tasks and regularly check and urge the forward progression of these. When necessary, it is possible to adjust the goals and solutions to suit the specific situation based on objective fluctuations. Committees at all levels can learn from experiences during the implementation process but must ensure decisiveness and certainty, not in a hurry. The implementation must be synchronous and have a connection among the resolutions and linkages among the regions and sectors, ensuring “smooth sailing across length and breadth”.